Vantage Point

High schools: High expectations, high stakes

During the upcoming Year of Education, much attention will focus on high schools and their graduation rates. Many positive things are happening in California high schools, from Los Angeles USD’s perennial national Academic Decathlon champion teams to the outstanding graduates that schools throughout the state send to prestigious universities across the nation. CSBA’s report on high schools, “Governance Matters,” highlights many of the best practices that contribute to results such as these.

Unfortunately, much of the press about high schools is negative. Stories focus on dropouts, bullying, vandalism, and drug and alcohol use. Unfavorable images of high school life, coupled with attitudes of alienation, are reinforced by popular music. Not since the 1963 Beach Boys hit “Be True to Your School” has there been a song on the charts with a positive message about high schools.

Because the Chaffey Joint Union High School District is the second-largest 9-12 district in the state, I have a vested interest in this topic. My board colleagues—Art Bustamonte, Clyde Francisco, Ray Sarrio and Charles Uhalley—and I are committed to improving students’ academic performance. Our superintendent, Barry Cadwallader, has led the way in putting research from Effective Schools Products Ltd. into practice. (Information is at www.effectiveschools.com.)

However, the class of 2010 had 1,805 ninth-graders in the last school year who earned 45 credits or less toward their graduation (60 credits are expected, with 230 required for a diploma). The system must provide opportunities for students such as these to succeed—and our district is redoubling its efforts.

To meet the state requirement that all students pass algebra to graduate, we adopted “Mastery Math” several years ago. Students are required to pass four modules of Algebra I. If students fail a module, they must repeat it before they can move to the next. This program is partially based on consultant Larry Lezotte’s concept that if standards are a constant, then time must be a variable. Among other efforts are an active credit recovery program, parent institutes, a renewed focus on English language learners and special education students, a new Alternate Education Center, and an October graduation for students completing their diploma requirements after June.

The most dramatic new change is occurring at Chaffey High School, which created seven “houses” of 140 freshmen each. Four of their six periods will be taught by a core of four teachers who share a common preparation period. Juniors are enrolled in academies based on their interests and future goals. We are expecting this focus on building relationships and providing relevance coupled with rigorous standards will result in higher graduation rates.

The focus on student achievement has already resulted in a 113-point increase in the district’s Academic Performance Index since 2002. Four of our schools were among the top seven API high schools in our county in 2006-07, and eight of 11 schools met federal adequate yearly progress requirements. We are very proud of these accomplishments.

We will continue to work with CSBA to close the achievement gap, reform the accountability system, improve college readiness, increase career and technical education, and secure more funds. Our students deserve no less.