Vista del Valle Elementary School in Claremont looks to meet standards
Author: Wes Woods II, Staff Writer
CLAREMONT - After failing to meet No Child Left Behind standards for the first time since the federal law was put in place, Vista del Valle Elementary School officials are working to get back on track.
The school's student progress in English and language arts has been at a lower rate than expected by NCLB standards. This has caused the school to be placed in Program Improvement status for the current school year.
The federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires each school identified for school improvement to revise or develop a school plan in consultation with school staff, outside experts and others.
The school's student progress in English and language arts has been at a lower rate than expected by NCLB standards. This has caused the school to be placed in Program Improvement status for the current school year.
The federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires each school identified for school improvement to revise or develop a school plan in consultation with school staff, outside experts and others.
At Vista del Valle, officials have started to test students on assessments that match state tests. The tests are better able to predict results.
"Our general sense is we're making as much progress as we've made in the past," Principal Ley Yeager said. "We're doing fine but we don't know ... whether they're good predictors because it's so new for us to use."
Students will again take the test in the second week of May, Yeager said.
School officials started to analyze the test results after November and sent letters home to families about the matter.
Vista del Valle Elementary's plan aims to support students in their attainment of the academic content standards necessary to reach No Child Left Behind Act benchmarks, according to the school.
The plan include an after-school program from November until April. Another after-school program will start in October and continue through the following April. The opportunities to take part in the program depend on access to summer school each year.
Jim Coombs, Claremont Unified School District assistant superintendent of educational services, said he doesn't believe Vista del Valle Elementary's reputation has been affected by the news.
"Claremont still has growing enrollment and that's a good thing ... when you choose to come here, that tells a message too," Coombs said. "It speaks highly of the teachers and programs."
Vista del Valle Elementary parent Cori Potts - who has a kindergartner, second grader and fourth grader at the school - said she enjoyed the tutoring provided to her children.
"I've always thought that was good," Potts said.
*** Correction, March 12 ***
The report on March 11 about testing at Vista del Valle Elementary School contained incorrect information in the headline. Vista del Valle Elementary School students increased their scoring on No Child Left Behind Act tests, but did not meet adequate progress toward predetermined milestones set by the act.
"Our general sense is we're making as much progress as we've made in the past," Principal Ley Yeager said. "We're doing fine but we don't know ... whether they're good predictors because it's so new for us to use."
Students will again take the test in the second week of May, Yeager said.
School officials started to analyze the test results after November and sent letters home to families about the matter.
Vista del Valle Elementary's plan aims to support students in their attainment of the academic content standards necessary to reach No Child Left Behind Act benchmarks, according to the school.
The plan include an after-school program from November until April. Another after-school program will start in October and continue through the following April. The opportunities to take part in the program depend on access to summer school each year.
Jim Coombs, Claremont Unified School District assistant superintendent of educational services, said he doesn't believe Vista del Valle Elementary's reputation has been affected by the news.
"Claremont still has growing enrollment and that's a good thing ... when you choose to come here, that tells a message too," Coombs said. "It speaks highly of the teachers and programs."
Vista del Valle Elementary parent Cori Potts - who has a kindergartner, second grader and fourth grader at the school - said she enjoyed the tutoring provided to her children.
"I've always thought that was good," Potts said.
*** Correction, March 12 ***
The report on March 11 about testing at Vista del Valle Elementary School contained incorrect information in the headline. Vista del Valle Elementary School students increased their scoring on No Child Left Behind Act tests, but did not meet adequate progress toward predetermined milestones set by the act.
Please remember that the way No Child left Behind is designed is to show that all schools are "failing". Under this law, schools must increase the percentage of students that are achieving at grade level every year until 100% of all students are proficient in English and math.
The only reason this school was not "failing" before is that the bar was set at a lower percentage to begin with. Now that the percentage of students expected by the law to be proficient is higher, the school is "failing".
Under NCLB, the percentage of students that are expected to be proficient increases by 10% each year from now until 2012 when they hit 100%. Not only is it unrealistic to expect 100% of all students to be performing at grade level (including special ed and English language learners), it is also unrealistic to expect schools to increase the number of students that are proficient by 10% per year.
Finally, we are in the middle of an economic crisis that has lead the state to cut funding for education for the last few years and the foreseeable future. How are schools to increase proficiency while also cutting staff and closing programs? Looks like somebody in the government is not 100% proficient in critical thinking, which is what is being lost as education becomes more about teaching to a test and less about helping every student reach their individual potential.