Reading Citadel Intermediate High School Wins AIA Citation

European judges award the Reading Citadel Intermediate High School with an AIA Citation of Architectural Excellence.

A panel of european judges awarded the Reading Citadel Intermediate High School with an AIA Citation of Architectural Excellence. The former St. Joseph's hospital reopened as a school for 9th and 10th graders in September 2010 and already there have been improvements in student education as a result of this facililty.

Seventh-Month Results:

When comparing the first seven months of operation to the previous year where these students were in the over-capacity high school...

• Decreased truancy and class cuts from 20% to less than 1%
• 50% fewer total disciplinary incidents
• Zero incidents of food fights or physical altercations during lunch periods
• Increased attendance by 4%
• Increased formative assessments participation from 71% to 96%
• Doubled formative assessments score

Factors in Improved Behavior & Performance

The school serves roughly 2,800 students in two grades. In order to break down the student body into smaller groups, the school operates as four independent schools which share only core areas such as the gymnasium, cafeteria and library. Each of these four schools is broken up further into four learning communities each resulting in groups of 175 students.

The interior spaces in the school focused on two issues with regard to the students. First, respect for the students was a primary concern. The materials selected were highly durable, but also chosen for appearance in a style befitting young adults. Attention was given to corridors and restrooms as well as teaching spaces to create environments to which the students would be more likely to react with respect.

Secondly, the school was designed with oversized circulation areas. These generous spaces have a grand appearance but also serve a very critical social function. They allow the high volume of students, many with gang affiliations and a history of aggressive behavior, to maintain a greater degree of personal space when transferring between classes and congested group activities such as lunches and assemblies.

Of course, the primary source of improved student performance lies with the school's administrative leadership. Several strategies were put in place to address issues and create smaller teaching environments, address common issues contribut to behavioral problems and create more one-on-one learning opportunities to allow students to improve their skills.

• Learning Labs
  Large lab spaces for each of the four schools are utilized instead of study halls for any student falling behind in class. These labs are fitted with computer stations, instructional software and teaching staff available to assist students one-on-one.
• A “One-Bell” Class Schedule
  One bell only between classes requires students to transfer immediately to their next class. When the bell rings, you are immediately "late" for the next class so there is no loitering in the hallways when retrieving books or changing rooms. This has effectively increased the teaching time in the day by 30 minutes.
• Offset Class Periods
  The days are comprised of 16 shorter periods which are assigned to classes in single, double or triple blocks. The three varying classtime lengths offset student class changes so that only 1/3 of students change classes at a given time. That means less opportunity for hallway misadventures.
• Six (6) 25-Minute Lunch Periods
  Shorter lunch periods allow enough time to eat but less “down-time” for altercations & food fights