(This article, reprinted with permission, featuring a survey of Bexley graduates, appeared in The Columbus Dispatch on June 8, 2005)  6/27/05

Graduates grade high-school experience

Charlie Roduta
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

After two years at Bexley High School, graduating seniors Annie and Abbie Wasserman have made connections with several teachers, developed lifelong friendships and say they were pleasantly surprised by their tough classes.

"Columbus School for Girls has a rigorous curriculum," said Annie, who with her twin sister transferred from the private school to Bexley as juniors.

"We were expecting (Bexley) to be easy. But it wasn't."

Bexley officials will learn more about what the Wassermans and the rest of the Class of 2005 thought of their high school experience when they receive the results of their exit survey.

In recent weeks, seniors at several Franklin County high schools were asked to reflect on the past four years by filling out exit surveys that examine everything from program offerings to school philosophies.

Seniors answered on a scale of "excellent" to "needs improvement." Administrators say the polls have become an essential tool in knowing how to help future students.

"An argument in education is that we don't listen to students enough," said Roger Yoder, secondary curriculum director for Milliard schools. "We thought that it was an important part (of) what we do."

Ohio is among the states where the interest in surveys is growing rapidly, said Larry Ledgerwood, chief executive officer of LifeTrack Services, a group based in Clarkston, Wash., that develops exit surveys for seniors and graduates.

"Surveys are becoming more and more popular as accountability systems are being demanded," he said. "It's an efficient way to find out what their graduates are getting from their high-school education."

Bexley and Dublin are among districts nationwide that use Life-Track surveys, which include questionnaires for seniors at the end of high school, 13 months after graduation or five years after graduation.

Survey formats vary by schools, but most cover school climate, safety, staff helpfulness and the quality of classes. Students also can offer suggestions on areas where schools can improve.

Some districts, such as Gahanna, Milliard and Worthington, have crafted their own surveys.

About 10 percent of last year's 800 seniors at Milliard Darby and Milliard Davidson responded to the mail-in survey. This year, members of the Class of 2005 were able to respond to an online survey during their government classes. All 850 seniors at both high schools responded.

"It will help us analyze what we're doing and how we're doing it," Yoder said. "It's about continuous improvement."

After receiving the survey results of Bexley's 2003 graduates, administrators have made changes in the high school's technology offerings. For example, they added new computer labs, including a wireless one.

An interest in science courses led to the construction of a new chemistry lab, which opens in the fall for the new Advanced Placement chemistry class. Since 2003, Bexley also added five new AP courses, including computer science and art history.

Dublin Coffman High School Principal Tracey Miller was concerned when 24 percent of last year's seniors gave an "excellent" response to a question about school belonging, even though most students gave it a "good" score.

"That needs to be better," Miller said. "I want kids to feel like it's family here.... We spent a lot of energy and resources to help them feel a part of something special this year."

Some of the administrators' efforts included a Labor Day picnic for students and staff members, e-mail correspondence between Miller and parents, and the first staff play, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, in which Miller donned a Snoopy costume.

After Gahanna Lincoln High School seniors said in their surveys that they needed academic help during the school day, administrators added math and writing labs.

"It's a good way to check out clients," Principal Mark White said. "We need to make sure we're meeting their needs."

Two years since graduation, the Class of 2003 still remembered what it was like at Bexley.
In a survey released this week, 81 percent of graduates said Bexley offered a quality education, and 82 percent said that teachers held high standards and demanded quality work.

About 64 percent of the 193 graduates responded to the survey.

"The Ohio Department of Education school report card doesn't tell you the whole story," Bexley Principal John Kellogg said. "Schools are not... businesses.

"They are communities with human relationships. It's based on human interaction and you want to understand those interactions."

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