December 2003 News Archive
Thursday, December 18, 2003
Washington Elementary And La Colina Junior High Are Over The Top!
Report Reveals Significant Growth in Local Schools; Two Schools Exceed State’s Performance Target.
Today, the state will release the 2002-2003 Academic Performance Index (API). Washington Elementary and La Colina Junior High are the first schools in the Santa Barbara School Districts to meet and exceed the 800-point benchmark, the statewide academic performance target. Several other district schools are within a few points of that rigorous performance bar.
"The entire district is cheering for Washington and La Colina. We all celebrate their accomplishment. While they are the first schools in our districts to hit the 800 mark, today’s API scores show that our schools are making tremendous progress in closing the achievement gap and setting high goals for all students. Washington and La Colina represent the commitment that is demonstrated at all of our campuses," stated Superintendent Deborah Flores. She continued, "Our scores continue to climb because of the districts’ focus on content standards, great teaching, and a positive working partnership with parents. With a Board of Education, administrative team, teachers, students, parents, and support staff all pulling in the same direction, we are realizing the fruits of several years of labor and a number of educational reforms in our elementary and high school districts. The API Growth Report is proof of what is possible when we all work together as one. I am incredibly proud of our team! We still have areas to address and we will continue to focus on them."
Following are the final API 2002-2003 growth reports. Included are scores for several schools that were previously omitted in the October 2003 report.
| Santa Barbara Elementary School District |
2003 API |
API Growth | Met All Growth Targets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adams Elementary | 748 | 55 | Yes |
| Cesar Chavez Charter | 638 | * | * |
| Cleveland Elementary | 683 | 86 | Yes |
| Franklin Elementary | 634 | 7 | No |
| Harding Elementary | 681 | 9 | Yes |
| McKinley Elementary | 612 | 29 | Yes |
| Monroe Elementary | 770 | 34 | Yes |
| Open Alternative | 764 | 6 | Yes |
| Peabody Charter | 793 | 29 | Yes |
| Roosevelt Elementary | 795 | 39 | Yes |
| Santa Barbara Charter | 706 | -19 | No |
| SB Community Academy | 765 | 15 | Yes |
| Washington Elementary | 821 | 54 | Yes |
| Santa Barbara High School District |
2003 API |
API Growth | Met All Growth Targets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goleta Valley JHS | 753 | 10 | No |
| La Colina JHS | 802 | 6 | Yes |
| La Cumbre JHS | 643 | 4 | No |
| Santa Barbara JHS | 741 | 18 | Yes |
| Dos Pueblos High | 779 | 44 | Yes |
| San Marcos High | 728 | 33 | Yes |
| Santa Barbara High | 707 | 36 | Yes |
The API was established as part of the Public Schools Accountability Act in 1999. It is the foundation of the state’s accountability system for public schools. API scores range from a low of 200 to a high of 1,000. API calculations are based on the spring 2003 California Standards Test, California Achievement Test (CAT 6), and California High School Exit Exam results. Each school’s growth target is set at five percent of the difference between the school’s base API and the statewide performance target of 800. Each of the state’s 6,400+ public schools strive to meet the five percent statewide target. In addition, each numerically significant ethnic and socio-economically disadvantaged student subgroup must improve by at least 80 percent of the schoolwide target.
According to Dr. Brian Sarvis, assistant superintendent of elementary education/research and technology, "Almost every school made growth and an overwhelming number of our schools met the state targets. It is great to see that all district schools are now above the 600 mark. In fact, almost 75 percent of our schools are in the 700-821 range. That’s a very powerful testament to the efforts that the Board of Education and the entire staff of the elementary and high school districts have made during the past 4-5 years."
Monroe Elementary School Students to Contact Astronauts by Ham Radio
Fourth-grade students of Monroe Elementary School in Santa Barbara will have an opportunity to speak with astronauts aboard the International Space Station on Wednesday, December 17. Teacher Winnie Hennigan, a licensed amateur radio operator, has arranged a direct contact with the crew of the space station as it passes over Santa Barbara. An antenna set up at the school will transmit signals to the spacecraft at 8:20 a.m. on the morning of December 17.
Students will be able to ask questions of the astronauts during a ten-minute time window as the orbiter passes overhead. The space station makes an orbit of the earth every 90 minutes. A special antenna will track the spacecraft as it rises over the Pacific Ocean. Ten minutes later contact will be lost as it passes north and east over Wisconsin.
The radio contact is made possible through the co-operation of NASA and space agencies in Russia, Canada, Japan, and Europe. The ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) project provides opportunities for school children worldwide to communicate with the space station crew. Monroe School has been on the waiting list for over two years. Assisting locally will be the Santa Barbara Amateur Radio Club.
Monroe students have been integrating amateur radio and space studies into their curriculum in anticipation of the event.
Teacher Winnie Hennigan can be reached at Monroe Elementary School, (805) 966-7023. Monroe, a California Distinguished School, is located at 431 Flora Vista Drive, Santa Barbara, CA.
Mr. MaGoo Shoe Society to Provide New Tennis Shoes to Students in Need at Washington Elementary School
Today, at approximately 3:30 p.m., 45 Washington Elementary School students will arrive by bus at the upper deck entrance to Sears in La Cumbre Plaza to participate in the school’s 4th annual Mr. MaGoo shoe selection.
Dave Morelli, initiated the project in honor of fellow sailor and ship cook Bill McGaw, nicknamed Mr. MaGoo for the near-sighted cartoon character. For several years, the two served on the research vessel Swan and worked on the south side of Santa Cruz Island. According to a July 2002 article written by Morelli, an excerpt follows, this story began in 1968, when Morelli and two other divers were talking about the high cost of buying shoes for their children:
"Mr. MaGoo, our ship’s cook for 15 years, was the finest sea going cook and man of character that I ever had the privilege of sailing with. Mr. MaGoo was preparing lunch in the galley and overhead the three of us divers talking. The topic of our conversation was the high cost of buying tiny shoes for our little children and how quickly they outgrew them and needed a new pair of shoes. All of a sudden Mr. MaGoo was standing in front of us and said...’My wife and I had four son’s born to us, our first son Jimmy died when he was still a baby and we only got to buy him one tiny pair of shoes. Another of our son’s had a severe brain disorder and never was able to tie his shoes. Our third son Bobby contracted polio, when he was a youngster, and will be in a wheel chair for the rest of his life and will never wear out a pair of shoes. Our fourth son Bill is a Marine helicopter pilot fighting in Vietnam. His helicopter was shot down, he is missing in action and may never need another pair of shoes.’"
The article continued, "Mr. MaGoo went on to say that if we ever again complained about buying shoes for our beautiful healthy children, in his mess hall he would personally throw us over the side." Years later, Mr. Morelli started the Mr. MaGoo Shoe Society in honor of Bill McGaw.
Four years ago, Mr. Morelli contacted a Washington teacher and donated about $100 for new shoes for 2-3 students at that school. In year two, 9 children were served; in year three, 32 children were served; and now in year four, 45 children will be served. Mr. Morelli’s annual donations have been enhanced by donations from teachers, staff, and parents. Today, almost $1,700 will be used for new shoes for Washington children who will benefit from Mr. MaGoo’s Shoe Society.
Advanced Placement (AP) Exam Results for 2003
(AP Scholars Identified)
Each spring, hundreds of students in the Santa Barbara High School District’s three comprehensive high schools participate in the College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) program. The results are released in the fall. The rigorous program is predicated on the belief that motivated high school students benefit from challenging college-level courses. End-of-course exams complement AP coursework. The exams are not required; however, successful completion is required for college credit.
Most AP exams are approximately three hours long and are comprised of multiple-choice and free-response questions. Test results are reported on a five-point scale: 5 = extremely well qualified; 4 = well qualified; 3 = qualified; 2 = possibly qualified; 1 = no recommendation. The College Board has determined that an exam score of 3, 4, or 5 indicates a mastery of subject that qualifies a student for appropriately advanced college courses. In the Santa Barbara High School Districts, students again made a strong showing in the AP exams.
| Dos Pueblos High School | San Marcos High School | Santa Barbara High School | District | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of students in AP classes | 889 | 642 | 705 | 2,235 |
| Percentage of students enrolled in AP classes who took the test(s) | 77% | 83% | 93% | 84% |
| Number of AP tests taken | 682 | 536 | 658 | 1,876 |
| Number of AP tests passed (with a score of 3 or above) | 482 | 371 | 353 | 1,206 |
AP classes are offered in 18 subject areas, such as language, the arts, science, math, history, and social science. Schools differ in the selection of AP courses available at their campuses. A significant number of students in the Santa Barbara High School District successfully take multiple AP exams and earn the moniker of AP Scholar. With stellar scores, San Marcos High School graduate Jeffrey Simon and Dos Pueblos High School graduates Julia Forgie and Salka Keller qualified for the National AP Scholar Award.
| Advanced Placement (AP) Award | Criteria | Dos Pueblos High School | Santa Barbara High School | San Marcos High School |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National AP Scholar | Granted to students who earn an average score of 4 or higher on a five-point scale on all AP exams taken, and grades of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams. | 2 | 1 | |
| AP Scholar with Distinction | Granted to students who receive an average score of 3.5 and higher on all AP exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams. | 17 | 10 | 16 |
| AP Scholar with Honor | Granted to students who earn an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP exams or higher on four or more of these exams. | 17 | 15 | 20 |
| AP Scholar | Granted to students who receive scores of 3 or higher on 3 or more AP exams. | 27 | 26 | 27 |
| Total Number of Students Receiving Advanced Placement Awards | 63 | 51 | 64 |
Santa Barbara Teacher Achieves National Board Certification®
Erin Powers Earns Profession’s Top Honor
Provided by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
Santa Barbara, Calif. – Erin Powers of Santa Barbara is one of 8,195 elementary and secondary school teachers nationwide who achieved National Board Certification in 2003, according to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). This achievement brings the total number of National Board Certified Teachers® (NBCTs) to 32,130.
Erin Powers teaches English and reading at Santa Barbara Junior High. She has been a teacher for nine years and holds degrees in English and education.
"NBPTS celebrates and congratulates all teachers who went through the rigorous National Board Certification process," says NBPTS Board Chair Roy E. Barnes. "This impressive achievement is widely recognized at the national, state and local levels as a benchmark for teacher quality. This is also an indication that policymakers, educators, business and community leaders, and parents recognize that when it comes to a quality education, quality teaching matters."
Founded 16 years ago, NBPTS is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan and non-governmental organization dedicated to advancing the quality of teaching and learning. National Board Certification is the highest credential in the teaching profession. A voluntary process established by NBPTS, certification is achieved through a rigorous performance-based assessment that takes between one and three years to complete and measures what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do.
"Teacher quality has never been more important, and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) is the only organization of its kind helping states to identify and certify highly accomplished teachers," says NBPTS President Joseph A. Aguerrebere. "Through National Board Certified Teachers, states and communities are realizing the enormous benefits of using National Board Certification as a tool to attract, reward and retain highly accomplished teachers as required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act."
Forty-nine states and more than 500 school districts across the nation have implemented policies and regulations to recruit, reward and retain National Board Certified Teachers. "In this environment of economic concern, the National Board is extremely grateful to the growing number of states, school districts and municipalities that support National Board Certification and the impact it has on the teaching profession and improved student learning," says Barnes. "National Board Certified Teachers distinguish themselves in the field of education by their dedication to their profession and their demonstrated abilities in the classroom," says Edward B. Rust, Jr., chairman and CEO of State Farm Insurance Companies®. "As a member of the business community, we will continue to support the National Board because we know that creating more opportunities for teachers to attain this credential will help lead to a stronger teaching force, higher student achievement and an economy that benefits from skilled and productive citizens." "It is important to understand that the National Board Certification process not only identifies accomplished teachers, but also is a profound professional development experience," says Aguerrebere. "This is a process that forces teachers to demonstrate how their activities, both inside and outside of the classroom, improve student achievement." In its effort to measure the impact of National Board Certification and the effects of NBCTs on the quality of teaching and student achievement in America’s schools, NBPTS has engaged in an independent, rigorous research agenda. There have been more than 140 studies, reports and papers commissioned on the value of the National Board Certification process, as well as its standards and assessments. Findings and results from a number of research studies are expected to be completed in 2004 and 2005.
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan and nongovernmental organization governed by a board of directors, the majority of whom are classroom teachers. Its mission is to establish high and rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do. For more information about NBPTS, please visit http://www.nbpts.org