SPUSD board hears update on SPHS academics
November 14, 2014
By Brian D. Wilson
Santa Paula News
Santa Paula High School Principal Elizabeth Garcia gave school board members an update on high school academics at the most recent meeting of the Santa Paula Unified School District board.
Garcia said SPHS has a graduation rate of 88 percent. This compares to 80.2 percent statewide and 82.7 for Ventura County. She also said that three out of four SPHS students who applied to the University of California system over the last three years were accepted.
Talking about achievement at SPHS Garcia said that 78 percent of all letter grades are a C or higher and only 12 percent are Fs. She told the board the school has an 88 percent pass rate for 2014, compared to 85 percent in 2012. She said they’ve added four Advanced Placement classes and more electives, including digital photography, a multimedia class, psychology and criminology.
In the 10 week, first quarter report card SPHS had 22 percent Ds and Fs. Garcia talked about how they’re addressing the students who are not achieving.
Systematic Response to Intervention Approach
• Weekly meeting to develop approach for providing timely interventions
Meeting with teacher teams and individual teachers to discuss achievement
Implementation of math intervention during Excel “N” period
• Identification of students struggling in math
• Peer tutoring and training
• After school tutoring
Interventions
• Two reading classes
• Two long-term English learner classes
• Math 1A - 2-year math 1 course
Study Hall
• Student survey on grades
• Study hall teacher conferencing with students regarding their D and F grades
Focus on collaboration in professional learning communities
• Discussions about student achievement using results from assessments
• Sharing of instructional strategies
• Development of common formative assessments
• Staff discussions in student achievement
Professional development and staff discussions about grading practices
Common Core Leadership Team focused on rigor, curriculum development and common focus
Principal Garcia also talked about needs at Santa Paula High School. Some of them are: A district policy on grading, an Outreach Coordinator, a full time special education counselor, increased funding for after school tutoring, technology, instructional materials and professional development, reading intervention curricula and library common core funding.