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District strives to lift student performance |
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Written by Maddy Houk / Patterson Irrigator /
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Wednesday, 12 September 2007 |
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“We’re within striking distance,”
-Kathy Pon
Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services
Patterson Unified School District’s goal is to have as few students as possible testing into the lower levels on annual statewide tests. In the past few years, the trend has been mostly in the right direction in math, but not in English-language arts.
District officials noted that students are taking tougher math classes than in the past; there are only 47 students enrolled in eighth-grade algebra
in 2006, compared with 114 in 2007. Patterson Irrigator graphic
Using stair step-patterned graphs, assistant superintendent Kathy Pon explained to the school board Monday how local students’ scores on state tests have generally shifted out of the lowest categories in math during the past three years.
Meanwhile, a growing percentage of students tended to do more poorly on their English/language arts exams during that same period.
Students who take the annual Standardized Testing and Reporting tests fall into five categories: far below basic, below basic, basic, proficient and advanced. Boys and girls throughout the state from second to 11th grades take the tests.
Pon, the district’s assistant superintendent of educational services, displayed comparison graphs showing how many elementary school students have moved out of the far-below-basic and below-basic categories in math over past years — a positive trend. However, a rising percentage of students who took the English-language arts exams tested in the lower levels, with the exception of students in the second, third and sixth grades.
The district wants to help kids move out of those categories into basic and ultimately to the desired advanced and proficient levels.
“You want to see a stair step pattern,” Pon said. “You want to see the numbers go down.”
Overall, statewide growth for all students was eight percentile points over four years, while Patterson schools gained six percent. Across the state, 35 percent of kids tested advanced and proficient four years ago, compared with 43 percent this year. In Patterson, that group grew from 26 percent of students in 2003 to 32 percent this year.
“We’re within striking distance,” Pon said.
She also reviewed the scores of English learners and compared scores across all grade levels for all students, English learners, black, white, Asian and Latino students, various economic groups, and students with learning disabilities.
Pon’s presentation concluded with ideas for further improvement, including working on transition between second grade, where teachers read the test aloud, to third grade, where students must read it themselves. The district also plans to monitor intervention programs and classes in which students get direct one-on-one instruction.
School board highlights
- Lions Club President Jim Cox presented a $5,000 check and Rotary Club President Sand Mullen presented a $3,000 check to the board. The money goes toward the repayment of the $35,000 local service groups borrowed from the district to put in new bleachers at Patterson Community Stadium.
- Kathy Pon, assistant superintendent of educational services, reported district schools’ state Academic Performance Index scores. Three schools — Northmead, Las Palmas and Apricot Valley — scored more than 700 on the API. Scores run from 200 to 1,000, and the state sets 800 as a goal for schools.
- Mark Wheeler, manager of facilities and construction, showed a video program of the upgrades in the school district over the summer. Wheeler also reviewed the change orders for the gymnasium and the 130-140 classroom wing at Patterson High. The proposed change orders will go before the board at its Sept. 24 meeting.
To reach Maddy Houk at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail her at
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More importantly, the only robust gains come at the elementary school level -- the middle and high school scores are atrocious. This suggests that the hard work our elementary teachers are doing to bring our students up to par will ultimately be squandered as they progress through middle and high school, when the skills they've learned (or haven't learned) become critical as they enter the workforce or consider college.
The fact that our children are considerably worse off in 2007 compared to a mere 2 years ago suggests that major shake-ups need to occur in the Patterson Unified district. I'd like to suggest that this begin with the sacking of anyone who thinks these abysmal numbers portray a positive trend.