Northwestern High School Performance Plan

SCHOOL PROFILE

School Name:

NORTHWESTERN HIGH

School Year:

2026

Area:

Area-3

Local Education Agency:

Prince Georges County Public Schools

Supervisor Name:

Perez-Humphrey, Eunice

State School No.:

1708

Supervisor Email:

Eunice.Humphrey@pgcps.org

School Type:

01. High School

Title I:

No

Grades Served:

09, 12

Community School:

Yes

Principal Name:

NKenge Barker

State Identification:

CSI:No, TSI/ATSI:Yes

Principal Email:

Nkenge.Barker@pgcps.org

School Address:

7000 Adelphi Rd, Hyattsville,MD - , Hyattsville MD 20782

School Vision:

Northwestern High School is dedicated to providing relevant, high-quality education and preparing our artistic and culturally diverse student body for an ever-changing 21st century. We honor achievement, and we promote and develop a high level of intellectual, social, and personal growth in ourselves, in our school, and in our community.

School Mission:

As instructional leaders, all staff at Northwestern High School will develop into educators who utilize instructional practices that exceed the expectations of our students. In order to do this, we will actively engage in Professional Development opportunities, implement the most effective strategies learned, receive evidence-based feedback and reflect constantly on how to improve our practice.

SMART Goals

A targeted

aspiration that serves as the focal point for collective improvement efforts

Specific; Measurable; Achievable; Realistic; Timebound

Math- By June 2026, 10% of 10th grade Algebra 1 students at Northwestern High School will score proficient or higher (Level 3 or above) on the MCAP Algebra 1 assessment, representing an increase of 5 percentage points from the SY25 baseline of 5%.

RELA/ELA-During the 2025-2026 school year, the percentage of 10th grade English students scoring proficient in MCAP English will increase by five percentage points, from 42% - 47%.

Graduation Rate-Updated: By Summer 2026, the four-year cohort graduation rate for Northwestern High School will increase by 5 percentage points, from 65% in SY2025 to 70% in SY2026, as measured by the MSDE Cohort Graduation Report.

Original: By Summer 2026, we will have a graduation rate of 70% or higher.

Problem of Practice

One problem the school has chosen to address that will assist them in moving toward the overarching Smart Goal

Teachers' emphasis on procedural fluency restricts students' development of reasoning and conceptual understanding of Algebra 1 Concepts.

Revised: Students in English 10 have varying opportunities to develop and demonstrate reasoning skills in their writing, indicating a need for greater alignment and consistency in classroom practices that support analytical thinking and effective communication.

Original: English teachers need to consistently implement instructional strategies that explicitly develop and reinforce students' reasoning skills to improve student performance on MCAP writing tasks.

Updated: Teachers must be consistent and accurate with the entry of attendance data during class periods to improve the school's ability to identify and address patterns of student absenteeism that impact graduation outcomes.

Original - Teachers must consistently and accurately enter attendance during each class period using the correct codes for absences and tardies, which will enhance the school's ability to monitor chronic absenteeism and provide timely interventions to ensure student's are attending school.

Change Idea

A specific, actionable idea or technique that school teams will use to address the SMART Goal

Algebra 1 teachers of tenth graders will consistently provide higher-order thinking tasks with structured reasoning prompts to build students' reasoning skills and conceptual understanding.

Teachers will implement the ABC Protocol and explicitly teach reasoning to help students connect claims and evidence.

Implement a school-wide "Attendance Accuracy Protocol" that includes daily teacher attendance audits, short professional learning refreshers on attendance coding, and real-time feedback loops from the attendance office. The protocol will establish clear expectations for taking attendance within the first 15 minutes of class, define procedures for correcting errors, and provide ongoing recognition for accurate and timely reporting.

Target

The AIM set to determine if the implementation of the change idea was successful

By the end of the PDSA cycle, 80% of 10th-grade Algebra 1 teachers will use at least one higher-order thinking task with reasoning prompts per lesson, engage students in critical thinking, and adjust instruction based on student responses to strengthen conceptual understanding.

By the end of the learning cycle:

* 80% of English 10 teachers will consistently implement the ABC Protocol in at least two activities per month, explicitly modeling reasoning vocabulary and providing feedback on students' reasoning.

By the end of first semester, 85% of teachers will submit attendance within the first 15 minutes of class with no more than 5% corrections required by the attendance office.

By the end of the PDSA cycle, at least 70% of 10th-grade Algebra 1 students will score 2 or higher on higher-order reasoning questions, as measured by the 4-point MCAP Holistic Rubric.

By the end of the learning cycle, 80% of students will demonstrate proficient reasoning on a teacher-created assignment, accurately showing logical, well-explained reasoning.

By the end of first semester, there will be a 3% decrease in chronic absenteeism.

Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) / Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI)

This section is for state-identified schools only.

Identified Group(s)

Evidence-Based Strategy (EBS)

EBS Target

Black or African American:Economically Disadvantaged:Hispanic or Latino of any race:Multilingual Learners:Students with Disabilities

**Students with Disabilities: Read 180**

* **Strategy:** Implement _Read 180_ as a targeted, evidence-based literacy intervention for Students with Disabilities who are performing below grade level in reading.

**Students with Disabilities: Read 180**

* We will know the strategy is a success when Students with Disabilities demonstrate measurable improvement in reading proficiency and growth, as shown by:

_Read 180_ provides adaptive instruction in decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension using a blended learning model that combines teacher-led instruction, adaptive software, and independent reading.

**Multilingual Learners: Summit K12**

* **Strategy**: Implement Summit K12 as a targeted, evidence-based intervention to accelerate English language development for Multilingual Learners (MLs). The program supports listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills through adaptive, WIDA-aligned instruction and teacher-facilitated practice.

*    A **10-point increase** in average _Read 180 Lexile gains_ between the beginning and end of the 2025–2026 school year.

**Multilingual Learners: Summit K12**

*    We will know the strategy is a success when Multilingual Learners demonstrate measurable growth in English language proficiency and consistent program participation.

*    From Beginning of Year (BOY) to Middle of Year (MOY): Average +0.2 increase in WIDA Proficiency Level (PL) composite score.

*    Usage fidelity: Students will complete 120 minutes of Summit K12 instruction every three weeks (approximately four 30-minute sessions during class time).