Liberty High School is a large urban, public high school located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Liberty is the larger of two public high schools in the Bethlehem Area School District, with Freedom High School being the other. Liberty's current attendance area includes students from the City of Bethlehem, Fountain Hill, Freemansburg, and Hanover Township. In 2015, enrollment was reported as 2,759 pupils in 9th through 12th grades, with 55% of pupils eligible for a free lunch due to the family meeting the federal poverty level. Additionally, 18% of pupils received special education services, while 4.5% of pupils were identified as gifted. The school employed 156 teachers. Per the PA Department of Education, 2% of the teachers were rated "Non-Highly Qualified" under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. In the 2014-15 academic year, Liberty High School had 2,749 students and 156 full-time teachers.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2013, Liberty High School reported an enrollment of 2,784 pupils in grades 9th through 12th, with 1,606 pupils eligible for a federal free or reduced price lunch due to the family meeting the federal poverty level. In 2013, the School employed 156 teachers yielding a student-teacher ratio of 17:1. According to a report by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 30 teachers were rated "Non-Highly Qualified" under No Child Left Behind.
Liberty High School students may choose to attend the Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School for training in the construction and mechanical trades. In 2015 the District reported that over 1,000 Bethlehem Area pupils were enrolled in the Vocational school's programs. The Colonial Intermediate Unit IU20 provides the school with a wide variety of services like: specialized education for disabled students; state mandated training on recognizing and reporting child abuse; speech and visual disability services; criminal background check processing for prospective employees and professional development for staff and faculty.
Liberty High School holds football games and other sporting events at the Frank Banko Field at the Bethlehem Area School District Stadium. Graduation takes place annually at Stabler Arena.
Video Liberty High School (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania)
Graduation rate
In 2015, the District's graduation rate was 82%.
- 2014 - 82.8%
- 2013 - 81%
- 2012 - 81%.
- 2011 - 82.5%.
- 2010 - 81.5%, the Pennsylvania Department of Education issued a new, 4-year cohort graduation rate.
- According to traditional graduation rate calculations
- 2009 - 85%
- 2008 - 86.5%
- 2007 - 86.5%
Maps Liberty High School (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania)
Academic achievement
Opportunity Scholarship - lowest achieving schools
In May 2014 and May 2015, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) released a report identifying seven (7) Bethlehem Area School District schools as among the lowest achieving schools for reading and mathematics in the state. Liberty HIgh School was Included on the lowest achievement list. One hundred four (104) public school districts had one or more schools on the list.
In October 2015, Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale reported that two schools in the District are among the 561 academically challenged schools that have been overlooked by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. He also reported the Pennsylvania Department of Education failed to take any action to remediate the poorly performing schools to raise student academic achievement or to provide them with targeted professional assistance. Liberty High School was one of the two low performing schools in Bethlehem Area School District.
2015 School Performance Profile
Liberty High School achieved 62.4 out of 100. Reflects on grade level reading, mathematics and science achievement. The PDE reported that just 51.9% of the High School's students were on grade level in reading/literature. In Algebra 1, just 28% of students showed on grade level skills at the end of the course. In Biology I, only 36% demonstrated on grade level science understanding at the end of the course. Statewide, 53 percent of schools with an eleventh grade achieved an academic score of 70 or better. Five percent of the 2,033 schools with 11th grade were scored at 90 and above; 20 percent were scored between 80 and 89; 28 percent between 70 and 79; 25 percent between 60 and 69 and 22 percent below 60. The Keystone Exam results showed: 73 percent of students statewide scored at grade-level in English, 64 percent in Algebra I and 59 percent in biology.
2014 School Performance Profile
Liberty High School achieved a score of 57.1 out of 100. Reflects on grade level reading, mathematics and science achievement. In reading/literature - just 57% were on grade level. In Algebra 1, 37% showed on grade level skills. In Biology, 32% demonstrated on grade level science understanding at the end of the course. Statewide, the percentage of high school students who scored proficient and advanced in Algebra I increased to 39.7% to 40.1%. The percentage of high school students who scored proficient and advanced in reading/literature declined to 52.5%. The percentage of high school students who scored proficient and advanced in biology improved from 39.7% to 41.4%.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 2,134 of 2,947 Pennsylvania public schools (72 percent of Pennsylvania public schools), achieved an academic score of 70 or higher. Fifty-three percent of schools statewide received lower SPP scores compared with last year's, while 46 percent improved. A handful were unchanged.
Compared with 2013, the percentage of schools that earned below 60 declined by nearly 1 percent per Secretary of Education Carolyn Dumaresq. She reported that this is an indication that student achievement is improving as school resources are being used better.
2013 School Performance Profile
Liberty High School achieved a score of 56.6 out of 100. Reflects on grade level reading, mathematics and science achievement. In reading/literature - 61% of pupils were reading on grade level. In Algebra 1, only 37% showed on grade level skills. In Biology, just 28% showed on grade level science understanding. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 2,181 public schools (less than 73 percent of Pennsylvania public schools), achieved an academic score of 70 or higher. Pennsylvania 11th grade students no longer take the PSSAs. Instead, beginning in 2012, they take the Keystone Exams at the end of the associated course.
AYP History
In 2012, Liberty High School declined further to Corrective Action 2 (sixth year) Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) status due to chronic, low student academic achievement in reading and mathematics. The high school was among 14 schools in the district that failed to achieve Adequate Yearly Progress.
- 2011 - declined to Corrective Action 2 (5th year) AYP status
- 2010 - declined to Corrective Action 2 (4th year) AYP status
- 2009 - declined to Corrective Action 2 (3rd year) AYP status
- 2008 - declined to Corrective Action 2 (2nd year) AYP status
- 2007 - declined to Corrective Action 2 (1st year) AYP status
- 2006 - declined to Corrective Action 1 AYP status Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, the school administration was required to notify parents of the school's poor achievement outcomes and to offer the parent the opportunity to transfer to a successful school within the District.
- 2005 - declined to School Improvement 2 AYP status Under the Pennsylvania Accountability System, the school district must pay for additional tutoring for struggling students.
- 2004 - declined to School Improvement 1 AYP status The school administration was required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education to develop a plan to raise student academic achievement. The plan had to be submitted to the PDE for review.
- 2003 - declined to Warning AYP status, due to lagging academic achievement in reading and mathematics
PSSA results
Pennsylvania System of School Assessments, commonly called PSSAs are No Child Left Behind Act related examinations which were administered from 2003 through 2012, in all Pennsylvania public high schools. The exams were administered in the Spring of each school year. The goal was for 100% of students to be on grade level or better in reading and mathematics, by the Spring of 2014. The tests focused on the state's Academic Standards for reading, writing, mathematics and science. The Science exam included content in science, technology, ecology and the environmental studies. The mathematics exam included: algebra I, algebra II, geometry and trigonometry. The standards were first published in 1998 and are mandated by the Pennsylvania State Board of Education.
In 2013, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania changed its high school assessments to the Keystone Exams in Algebra 1, Reading/literature and Biology1. The exams are given at the end of the applicable course, rather than all in the spring of the student's 11th grade year. The state announced the change in 2010 and made it in order to comply with Governor Edward G. Rendell's agreement to change to the national Common Core standards.
11th Grade Reading:
- 2012 - 62% on grade level, (17% below basic). State - 67% of 11th graders are on grade level.
- 2011 - 67% (17% below basic). State - 69.1%
- 2010 - 65% (19% below basic). State - 66%
11th Grade Math:
- 2012 - 46% on grade level (36% below basic). In Pennsylvania, 59% of 11th graders are on grade level.
- 2011 - 50% (28% below basic). State - 60.3%
- 2010 - 49% (29% below basic). State - 59%
11th Grade Science:
- 2012 - 31% on grade level (27% below basic). State - 42% of 11th graders were on grade level.
- 2011 - 28% (27% below basic). State - 40%
- 2010 - 31% (27% below basic). State - 39%
School safety and bullying
The Bethlehem Area School District administration reported there were six incidents of bullying in the school in 2015. Additionally, there were also 12 assaults on pupils and several sexual incidents involving students. The local law enforcement was involved in fifty-eight incidents at the schools, with 45 arrests. These includes weapons at school, 3 cases of arson, and 24 incidents of possession of a controlled substance, including possession of a controlled substance for sale. The chronic drug and safety issues at Liberty high School became controversial when community members were anonymously notified about the problems.
Each year the school safety data is reported by the district to the Safe School Center which then publishes the compiled reports online. Nationally, nearly 20% of pupils report being bullied at school.
Liberty High School administration reported there were eight incidents of bullying in the school in 2014. Additionally, there were 13 assaults on pupils and one sexual incident involving a student. The local law enforcement was involved in fifty-six incidents at the schools, with twenty-one arrests. There were also multiple incidents involving weapons and twenty-six controlled substance incidents.
Liberty High School administration reported there were seven incidents of bullying in the school in 2013. Additionally, there were 9 assaults on pupils and one sexual incident involving a student. The local law enforcement was involved in fifty-six incidents at the schools, with nine arrests. There were also multiple incidents involving weapons and twenty-seven substance incidents.
In 2012, Liberty High School administration reported there were seven incidents of bullying in the school in 2012. Additionally, there were six assaults on pupils and two sexual incidents involving students. The local law enforcement was involved in forty-three incidents at the schools, with thirty-two arrests. There was one bomb threat and five pupils were caught with knives at school. Nine pupils had controlled substances at the school, with one accused of selling illegal drugs.
The federal No Child Left Behind Act established the Unsafe School Choice Option. Each state that receives federal funds was mandated to establish a statewide policy requiring that a student at a "persistently dangerous" public school be allowed to transfer/enroll in a safe public school. The policy permitted a student who becomes the victim of a violent criminal offense, while in or on the grounds of any public school that he or she attends, to transfer to a safe public school. Each year since 2006, the Pennsylvania Department of Education has released a list of Persistently Dangerous Schools. Bethlehem Area School District schools have not been on the lists.
History
Liberty High School was built in 1918 and opened in 1922. At the ceremony in May 1923, Liberty High School was dedicated to "the progressive spirit of the citizens of Bethlehem." At the opening of the school, Liberty was seen as "one of the greatest achievements of the City of Bethlehem," and designed to not only "further the well-being of youth" but also to stand as a "War Memorial, commemorating the valor of Bethlehem men who went to the front, the sacrifice of the heroic dead and the manifold contributions and productions of the city toward bringing the war to swift and just conclusion." Liberty High School was given its name to cement this War Memorial status. It is located in the geographical center of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state.
Liberty High School served all of Bethlehem until Freedom High School was built. Afterwards, Center City, Pembroke, and South Side residents attended Liberty while Bethlehem Township and Hanover Township residents went to Freedom. Adjustments have been made to these borders however, and Liberty now has students from Hanover, Center City, Pembroke and some of South Side (with some South Side residents attending the Freedom school).
Up until Liberty's recent remodel, the school was composed of three classroom buildings, two buildings with four floors and one science center with two. Over the years, several renovations have been performed on the school, with the most recent being an overhaul of the main building, along with the construction of a new student activity center.
Currently Liberty High School's Main building (Common's Building) is currently home to the Freshman Center. It is a new program established in 2013 meant to help freshmen make the transition the high school a little easier. Students there are now following a different schedule than the 10-12 graders attending Liberty. All freshmen take classes in the 2nd and 3rd floor of the commons building and travel for gym, business and sciences classes. It was developed due to the fact that freshmen typically struggle academically with such a big transition from middle school. This is the first time Liberty High School has done something like this in its history.
Grants
Project 720
Project 720 was a high school reform program implemented for three years under the Rendell administration. The intent was to increase academic rigor and improve the instruction of teachers in the Commonwealth's high schools. Teachers were expected to use data driven instructional practices and to meet the needs of diverse learners. The 720 in the name referred to the number of days a student was in high school in ninth through 12th grades. High schools applied for funding and were required to agree to report to the PDE their plans, their actions and the outcomes. In 2007-08 budget year, the Commonwealth provided $11 million in funding. Bethlehem Area School District was one of 161 PA public school districts to apply, receiving $89,901 funding over three years. For 2010-11, Project 720 funding was decreased to $1.7 million by Governor Rendell. The grant program was discontinued effective with the 2011-12 state budget.
Education Assistance Grant
The state's EAP funding provides for the continuing support of tutoring services and other programs to address the academic needs of eligible students. Funds are available to eligible school districts and full-time career and technology centers (CTC) in which one or more schools have failed to meet at least one academic performance target, as provided for in Section 1512-C of the Pennsylvania Public School Code. In 2010-11, Bethlehem Area School District received $750,330. In 2003-04, Governor Rendell signed into law the EAP for targeted tutoring at a funding level of $38 million. Almost 35,000 students in 82 academically challenged school districts, including Bethlehem Area, received extra help in the first year. The program was continued at the same funding level in 2004-05. In 2005-06, the program received $66 million in funding and expanded to support tutoring in 175 school districts and Career and Technical Centers.
Classrooms for the Future grant
The Classroom for the Future state program provided districts with hundreds of thousands of extra state funding to buy laptop computers for each core curriculum high school class (English, Science, History, Math) and paid for teacher training to optimize the computers use. The program was funded from 2006 to 2009. The Bethlehem Area School District received $415,146 in 2006-07. The dollars were shared between the two high schools operated by Bethlehem Area School district. In 2007-08, Bethlehem Area School District received $1,237,006. The district received $246,989 in 2008-09. Among the public school districts in Northampton County, the highest award was given to Bethlehem Area School District which received a total funding of $1,899,141. The highest funding statewide was awarded to Philadelphia City School District in Philadelphia County - $9,409,073. The grant program was discontinued by Governor Edward Rendell as part of his 2009-10 state budget.
Extracurriculars
Bethlehem Area School District offers a wide variety of clubs, activities and an extensive sports program at Liberty High School. Eligibility is determined by school board policy and in compliance with Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA). The PIAA mandates that student athletes must be passing at least four full-credit subjects to participate in sports. Additionally, at Bethlehem Area School District a student athlete may not be failing more than one course during a grading period.
By Pennsylvania law, all K-12 students residing in the Bethlehem Area School District, including those who attend a private nonpublic school, a Pennsylvania public cyber charter school, charter school and those who are homeschooled, are all eligible to participate in the extracurricular programs including all athletics. They must meet the same eligibility rules as the students enrolled in the district's schools.
According to the Pennsylvania Child Abuse Recognition and Reporting Act 126 of 2014, all volunteer coaches and all those who assist in student activities, must have criminal background checks. Like all school district employees, they must also attend an anti child abuse training once every three years.
Clubs
Liberty High School offers a range of clubs including PJAS (Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science), BASD Mini-THON, SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions), Chess Team, Science Olympiad, Class Play - Fall (Fall Play), Shakespeare Club, Class Play - Spring (Spring Musical), DECA, Stage Crew Drama Club, Step Team, Ecology Club, Student Government, Class Offices, FBLA, Teen Summit, Historic Bethlehem Club, Teens Against Tobacco Use (TATU), Ski Club, Key Club, Tempest Dance Team, Latino Leadership, Video Production Club, LHS Strategy Club, Anime club, Jr.NAACP, Mini Globe Trotters, Photography Club, the Young Republican and Democrat club, and Art club.
Athletics
The school's athletic teams compete in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, which also includes high schools from Allentown, Easton, Emmaus, and other Lehigh Valley locations. According to Pennsylvania's Safety in Youth Sports Act, all sports coaches, paid and volunteers at Liberty High School, are required to annually complete the Concussion Management Certification Training and present the certification before coaching.
The sports include Cheerleading (non-competitive and competitive), Baseball, Field Hockey, Boys and Girls Soccer, Boys and Girls Track & Field, Boys and Girls Basketball, Football, Softball, Boys and Girls Volleyball, CoEd Golf, Boys and Girls Swimming, Rifle, Boys and Girls Tennis, Girls and Boys Lacrosse, Wrestling, and Boys and Girls Cross Country. In December 2008, the Liberty High School varsity football team won the Pennsylvania 4A State Championship.
Liberty High School (as well as Freedom High School and Bethlehem Catholic High School) plays in Frank Banko stadium, which seats 12,000.
Notable alumni
- David A. Bader, professor and executive director of high performance computing, Georgia Institute of Technology
- Chuck Bednarik, former professional football player, Philadelphia Eagles, and Pro Football Hall of Fame member
- John B. Callahan, Mayor of Bethlehem
- Pete Carril, former basketball coach, Basketball Hall of Fame member
- Alexandra Chando, actress, As the World Turns and The Lying Game
- Jimmy DeGrasso, drummer, Alice Cooper band; former drummer, Megadeth
- Ted Deutch, Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Florida's 21st congressional district.
- Peter D. Feaver, former Special Advisor for Strategic Planning and Institutional Reform, United States National Security Council
- Jonathan Frakes, actor and director, Star Trek: The Next Generation
- Murray H. Goodman (born 1925), real estate developer
- Mike Hartenstine, former professional football player, Chicago Bears
- Darrun Hilliard, professional basketball player
- Loren Keim, real estate author
- Gary Lavelle, former professional baseball pitcher, Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays
- Barry W. Lynn, political activist and executive director, Americans United for Separation of Church and State
- J. J. Maura, voiceover artist and television announcer, WCAU and QVC
- Matt McBride, major league baseball player, Oakland Athletics
- Paul McHale, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Security and former Member of Congress
- Billy Packer, former college basketball television sportscaster, CBS
- Dan Persa, former quarterback for the Northwestern Wildcats and finished his college career with the highest completion percentage in the NCAA
- James J. Reed, former head coach, United States men's national soccer team
- Sheetal Sheth, actress, Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World
- Devin Street, professional football player, Houston Texans
- David Zinczenko, diet author, editor of Men's Health magazine
Notable faculty
- James Delgrosso, taught driver's education from 1965 to 2003. Mayor of Bethlehem from 2003 to 2004.
References
External links
- Liberty High School Official Web Site.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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