Low-achieving schools hope governor’s reform plan will help out

By Julie Z. Giese
News-Sentinel staff writer

Two years ago, Galt High School’s standardized test scores fell in the bottom half of the state.

Reading scores were low. Scores in math, science and social science fell mostly below average. The school was considered a low achiever.

The lagging scores prompted school officials to sign up for the state’s underperforming schools program.

The program, which was one of Gov. Gray Davis’ reform measures approved in 1999, was part of an effort to hold schools accountable for student achievement.

The school received a $50,000 grant to draft blueprints to improve student performance and the promise of two years of more state money to put the plan in place.

Principal Larry Tosta said the program is helping educators turn around academics, which will ultimately pay off in improved test scores.

Lodi Unified School District officials also expect the state program will help improve some of the district’s low-achieving schools.

The district enlisted 10 schools in the same program this year. Trustees recently approved school action plans.

The plans, drafted by parents and school staff with the help of state evaluators, detailed barriers to student achievement and solutions which would be sought.

LUSD Superintendent Bill Huyett said the district took aggressive action to take part in the program, including enrolling two schools which mistakenly qualified as low achieving.

“We should take every opportunity we can to improve student performance,” Huyett said of the reasons for participating.

Many Lodi Unified schools showed progress in bettering test scores last year, but more work is still needed, he said.

Lodi Unified schools participating in the underperforming program include: Bear Creek High School; Morada, Delta Sierra and Woodbridge middle schools; and Heritage, Lawrence, Nichols, Oakwood, Creekside and Sutherland elementary schools.

All are schools which fell in the bottom half of the state’s public school rankings — determined by the Stanford 9 test scores — and failed to meet growth targets qualified for the program.

Many of the schools listed the year-round calendar, which has 17 less days than a typical 180-day school year, as a barrier to achievement.

But only Sutherland and Lodi Middle School will get to change to a longer school year in August.

Huyett said the district is limited in converting schools to the longer calendar because of school overcrowding.

“We won’t be able to fully address the Concept 6 calendar until we pass a bond,” he said.

The district has proposed letting voters decide a $109 million school bond on Nov. 6. The bond would fund construction of seven schools including a fourth high school.

Other common strategies to improve schools included aligning school coursework with state academic standards, increasing parent participation and giving teachers time to work together to plan lessons.

The schools will get up to $200 per student to put their plans into place in the next two years.

Galt High officials are currently wrapping up the first year of the action plan.

The school has started an after-school tutoring program, began remedial reading classes for struggling students, and gave teachers time to collaborate weekly in planning coursework.

“We look forward to seeing our SAT-9 scores,” Tosta said. “We believe they’ll be a direct reflection on what’s been done with our students.”