Friday, June 27, 2008

High school district among those that have fallen short on federal testing standards

By MERRILL BALASSONE
mbalassone@modbee.com
and JULIET WILLIAMS
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

last updated: February 28, 2008 09:50:52 AM

The Modesto City High School District and 37 other California school districts face moderate sanctions for repeatedly falling short of test targets set by the federal No Child Left Behind law, Gov. Schwarzenegger said Wednesday.

Schwarzenegger recommended severe or moderate sanctions for nearly half the 97 districts, including Modesto City High and Planada Elementary School District in Merced County, that have missed requirements for the past five years.

The moderate-level sanctions mean district officials can have a say in choosing a team of education experts who will assess curriculum, testing and teacher quality, among other issues. The teams will recommend changes to the state Board of Education. The Modesto High School district includes Beyer, Davis, Enochs, Johansen, Modesto and Downey high schools and Elliott Alternative Education Center.

"Honestly, any kind of assistance is welcome," Modesto City Schools Superintendent Arturo Flores said. "I had anticipated some kind of intervention. I'm particularly pleased that schools aren't going to be left alone in trying to resolve the situation."

Schwarzenegger has vowed to make California the first state in the nation to embrace the penalty aspect of the federal education law. But he said state leaders had worked hard to make sure the penalties were in proportion to the problems in each district.

"It's not a hostile takeover," Schwarzenegger said during a news conference. "We are going to work with the schools."

If it had not intervened, the governor's office said, the state would have risked losing up to $45 million in federal money to help turn the districts around.

The proposal Schwarzenegger reached with Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell calls for teams of experts to intervene and devise ways to boost student achievement.

The failing districts are split into four groups under the plan — those facing severe, moderate, light and other action.

The State Board of Education must approve Schwarzenegger's plan next month before it can take effect.

3 local districts in light category

Modesto City Elementary, Merced City Elementary and Atwater Elementary school districts are in the light category, which means they would receive assistance in helping targeted groups of students with consistently low test scores, such as English learners or students with disabilities.

Flores said he will be on the phone next week to begin researching the state-approved intervention teams.

"If (the state's) going to offer the assistance, then I'm going to be adamant that I get the best possible assistance ever offered to any school district," Flores said.

The seven school districts facing the harshest sanctions, which could include replacing administrators or a takeover by the state, are: Greenfield Union Elementary in Monterey County; Arvin Union Elementary and Fairfax Elementary in Kern County; West Fresno Elementary in Fresno County; Ravenswood City Elementary in San Mateo County; Keppel Union Elementary in Los Angeles County; and Coachella Valley Unified in Riverside County.

Covers third of state's students

On the list are 96 failing school districts and the Orange County Office of Education, which has responsibility for running some schools.

The districts facing sanctions are collectively responsible for educating about a third of California's 6.3 million students, nearly half of whom are considered poor. About a quarter do not speak English fluently.

Many educators have been quick to note that they have made progress in improving test scores. But that is not enough under No Child Left Behind, which sets ever-higher expectations each year.

In 2007, all but two Modesto schools raised their state Academic Performance Index score, a number from 200 to 1,000 based on results from state tests. More than half improved their API by double digits; the statewide median growth was six points.

"The path has been upward, mostly," Flores said. "As the standards get higher, we have to be better trained and better prepared."

In his State of the State address in January, Schwarzenegger said he would make California the first in the nation to embrace the authority it was given under the federal law "to turn these districts around."

"No more waiting," he said. "We must act on behalf of the children."

Schwarzenegger has focused on the plan as the state struggles with a budget deficit that largely derailed his proposed "year of education reform" and forced him to propose major cuts to education.

He has recommended suspending Proposition 98, the landmark education funding law voters approved in 1988. That has prompted a statewide opposition campaign by the California Teachers Association and its allies.

Bee staff writer Merrill Balassone can be reached at mbalassone@modbee.com or 578-2337.

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