Thread: THE COMMENT OF THE DAY : THE STORY REGARDING SCHOOLS

Comments On This Story


Spouse of OUSD Teacher wrote on Aug 31, 2007 5:19 PM:

" I could go into great detail about the demographics of the schools listed in this article, but the bottom line is they are heavily populated with Hispanics. I did a study of all the schools in San Diego county recently and found Hispanic kids are scoring in the mid 600's on their API (Academic Performance Index), while Asians were the highest group scoring in the mid-high 900's with whites right behind in the mid 800's to low 900's. If you doubt my data, do the research yourself. It's not about racism, it's about placing undue burden on our teachers, and blaming them for the poor performance of the largely Hispanic kids they teach. You can look at the latest development two ways; it could be construed that we're coddling the Hispanics and giving them special treatment. Or, transfers are going to allow white and Asian parents to get their kids out of these schools and into a school with higher API's. You be the judge. I know first hand that the quality of the teachers at these schools is as good as you’ll find anywhere else, and if there’s any blame to be made it's in the demographics of the students. It is certainly time to rethink intent of the NCLB Act and our approach to a solution. While we need to retain the quality of education for all kids, we should also understand that some kids, namely Hispanic and immigrants, are at a disadvantage and are just not going to do well with traditional academics no matter what we do and have alternatives like vocational training available in the later years. "

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Most schools don't improve on state tests

By: SHAYNA CHABNER -- Staff writer

31 North County campuses will have to allow students to switch schools

NORTH COUNTY ---- Most local schools made moderate improvements on state tests or did not improve at all last year, according to an annual report released today by the California Department of Education.

That means many schools will continue to be forced to allow students to transfer to schools with higher scores under a Federal law that punishes schools with low scores. Others will be required to provide extra tutoring, and some could be taken over by the state if scores don't improve.

Across North County, 31 of the 232 schools ---- or 13 percent ---- face punishments this school year.


Four North County elementary schools in Escondido, Poway, Vista and Valley Center raised students scores that they will not have to cope with sanctions again this year.

"Overall, it seemed to be statewide, that there were no huge jumps in scores," said Ken Clark, the assistant superintendent of the Valley Center-Pauma Unified School District. "We have had some real significant increases in our scores ... over the last three years, and the reality is that it's tough to keep doing that. We have some work to do."

The report issued Friday includes scores from the state and federal governments based on a barrage of tests students in grades two through 11 took in the spring.

Under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the federal government expects schools to have a certain percentage of students passing state math and English tests each year. The federal government increases those requirements every few years, and expects all students to be passing state tests by 2014.

This year, about a third of students were expected to pass state math and English tests at each school. Smaller groups of students within each school, such as racial groups, students with disabilities and children from low-income families are required to pass at the same rate.

Schools that don't have enough passing students face punishments that get more severe each year a school fails.

Schools in their first year of sanctions are forced to allow students to leave for other schools. Campuses that have failed for several years face intervention from the state, which could oust principals or take over schools.

The report also includes state ratings based on the same standardized math and English tests

The state uses a different scoring system that expects schools to show annual improvements on a scoring system of 200 to 1,000 points. The state considers a school or district to be on target if it has a score of 800 or above.

Some schools that meet the state requirements can fall short of federal standards because too few students pass the tests. In North County, this is especially a problem for some of the traditionally higher-performing districts that have schools with high populations of students learning English.

In Valley Center, for instance, the district's Lower Elementary School met the state's standards with a score of 812, but also found itself facing federal sanctions because it did not meet the federal standard on English tests.

In fact, most of the local schools that continue to be sanctioned are there because too few students are passing English tests.

That trend is most apparent in Vista and Escondido, which have large populations of students learning English.

With 11 of 29 district schools tested last year facing federal sanctions this school year, Vista Unified makes up nearly a third of failing schools in North County. Escondido Union, which has also struggled for years with low test scores and federal sanctions on many campuses, has six schools of 23 on the list this year.

An elementary school in each of the districts, Monte Vista in Vista and Glen View in Escondido, got out from under federal sanctions.

"We are very, very happy for some of the schools in terms of the growth that they have made," said Brenda Jones, the assistant superintendent of the Escondido Union School District. "Certainly, we are aware of the fact, that in a district of our size you are going to show schools that show growth, but also schools that show challenges."

Similar reports of mixed growth, and even declines in some areas were reported at both the state and county levels. As a result, many districts throughout the state saw little to no change on how schools ranked overall on both state and federal accountability systems.

"It's clear that we will need to redouble our efforts if we are to attain our goal to prepare all students for success in the rapidly changing global economy," State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell said in a news release.

For more on the scores or to see how your school fared, see www.cde.ca.gov.

Staff Writer Stacy Brandt contributed to this report. Contact staff writer Shayna Chabner at (760) 740-5416 or schabner@nctimes.com.


31 North County schools face sanctions


North County schools face punishments this school year for low test scores.

The following schools will be forced to allow parents to send their children to other campuses until scores improve:

Clair Burgener Academy, Oceanside Unified School District

Foothill Oak Elementary, Vista Unified School District

Hannalei Elementary, Vista Unified School District

Jefferson Middle School, Oceanside Unified School District

Mission Elementary, Oceanside Unified School District

Olive Peirce Middle School, Ramona Unified School District

Paul Ecke-Central Elementary, Encinitas Union School District

Reynolds Elementary, Oceanside Unified School District

San Marcos Elementary Academy, San Marcos Unified School District

In addition to offering the same transfers, the following schools will be forced to add extra tutoring services:

Ditmar Elementary, Oceanside Unified School District

Farr Avenue School, Escondido Union School District

Frazier Middle School, Fallbrook Union Elementary School District

Juniper Elementary, Escondido Union School District

Lincoln Middle School, Oceanside Unified School District

Maie Ellis Elementary, Fallbrook Union Elementary School District

Norm Sullivan Middle School, Bonsall Union School District

Temple Heights Elementary, Vista Unified School District

Valley Center Elementary Lower, Valley Center-Pauma Unified School District

Vista Academy of Visual and Performing Arts, Vista Unified School District

In addition to transfers and tutoring, the following schools must replace some employees, put new lesson plans in place or undergo additional restructuring:

Beaumont Elementary, Vista Unified School District

Lincoln Elementary, Escondido Union School District

Martin Luther King Middle, Oceanside Unified School District

Pioneer Elementary, Escondido Union School District

Rose Elementary, Escondido Union School District

In addition to the above punishments, the following schools must either: replace most of the staff, including the principal; re-open as charters; prepare for state takeovers or undergo a major school reconstruction:

Grapevine Elementary, Vista Unified School District

Lincoln Middle, Vista Unified School District

Olive Elementary, Vista Unified School District

Washington Middle, Vista Unified School District

The following schools face the most severe punishments, and must undergo overhauls of their administrations in addition to all the above sanctions:

Bobier Elementary, Vista Unified School District

Crestview Elementary, Vista Unified School District

Grant Middle School, Escondido Union School District

SAT scores keep falling.

Illegals are destroying everything else in America, so it's not surprising they are destroying out educational system as well!