March 7, 2008

Improving our schools: What’s being done?

By Bill Highlander
Editor

No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a program meant to raise the educational standards for schools and school districts throughout the country. The Bush administration provides federal funding to support program improvement and sanctions for those under performing schools.

East Side Union High School District Leadership: Bob Nunez, superintendent and Dan Moser, associate superintendent of instruction are responsible for program improvement in local schools. Nunez became superintendent in July, 2005. Photo by Bill Highlander

But is it working? And what do the standards really mean? How will sanctions help? How are the schools in Evergreen doing?

The East Side Union High School District (ESUHSD) was one of 96 school districts cited by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as troubled and needing intervention. The sanctions ranged in severity and ESUHSD received a “light” rating, meaning that the district is to use a state approved technical advisor to help develop improvement plans.

ESUHSD superintendent says this is already in place. The district includes 11 high schools and several other learning entities. The three high schools in the Evergreen area are Evergreen Valley, Silver Creek and Mt. Pleasant.

Several factors are considered in determining a school’s academic progress. The Academic Performance Index (API) Report, the Adequate Yearly Performance (AYP) Report and the Program Improvement Report are the major components.

Data for the 2006-2007 school year show that Evergreen Valley met the AYP, API and is not a Program Improvement School; Silver Creek did not meet the AYP, did meet the API, and is not a Program Improvement School; and Mt. Pleasant did not meet AYO or API, but is not a Program Improvement School.

The API score for the average high school in California is 697. The API scores range from 200 to 1000 and the statewide performance target is 800. API targets vary by school. The latest numbers show Evergreen Valley at 827, Silver Creek at 745 and Mt. Pleasant at 689.

The AYP has four requirements: (1) student participation rate on statewide tests (2) percentage of students scoring at the proficient level or above in English-language arts and mathematics on statewide test (3) API growth and (4) graduation rates.

Evergreen Valley passed the AYP. Silver Creek and Mt. Pleasant narrowly missed passing, having difficulty with participation rates by students with disabilities and graduation rates.

The criterion for graduation rates for 2007 is 82.9 or a positive change. Evergreen Valley’s rate is 90.5. Silver Creek is 81.3 and Mt. Pleasant is at 88.8. However, each of the schools indicated a negative change year over year.

Scores for other schools in the district vary and overall, ESUHSD is in its second year of program improvement. Superintendent Bob Nunez says its sanction of “light’ means, “What you are doing is OK, keep doing it.” What the District is doing is offering support classes in math and English for ninth graders and may do so for tenth graders.

The looming problem according to Nunez is the budget. The Governor is proposing budget cuts that will require laying-off administrators and teachers. School principals will have to decide what to do without. Nunez says that cuts at the District level will not be directed to the classroom setting.

Dan Moser, associate superintendent of instruction, says, much of the difficulty in attaining the AYP criteria stem from the large amount of English-learners and the participation rate of students with disabilities and “ The expectation is that in ’08-’09, we can move students receiving intensive support into the mainstream classes.”

More information about the ESUHSD, its schools and their performance can be found on the respective Web sites and www.cde.ca.gov.