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HHS Principal News

Longhorns Take County’s Top Athletic and Academic Awards

Harmony High School’s athletic teams collectively won the Orange Belt Conference’s All-Sports Championship and the County GPA Championship for 2011-2012!
Longhorn student athletes had a combined average grade point average of 3.039. Nine HHS programs placed finished first in their categories this year to help HHS secure the academic title- Volleyball (3.48), Boys Basketball (3.31), Girls Basketball (3.43), Boys Soccer (3.14), Girls Soccer (3.50), Girls Weightlifting (3.34), Softball (3.36), Boys Track & Field (3.06), and Girls Track & Field (3.47). Nine Longhorn teams won OBC titles for earning the most wins against county opponents. The HHS team champs were Boys Golf, Boys Swim & Dive, Volleyball, Girls Basketball, Girls Soccer, Boys Weightlifting, Softball, Flag Football, and Girls Tennis. We are extremely proud of our student- athletes at Harmony High School! These tremendous accomplishments show that our students and coaches are fully committed to excellence, both in the classroom and on the field.

Longhorn Coaches and Athletes Put Academics First

Harmony High School's athletic teams are currently ranked 4th overall in the state's Academic Champion standings (that’s 4th out of 82 schools in class 7A) !! Our Boys Basketball team is the STATE ACADEMIC CHAMPION in class 7A!! Our Girls Basketball team finished 3rd in the state academic standings! HHS is the overall County GPA Winter Champion, and we won team titles in 5 of the 7 winter sports! Our 1st place county winners:
• Boys Basketball 3.308
• Girls Basketball 3.431
• Boys Soccer 3.142
• Girls Soccer 3.499
• Girls Weightlifting 3.344

Pattern of Academic Growth

In January, it was announced that Harmony High earned an “A” for the first time in school history; this continues our tradition of maintaining a grade of B or better for four straight years—the only comprehensive high school in Osceola County to do so.

Many factors have contributed to strong grades including:
1. FCAT growth
2. Increased graduation rates
3. More students in advanced classes with higher success rates
4. Higher numbers of college ready students, as determined by success on college entry exams

Students and teachers are determined to continue this pattern of academic growth. FCAT study blitzes that prepare students for the new 2.0 standards are being implemented for writing and reading. FCAT/Academic skills tutoring & Boot Camp preparation are under way. Advanced Placement, ACT, & EOC skills prep sessions are being offered before and after school. Our school is providing more opportunities than ever for all students to get extra help, and strong attendance numbers indicate that HHS students are fully committed to their academic success.

Graduation and Dropout Rates Best in School History

The latest student achievement data reports revealed that not only did Harmony High School's 2011 graduation and dropout rates improve from 2010, but they were also the best in our school's history! As you can see from the graphs below, our school has made steady growth in graduation rates and showed steady decline in dropout rates in recent years. This is a direct result of the positive environment that the faculty and staff has created in which all students have the opportunity and support to achieve success.

2011 Fall FCAT Retake Results

The 2011 Fall FCAT Retake results were recently released by the FLDOE. Our scores look impressive! HHS 11th grade pass rates and mean scores in both Reading and Math exceeded the district and state averages by a significant margin. Eleventh grade Reading averages were higher than all comprehensive high schools in the district, and only one other school scored higher on 11th grade Math. Keep in mind that nearly 80% of our retakers were 11th graders.
Results Summary:

11th Grade Reading

HHS - 36% pass rate, 286 mean scale score
District - 26% pass rate, 267 mean scale score
State - 29% pass rate, 271 mean scale score

11th Grade Math

HHS - 45% pass rate, 298 mean scale score
District - 37% pass rate, 285 mean scale score
State - 39% pass rate, 287 mean scale score

12th Grade Reading

HHS - 22% pass rate, 268 mean scale score
District - 21% pass rate, 261 mean scale score
State - 23% pass rate, 265 mean scale score

12th Grade Math

HHS - 41% pass rate, 296 mean scale score
District - 28% pass rate, 283 mean scale score
State - 34% pass rate, 284 mean scale score

We are pleased with these results, but there is still work to be done to help more students achieve success. Congratulations and thank you to all Longhorn stakeholders who have contact with these students each day. Your patience, persistence, and caring attitude are making a difference in their lives.

AP 5 year

Harmony High Student Show Significant Growth in AP Passing Rate

The 2011 AP exam results show that Harmony High School AP students achieved significant growth in the overall pass rate. Our numbers show that 24.7% of all tests taken were scored at 3 or higher. That is compared to 20.4% in 2010, and 18.1% in 2009. The percentage of AP students with at least one score of 3 or higher increased to 30% in 2011, up from 24% in 2010, and up from 21% in 2009. I have attached two charts that illustrate this year's growth. Some 2011 AP Exam Results Highlights:

36% pass rate in AP Human Geography, up 14% from 2010, with an increase of 49 more tests in 2011
45% pass rate in AP Psychology, up 22% from 2010
29% pass rate in AP Chemistry, up 8% from 2010
50% pass rate in AP Biology, up 4% from 2010
92% pass rate in AP Calculus, up 5% from 2010

Congratulations to our AP students and teachers on these outstanding results! It is evident that our Longhorns are rising to the challenge of achieving greater success in a more rigorous academic environment.
AP 3 year

2010-2011 Mid Year Report

The School Accountability Reports were released by the FDOE. The high schools did not receive grades yet, but we did get our "scorecard" for the FCAT half of the school grade. The results look tremendous for Harmony High School! We earned 522 total points, compared to 496 last year. The most impressive growth occurred with the lowest quartile reading gains. Our students went from 40% making learning gains in 2010 to 53% making gains in 2011. That is a 13 percentage point gain in the area that has clearly been our main focus over the past few years. As a result of everyone's hard work with the lowest quartile, our school will not be penalized a letter grade this year. Congratulations on this outstanding accomplishment! It is impossible to accurately predict our school grade at this point, but things are looking very good! Thank you for keeping our students focused and for preparing them for success! Some highlights from Harmony High School's 2010-2011 School Accountability Report

Increased school accountability total points by 24
Increased % of students scoring level 3 and above in Math by 4 points
Increased % of students scoring level 3.5 and above in Writing by 2 points
Increased % of students making learning gains in Reading by 3 points.
Increased % of students making learning gains in Math by 4 points.
Increased % of lowest quartile students making learning gains in Reading by 13 points.
Increased % of lowest quartile students making learning gains in Math by 4 points.
Received 10 bonus points for high percentage of FCAT retake success.

Harmony High School