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Remember That School Where … ?
Emily Alpert
Voice of San Diego
August 17, 2010

... * You might remember Montgomery High, a seemingly ordinary school south of the Otay Valley Park that had become a battleground for Sweetwater Union High School District because of its lackluster scores. It brought in a peppy new principal, changed its schedule, and tried to implement a slew of changes to how teachers teach, sometimes rankling teachers and their union.

So what happened? Well, Montgomery saw some big gains on the state test.

The percentage of students who met state goals in math, for instance, more than doubled. The share of students meeting state goals grew nearly 13 percent in English, nearly 15 percent in history and 12 percent in science. I haven't heard the official word yet, but the scores likely mean that Montgomery will avoid state takeover.

* Scores also surged at another school under siege: King-Chavez Arts Academy.

This charter school in Barrio Logan has had a roller coaster of a year. After the controversial firing of most of its teachers two years ago, the school landed on a state list of persistently low-achieving schools that are supposed to create dramatic plans to turn themselves around. But at the same time that it was being labeled as a failure, the Arts Academy saw English scores rise 14 percent and math by nearly 23 percent.

* We also profiled another school that landed on that state list of low achieving schools: Burbank Elementary. Scores jumped there, too, giving some credence to its plans to keep on with reforms it has already started rolling out, instead of reversing course.

* Finally, we stopped into San Ysidro High to see how teachers like Jessica Vargas were trying to toughen up classes to help English learners pass the high school exit exam.
In every grade, more English learners reached state goals, though it is still quite rare -- 8 percent instead of 2 percent among high school juniors, for instance...

Mayor: Schools Report is ‘Cause for Great Concern’

Mayor: Schools Report is ‘Cause for Great Concern’
Voice of San Diego
Emily Alpert
Jul 20, 2010

A coalition of philanthropists, parents, academics and business leaders aired an updated study of San Diego Unified schools at a press conference today, touting it as a call to action to change the way a "failing school system" is governed.

The University of San Diego study, commissioned by businessman Rod Dammeyer, is likely to be the opening salvo in a longer battle to alter how the school district is run. It draws no conclusions. But simply by airing data on test scores and finances and diagnosing the schools as failing, the group is taking its first public step toward a more concerted, more specific campaign.

The report was built largely on publicly available data from the California Department of Education from 2002 to 2009...

For instance, the report noted that on a national math and reading exam, at least two-thirds of students tested last year were still falling short. Achievement gaps have grown between white students and their black and Hispanic classmates... the report also noted bright spots, such as a decreased dropout rate.

Sanders said he supported efforts to reexamine how the school district is governed, aligning him with the new group. But he did not invoke the idea of a larger school board, an idea the group has quietly discussed. It was the first public event for the coalition, which includes dozens of members ranging from Qualcomm cofounder Irwin Jacobs to retired educator Linda Sturak to San Diego State professor emeritus Alberto Ochoa...


‘We Have No Idea Where You’re Coming From’
Voice of San Diego
Emily Alpert
July 22, 2010

...Scott Himelstein, the leader of the newly named San Diegans 4 Great Schools, explained that his group was disappointed with test scores in the local schools and believed "governance" -- a buzzword that translates into "how the school board works" -- was a big part of the problem. Dramatic changes in the school board have caused superintendent churn, he said, causing wild swings in direction.

Several at the meeting agreed that the schools needed help. Community Council President Scott Hasson said he believed the schools were "in a shambles." Conroy said he was aggravated that so few graduates seemed to know the basics for science careers...

Tests compare one crop of children to those that precede them instead of tracking each child's progress

Photo by Sam Hodgson: Birney Elementary School teacher Tom O'Malley leads a discussion with his class on Friday.


San Diego Schools' New Testing Idea: No Child Left Unmeasured
January 24, 2010
By EMILY ALPERT
Voice of San Diego

Tom O'Malley knew that the fourth grade classes at Birney Elementary had been a success -- but the numbers said it had failed.

O'Malley said two years ago, he and a fellow teacher got a crop of children who were badly behind. They helped the students improve, making even bigger gains than the last classes they taught. But because the kids didn't do as well as the earlier class, who came in ahead and scored higher, test scores seemed to drop.

"I felt like a failure as a teacher," O'Malley said, shaking his head. "I'm not one of these teachers who are scared to be held accountable. I just want to be held accountable for what I actually do."

His story underscores a nagging problem with test scores, especially under No Child Left Behind: Schools are gauged by how well they do from year to year, but nobody is comparing the same children. When school officials say that fourth grade math scores sunk or soared, they really mean that one class of third graders -- the class from last year -- did well or poorly compared to the next class of third graders.

That might not be a big deal if all classes are alike. But as O'Malley knows, that just isn't the case. And because No Child Left Behind also pressures schools to push children over a set bar, it overlooks the gains of children who still fall below that bar or are already far above it.

Researchers have found that the tests perversely push schools to focus chiefly on the kids who are just shy of that mark and ignore others, such as gifted children. And it can reward schools simply for luring in children who are already successful...


See related story: Test Scores Fall Short of Federal Standard