From the Desk of the Superintendent

Interim Superintendent J. Brian Sarvis, Ed.D.

Thursday, December 16, 2004

Focus on Excellence

When I came to the Santa Barbara Elementary and High School Districts three and a half years ago, I was pleased to see that educational excellence is the expectation and that just doing well is not enough. Excellence in education is a primary goal of the Santa Barbara School Districts. The challenges of education are many, but I can report that we do very well by most measures and we are making significant progress in raising the academic bar for the 16,000 students that we serve.

A comprehensive education. Multiple indicators, including test scores, are used to measure student performance. We believe we are doing an excellent job on those variables that get measured as well as those that do not get measured. In addition to achievement goals for academic excellence, our mission is to support other types of lifelong skills. These include building respect for diversity, developing civic responsibility, gaining proficiency in technology, and encouraging students to take responsibility for their own learning. We believe that we are helping students become lifelong learners who can communicate well, work cooperatively with others, contribute back to their community, and have high aspirations for their own future.
Improved test scores. Our students score well above state averages as well as above schools with similar background factors (parent education levels, socioeconomics, and the number of students who are English learners) on most measures. This is true whether examined through California Standards Tests, Advanced Placement exams, high school completion rates, SATs, the California High School Exit Exam, college attendance rates, STAR tests (including the CAT6), state Academic Performance Index (API) rankings, and No Child Left Behind’s Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) measures of students scoring proficient or higher. Higher scores have been achieved through our focus on academic content standards, a curriculum that is rigorous, dedicated blocks of instructional time, and effective programs delivered by well-trained and dedicated staff. Our 1,700+ teachers, administrators, and support staff are among the best and the support and high expectations of parents are critical to our success.
Preparing students for college or the world of work. We pride ourselves in the number of students in accelerated classes and innovative programs. In our high school district, many of our students benefit from opportunities to incorporate community college and university course work in their academic experience. Currently, approximately 85% of our students are enrolled in college one year after high school graduation. We will continue to challenge students to the highest levels.
Academic progress and challenges. While we have grown to expect excellence, not all students achieve at the highest levels. We may have fewer students achieving at lower levels than districts statewide, but we still have significant numbers of low achieving students. Six years ago, we were struggling with the fact that only one out of three third graders was reading at or above grade level. Through a series of reforms, we retooled our system to focus on literacy. Currently, about two out of three elementary students are reading at or above grade level. While impressive, those numbers are not good enough and we will press forward until all of our students are successful readers and better able to access the curriculum. We will continue to work on the development of English proficiency for the one out of five students who are English learners and we will continue to focus on the achievement gaps between White and Latino students.
The achievement gap. In general, our Latino students score slightly above state averages while our White students score at extremely high levels. The achievement gap is consistent across the grade levels and starts when students enter kindergarten. Since approximately 40 percent of our students enter kindergarten without a preschool experience, the district has been working with First 5 California to develop a demonstration site for universal preschool, similar to the movement for universal kindergarten just 50 years ago (interestingly, at that time, the city of Santa Barbara used tax money to provide kindergarten for all children). The achievement gap is highly related to socioeconomic variables and parent education levels. As a community, we must provide the advantages denied through low socioeconomics and lack of parent education if we expect all students to succeed.
Equal opportunity for all. Equal opportunity must extend to all students. While working with students and families in the earliest grades, we are also working to motivate students in junior high and high school to be successful in more challenging classes. We must have high expectations for all students regardless of ethnicity or socioeconomics.
Time to learn. Our emphasis on rigorous academic programs which focus on state standards presents additional challenges. While we work to develop students who are well-rounded, students are put in the position of having too little time to pursue other interests. For example, for those needing additional time in reading instruction or English language training, there is little time left for other subjects. Demands for more college preparatory programs for all mitigate against time for the arts and career education. Competition for learning time is real. Shouldn’t all students develop a love of reading, have an opportunity to study music, learn a second language, be physically fit, and be able to succeed at the highest level? How we balance what students learn and how much depth we can provide, given limited classroom time, are issues central to education.
Parents as partners. Parent involvement and communication with families is also critical. Parents are a child’s first and most important teacher. The value of a parent-school partnership cannot be underestimated. Parents can support classroom instruction by doing things like making sure that homework is done, reading to young children, and monitoring the amount of television time. Too little reading and too much television are associated with lower achievement. In order for children to benefit from classroom experiences, children need to be at school, on time, and ready to learn.