June 2000 News Archive
Monday, June 26, 2000
Stanford 9 Information
The Santa Barbara School Districts’ Stanford 9 results for the year 2000 have been received. Information will be released in the following manner:
- Preliminary Analyses. A 14-page preliminary analyses of test scores for the Elementary District and/or an 11-page preliminary analyses of test scores for the High School District can be obtained by contacting Barbara Keyani, Coordinator of Public Information, at (805) 963-4338, extension 206 or via e-mail.
- Score Comparisons, 1998/1999/2000.
- STAR Home Report. Beginning on July 5, 2000, the Districts will begin mailing STAR Home Reports to parents. The STAR Home Report provides parents with their student’s Stanford 9 results. More than 11,000 reports will be mailed over a 5-7 day period.
- Presentation to the Board of Education. At the Board of Education’s July 12th meeting, Director of Research and Evaluation Lisle Staley will conduct a formal presentation on the Stanford 9 results. The public is welcome to attend. Board meetings begin at 7:00 pm. and are held in the Board Room, Districts’ Administration Center, 720 Santa Barbara Street.
- State Results. The California Department of Education will post the State’s Stanford 9 results on July 15, 2000.
Measure V Bond Update / June 2000
At their June 7, 2000 meeting, two firms, Kruger Bensen Ziemer Architects and the Blurock Partnership, were selected by the Board of Education for architectural services for Measure V projects. The Board of Education also authorized staff to develop a Request for Proposals for architectural services for a third and possibly a fourth firm to be selected for services.
Request for Proposals are due to the District on June 27, 2000. A selection committee comprised of District staff and representatives of the Board of Education and the Secondary Bond Oversight Committee will meet on June 28, 2000, to review the proposals and recommend qualified firms to participate in interviews. The interviews are scheduled for June 30, 2000. At the Board’s July 12th meeting, a recommendation for architectural services as well as a recommendation of architect/school site assignments will be made by District staff.
The Secondary Bond Oversight Committee meets on the third Wednesday of each month. The meetings begin at 6:00 p.m. and are held in the First Floor Conference Room, Administration Office, Santa Barbara School Districts, 720 Santa Barbara Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. The meetings are open to the public. For more information, call 963-4338, extension 206.
Minutes from the Secondary Bond Oversight Committee meetings and other pertinent information will soon be posted on this Web site.
STAR* Program
(*Stanford 9 and SABE/2 Assessments)Background
As part of the State-mandated Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program, in late-April approximately 11,200
students in grades 2-11 in the Santa Barbara School Districts were administered the Stanford Achievement Test, Ninth
Version, Form T (Stanford 9). In grades 2 through 8, students were assessed in reading, written expression (language),
spelling, and mathematics. In grades 9, 10, and 11, the test included reading, language, mathematics, history-social
science, and science.
This is the third year that students in the Santa Barbara School Districts and throughout the State have taken the Stanford 9. Additionally, all students in grades 2-11 responded to test questions that match the State-adopted content standards for language arts. Students in grades 2-7 and grade 11 also responded to 50 additional questions in mathematics. Students in grades 8, 9, and 10 took a math augmentation test determined by their enrollment in specific math courses.
Districts are also required to administer the Spanish Assessment of Basic Education, Second Edition (SABE/2) to limited English proficient Spanish-speaking students who first enrolled in California public schools less than 12 months prior to testing. Special Education students are also required to take the Stanford 9 unless they have an Individual Education Plan that exempts them from standardized testing.
Release of Test Results
The State will post 2000 district and school level results on the Internet by July 15 <www.cde.ca.gov>.
Purpose of the Assessment Process
The Stanford 9 results are one way of measuring how well students are moving toward academic goals. The 1998 test results
serve as a baseline. Because the test is implemented statewide, year-to-year comparisons of academic progress within
a district and between districts is possible.
STAR Results are Part of the Total Evaluation Process
STAR results provide a snapshot of how well students performed on one type of test during one part of the year. It
is a multiple-choice assessment, which does not allow for open-ended or student constructed responses to questions.
STAR results provide teachers, parents, students and administrators with some valuable information. It is, however,
an assessment that is limited in scope, both in terms of the depth of content knowledge it elicits from students
and in terms of what it asks students to do when responding to test items.
STAR data is being used along with other achievement data to develop a more complete picture of student achievement, to review the success of instructional programs and curriculum, and to plan specific strategies and interventions that will increase the achievement of all students.
In the Santa Barbara School Districts, numerous strategies have been used to monitor student academic progress, such as:
- structured immersion, a major District-wide elementary-level program change;
- curricular changes that include Open Court, Macmillan Reading, Open Court Skills Intervention Material at intermediate grades, and Hampton Brown Into English;
- structured District-wide summer school curriculum;
- District-wide after-school tutorials;
- extensive teacher training in the Open Court and CORE reading programs;
- multiple assessments, used at each grade level during the course of the school year;
- each site used the prior year’s assessment data to determine individual student needs and to develop a school-wide Academic Improvement Plan;
- continuous monitoring of student achievement in each elementary classroom;
- site-based interventions.
Goleta Valley Junior High School’s Robert Hubbell To Lead Cuyama Joint Unified School District
On July 1, 2000, Goleta Valley Junior High School Assistant Principal Robert Hubbell will leave the Santa Barbara High School District for a new post with the Cuyama Joint Unified School District. Hubbell has accepted the position of superintendent/principal of the K-12 district. The community of Cuyama, located on Highway 166, is nestled between the Caliente and Sierra Madre mountain ranges.
Cuyama Joint Unified School District is a two-school district that serves approximately 300 students. Two-hundred of those students attend Cuyama Elementary School (grades K-8) and 100 students attend Cuyama Valley High School, (grades 9-12). According to Hubbell, "While I am saddened to leave all of the wonderful staff, students and parents within the Goleta Valley Junior High learning community, I am looking forward to making new friends in the Cuyama Valley." He went on to add, "The superintendency of Cuyama Joint Unified School District is an opportunity for me to have a positive impact on an entire school district. The Cuyama Board of Education is committed to high academic expectations for all students. The school staff is devoted to meeting the needs of a diverse student population. Cuyama is a small community that offers a quiet strength and rural charm. I look forward to being part of that environment and working with a team that is intent on preparing Cuyama’s youth for the challenges of the 21st century."
Robert Hubbell began his service with the Santa Barbara School Districts in September 1976, when he joined the District as a speech and language specialist at Garfield Elementary School. In 1980, he was reassigned to McKinley Elementary School. Then, in the spring of 1995, he served as an administrative intern at Goleta Valley Junior High School. In 1996-1997, he continued in that role, splitting his time between Goleta Valley Junior High and La Colina Junior High. By 1997, he was an assistant principal at Goleta Valley Junior High School.
Robert Hubbell’s educational background is as follows: B.A. in Speech Pathology and Audiology from University of California, Santa Barbara (1973); M.S. in Speech Pathology, Southern Illinois University (1974); Administrative Services Credential from UCSB (1996). He participated in Siglo XXI Spanish Language Institute (1989) and the California School Leadership Academy (1997).
Africanized Honey Bee Alert
According to information provided by the Santa Barbara County Education Office (SBCEO), Santa Barbara County may see the presence of the Africanized honey bee (AHB) during this year’s summer season. Parents should be alert to this new insect and aware of the potential problem it poses to children.
Some important facts:
- Africanized honey bees tend to establish hives in unlikely places.
- When disturbed, they defend their hive vigorously and in large numbers.
- It takes very little disturbance to cause them to attack.
- They pursue the cause of the disturbance for some distance.
An informational flyer, created by the Cooperative Extension of the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, is available through the Santa Barbara School Districts’ Office of Public Information. To acquire a copy, call (805) 963-4338, extension 206 or send an e-mail with your name and address to: Barbara Keyani.
Santa Barbara County Science Fair
The 45th annual Santa Barbara County Science Fair took place in mid-April. This year, 250 students, representing 14 schools in the county, submitted 172 science exhibits. District students did an exceptional job in the competition:
Physical Science
- Yvonne Kemper won First Place-Physical Science-Junior Division. Her project was "You Are What You Drink." Yvonne is a student at La Colina Junior High. Her advisor was Diane Reuter.
- Kevin Milner won Second Place-Physical Science-Junior Division. His project was "Friction." Kevin is a student at Goleta Valley Junior High. His advisor was Will Winn.
- Jay Hagon won Second Place-Physical Science-Senior Division. Her project was "Vapor Emissions Through Concrete." Jay is a student at San Marcos High. Her advisor was Olin Bausback.
Life Science
- Sean Rys and Owen Norquay won First Place-Life Science-Junior Division of the county competition. Their project was titled "Taxol and Mitosis." Sean and Owen are students at Goleta Valley Junior High. Their advisor was Brad Penkala.
- Michael Hanson won Second Place-Life Science-Junior Division. His project was "Flowers For Algernon." Michael is a La Colina Junior High student. His advisor was Diane Reuter.
- Robin Deinhard and Heather Rausch won Third Place-Life Science-Junior Division. Their project was titled "Muddy Buddies." Robin and Heather are students at La Colina Junior High. Their advisor was Leslee Frair.
Grand Prize winner of the 45th Annual Santa Barbara County Science Fair:
- Javin Oza won the Grand Prize for his project, "Genetic Research on Bacterial Pathogens." Javin is a senior at Dos Pueblos. He is a chemistry intern at UCSB. Javin is headed for UC Berkeley in the fall. Javin’s advisor was Neal Abello. He also received support on this project from Joerg Eberhard, a UCSB chemistry postdoctoral candidate.
A total of 15 Santa Barbara County students qualified to exhibit at the California State Science Fair at the California Science Center in Exposition Park in Los Angeles. The state competition took place on May 23rd. Three Santa Barbara County students of them came away with state honors. One of them was from Santa Ynez Valley Union High School and the other two were from the Santa Barbara High School District: Sean Rys and Owen Norquay, Goleta Valley Junior High School. At the state level, their project, Taxol and Mitosis," took second place in the Junior Division for pharmacology and toxicology. Their advisor was Brad Penkala.
CIF Division 2 – Baseball Championship
Santa Barbara High School’s baseball team just had the experience of a lifetime, on Saturday, June 3rd when they traveled to Los Angeles for the CIF Division 2 finals. Of course, it wasn’t just any trip, it was a championship game at Dodger Stadium – the team’s first title game appearance since 1950.
On June 3rd, they played against California High School, from Whittier. While they didn’t find their stride that day, they gave it their all. The finals at Dodger stadium culminated an exciting 25-3 season for the Dons. When then performed at Dodger Stadium that day, Santa Barbara High’s team had the chance to experience what others only dream about.
Math Superbowl
Students in the Santa Barbara Elementary School District had an exceptionally strong presence in the Santa Barbara County Math Superbowl. The Math Superbowl was held at the Santa Barbara County Office of Education on May 10th. It was a competition among 279 top 4th-, 5th-, and 6th-grade students from 28 local elementary school. The students competed individually and as grade-level teams. They answered multiple choice questions and tackled group problems and hands-on activities.
As a school team, Washington Elementary School earned the highest number of points at the Math Superbowl. They earned 460 points overall. The next closest team was Vieja Valley, with 455 points, followed by Peabody Charter, with 453 points.
When the grade-level results were tabulated, Washington’s 4th grade team earned First Place honors. Their 6th grade team came in third. Peabody’s 4th grade team took Second Place honors; the 5th grade team took Second Place; and the 6th grade team took Sixth Place.
Team Competition
Washington Elementary School Team – First Place
Overall
- 4th grade = Will James
- 4th grade = Cole Patterson
- 4th grade = Landon Ranck
- 4th grade = Brian Rowse
- 4th grade team advisor = Darlene James
- 5th grade = Gray Clevenger
- 5th grade = Amy Crawford
- 5th grade = David Gulbransen
- 5th grade = Sagen Peterson
- 5th grade team advisors = Bob Peterson and Mel Vogel
- 6th grade = Ben Bastomski
- 6th grade = Ben Eidelson
- 6th grade = Alison Ryu
- 6th grade = Kai Tepper
- 6th grade team advisor = Dan Eidelson
Peabody Charter Team – Third Place Overall:
- 4th grade = Tim Egan
- 4th grade = Annie Jacobs
- 4th grade = Jessica Maglione-Fulco
- 4th grade = Iddo Toledano
- 4th grade team coach = Joanne Thompson
- 5th grade = Nick Hill
- 5th grade = Emilio Maglione-Fulco
- 5th grade = Dylan McDaniel
- 5th grade = Tristan Roberts
- 5th grade team coach = Joanne Thompson
- 6th grade = Sean Barnwell
- 6th grade = Duc Duong
- 6th grade = Ryan Feeney
- 6th grade = Jazmin Smith
- 6th grade coach = Roger Earls
Individual Competition
Washington Elementary School – Individual Competition
- 4th Grade = Will James (tied for second place)
- 4th grade = Brian Rowse (tied for third place)
- 4th grade = Cole Peterson (fourth place)
- 6th grade = Ben Bastomski (tied for first place)
- 6th grade = Ben Eidelson (tied for third place)
- 6th grade = Alison Ryu (tied for fourth place)
Peabody Charter School – Individual Competition:
- 4th Grade = Iddo Toledano (tied for sixth place)
- 5th grade = Emilio Maglione-Fulco (second place)
- 6th grade = Sean Barnwell (tied for first place)
- 6th grade = Ryan Feeney (tied for fifth place)
Santa Barbara Charter School – Individual Competition:
- 5th grade = Rochelle Brittain (first place)
Roosevelt Elementary School – Individual Competition:
- 4th grade = Ray Macy (tied for sixth place)
Harding Elementary School – Individual Competition:
- 4th grade = Pesach Perlin (tied for sixth place)
Dinosaur Unit at Franklin Primary
Last year was Franklin Primary’s first year of the Open Court reading program for Spanish-speaking students. As a reading project to engage young learners, three second-grade classrooms were transformed into "mini-museums." Each of the three classrooms focused on a particular geologic period: Triassic, Jurassic, and Creteacous. The children did a great deal of research and were especially proud of their displays.
At the end of the year, with the support and encouragement of former principal Sally Kingston, Franklin Primary applied for, and received, a $5,000 Edison International New Era Award for Excellence in K-12 Education grant. Using those funds, second-grade teachers Leticia Simentales and Danielle Manriquez-Osborn took on the role of project anchors for the second-grade team. They worked together to help the other five second-grade classrooms implement this enriching program.
The grant monies were used in the following ways:
- computer CDs were purchased;
- library books were acquired for research; and
- tickets were purchased for a trip to Hollywood to see"Dinosaur" an interactive film program with displays of life-size dinosaurs and a recreated archeological site.
- Approximately 140 second-grade students participated in the dinosaur project. Franklin parents played an important role too. In order to achieve the 1:5 chaperone-to-student ratio for the Los Angeles field trip, a number of parents participated in this educational excursion.
To conclude this important learning project, Franklin Primary’s second-grade classroom were turned into "museum halls" in which students were the docents and gave tours to other visiting classrooms, parents, and visitors. The "museum halls" displayed student research papers, art, charts, replicas, and murals, and paper mache dinosaurs.
The second-grade teachers involved in this project were: Susan Adams, Sue Green, Chris Johnson, Ron Liberatore, Danielle Manriquez-Osborn, Leticia Simentales, and Anne Wasmuth.
2000 Teachers Network Disseminator Grant
The 2000 Teachers Network-Impact II Disseminator Grants were recently awarded to Santa Barbara County educators. The goal of the grant program is to provide networking opportunities and disseminating innovative curriculum through classroom grants. The grants were funded at the level of $500 per teacher and up to $2000 per team.
Eleven teachers in the Santa Barbara High School District received Disseminator Grants. The grants acknowledge creative, personally developed projects that are:
- best practice,
- innovative for grade level, content area or specialization,
- more than a single lesson or one-day activity, and
- adequately classroom-tested.
Grant recipients are selected by the Impact II Advisory Council, which is made up of teachers, administrators, business partners, PTA, and school board representatives
- Neal Abello, for "What’s Bugging You?";
- Travis Bower, for "CalcArt on a Graphing Calculator";
- Laura Ishikawa, for "Reading My Daily Schedule" (I would like to note that Laura, was also a 1999 Disseminator Grant recipient);
- Rosemary Soares, for "Dishes from Spanish-Speaking Countries."
- Maureen Mullin, for "Aeneas and Dido, Poetry and Politics."
- the team of Maureen Granger and Rebekah Sillars, for "Family Reading Club";
- the team of Shannon DeGroot, Peggy Lubchenco, Dave Marchetti, and Ron Pembleton, for "Singing to Infinity and Beyond."
CIF Southern Section Team Academic Champions
Recently, athletic directors at Santa Barbara High, Dos Pueblos High, and San Marcos High were notified by the CIF Southern Section that certain teams had the highest team grade point average in a particular sport in the enrollment category of 1,500 and over. These teams, comprised of outstanding student-athletes, were honored at an Academic Awards ceremony on May 10th in Anaheim.
In order to be considered, the compiled grade point average for the entire varsity team must be at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale). Official transcript grades from the 1999-2000 school year’s first semester are the basis for computation. All courses taken from the following categories must be counted. These are the only courses that are considered: business applications (accounting, record keeping, typing, etc.); computer-assisted instruction; English/communications (composition, English literature, poetry); fine arts (art history, music appreciation, theatre, etc.); foreign language; mathematics (algebra, calculus, geometry, trigonometry, etc.); natural sciences (biology, botany, chemistry, life science, physiology, etc.); social sciences (geography, government, history, sociology, psychology, etc.). Introduction classes of any kind are not considered. Honors went to:
Santa Barbara High School
- Boys Volleyball/GPA = 3.387
- Girls Volleyball/GPA = 3.589
San Marcos High School
- Girls Basketball/GPA = 3.560
- Girls Track and Field/GPA = 3.519
Dos Pueblos High School
- Boys Swimming/GPA = 3.470
- Boys Water Polo/GPA = 3.567
- Girls Water Polo – GPA = 3.561