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Local Schools Score Big
 Vol. 2, Issue 44, October 30-November 5, 2009
By Jonathan Volzke
San Clemente Times
San Clemente schools help Capistrano Unified’s test scores rank No. 1 among large districts in the state
If the political turmoil at Capistrano Unified School District is a distraction in the classroom, someone forgot to tell the students, who have again made CUSD the top-scoring large school district in California.
According to the 2009 Academic Performance Index scores recently released, 32 of 37 of the district’s elementary schools have scores of 800 or higher—a mark fewer than half the elementary schools statewide hit—while 11 of 12 CUSD middle schools scored above 800, a feat accomplished by just 36 percent of all middle schools in the state. At the high school level, all six of Capistrano’s comprehensive campuses scored above 800, compared to just 21 percent of high schools statewide.
The API tests are a state system that set growth targets for schools and various student populations. Students in grades two through 11 take the tests, and the results are used to measure the success of a school and district. Scores range from 200 to 1,000.
Countywide, CUSD was fourth-highest in API scores, but tested more students than the first three districts—Irvine Unified, Los Alamitos Unified and Laguna Beach Unified—combined. Capistrano tested 38,505 students, while the other three totaled 28,992. And for the first year, CUSD’s API growth score, 857, surpassed neighboring Saddleback Valley’s, which had an 848.
“The results demonstrate the excellent work being done by the all the folks at CUSD,” Trustee Ken Lopez-Maddox said. “The district is excelling in difficult financial times.”
At San Clemente High School, the API score jumped 11 points, from 817 to 828. “We were incredibly pleased,” Principal George Duarte said. “Over the past 10 years, we’ve had steady growth every single year. We are continuing to refine the instruction to the students, and to make sure the students take the tests seriously.”
Duarte said the credit needs to be shared among the students, teachers, staff, parents, even the community. “It’s a wonderful thing in CUSD to have all comprehensive high schools above 800, we’re all working hard,” he said. “It is the result of effective teaching, effective classroom prioritization, the students doing their best and the parents and the community supporting us.”
As in past years, San Clemente High students will get a free dance in the Spring to celebrate the test scores. Over at Tesoro High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, Principal Dan Burch is walking around with a shaved head because of his school’s test scores—a 31-point jump to 902.
That’s a healthy jump, but students at Vista del Mar Middle School nearly doubled it. That campus’ scores jumped a whopping 62 points, from 812 to 874. That tied for the highest in Orange County among middle schools.
“We used a lot of collaboration with other schools, getting information on their best practices and what worked elsewhere, then adapted it to our needs,” said Principal Adam Ochwat. “We’ve got great teachers, and our entire staff—whether office or custodial—and teachers work together. It’s a team effort.”
District wide, CUSD officials have used shorter days for students to create time for teachers to work together. Elementary schools have shorter days once a week, and the middle schools use late-start days, and when the kids are off campus, teachers can analyze student data and talk with each other about what works with each student. The district catch-phrase is “knowing kids by name and by need.”
“During that time, what we’re really focusing on is knowing kids individually and knowing their needs individually so we can focus on growth,” Chief Communications Officer Julie Hatchel said. “While we focus on academics, we go beyond that- there are basic needs that need to be met, such as just getting kids to school. All of those things play a part in student success.”
Even with great test scores, some areas still need attention. One San Clemente school, Marblehead, slipped eight points, and district wide, a gap exists between white students and Hispanic students. In 2009, that gap was 139 points, but it has consistently narrowed since 2004. That year, the point difference was 170, with Hispanic students average 657 points, compared to an average of 827 for white students. Now, the difference is a score of 743 for Hispanic students and 882 for white students. The difference narrowed by three points over last year’s results.
Lopez-Maddox said the decreasing difference is important. “The closing of the achievement gap is especially impressive,” he said.
In San Clemente, Las Palmas Elementary School is on the state’s “program improvement” category, a designation when the students do not make adequate gains over consecutive years.
This year, Las Palmas, where about 59 percent of the students are Hispanic, soared in the testing, up an incredible 71 points to a score of 790.
“We rocked,” resource teacher Dana Aguilera said. A critical piece of the success, she said, is a very systematic intervention program that uses several different bits of data to evaluate a student’s progress, then assign a varying level of extra help, depending on the need.
The school has four full-time intervention specialists, and the students who need the most help are pulled from class for 40 minutes a day for intensive extra teaching and tutoring. The students take four benchmark tests throughout the year and can “graduate” from intervention, or receive a less-intensive intervention in the classroom, Aguilera said.
At Kinoshita Elementary School in San Juan Capistrano, Principal Erick Fineberg thought nothing of jumping in his car and driving to a student’s home to investigate suspicious absences. He also held family nights at the campus, and even sleep-overs to make school a more comfortable, and enjoyable, place for students and their parents. Kinoshita was a program-improvement school, but its test scores jumped 50 points this year and has now been removed from the list. Those familiar with the district’s political acrimony noted an ironic fact when the achievement at the school, where the student population is 97 percent Hispanic, was recognized by trustees: Fineberg has fled the district to take a lateral job in Tustin.
In business, leaders and employees who meet goals and exceed them are often rewarded with bonuses. In Capistrano, teachers have been under pressure to take a pay cut, and administrators, not protected by a union, saw their salaries cut 10 percent. As he left, Fineberg noted Capistrano is a strong district and had some great district-level administrators. But, he noted then, many were gone.
“What’s pretty amazing is when you think about the test scores in light of all the turmoil this district been through,” said Vicki Soderberg, president of the Capistrano Unified Education Association. “It’s a real testimony to the teachers’ skills, expertise and ability to focus when the district has never been in such continuing turmoil.”
She said teachers feel under attack by the board, but remain focused on their mission. “I think the focus is on learning. Period,” Soderberg said. She also credited the parents, especially those who work with the teachers and volunteer their time. “It’s a partnership,” Soderberg said.
“Losing principals and others will take a toll on us,” Soderberg said. Asked whether the political discord would ultimately impact test scores, she could only answer “good question.”
San Clemente Schools Score Well
San Clemente’s public schools all met their target scores in the latest round of California’s Academic Performance Index (API) testing, with all but one increasing their scores over previous years.
But even the school that slipped a bit, Marblehead Elementary, still met its target score.
All told, San Clemente’s schools increased an average of 27.6 points, with Vista del Mar Middle School jumping a whopping 62 points. District-wide, 84 percent exceeded the achievement target of 800—including all but one San Clemente campus—and 96 percent met school-wide growth targets.
SCHOOL SCORE 2008 GROWTH TARGET Comparable
San Clemente High 828 817 11 Yes No
Vista del Mar Elementary 910 892 18 Yes Yes
Vista del Mar Middle 874 812 62 Yes Yes
Marblehead Elementary 814 822 -8 Yes No
Shorecliffs Middle 825 807 18 Yes No
Las Palmas Elementary 790 719 71 Yes Yes
Bernice Ayer Middle 883 866 17 Yes Yes
Concordia Elementary 870 823 47 Yes Yes
Truman Benedict Elementary 887 847 40 Yes Yes
Clarence Lobo Elementary 848 803 45 Yes Yes
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Congratulations Shorecliffs!
What an amazing group of hardworking teachers administrators, and most of all students and parents. We would not be able to do this without such a strong support unit, and Mr. Moe.
Thanks,
Mom :)
Way to go teachers!!! Despite the corruption our district faces with our new board you still manage to focus on what is important... our children in this district and their education.
Way to go BAMS! The best Middle School in San Clemente. Great example of teachers, students and parents working together! (Despite the chaos occuring with the CUSD Board).
Congratulations to the students of Vista del Mar Middle School...You should be very proud of yourselves!
Great article! Thanks for sharing this good news!
Silly opening paragraph, but it does serve to deflect attention from the real issues that justified reform efforts. That's because the reform issues never dealt with academic performance except in the deceitful, self-serving exaggerated arguments of certain CUSD insiders (staff and union spinners). Reformers focused on corruption and financial mismangement. Again, it's not the test scores, stupid.