August 17, 2009

School starts one week from today!! We are busy at the school getting ready for you--are you getting ready for us?!

If you are reading this blog you will get the news earlier than the rest of the world! The California Department of Education will release test score data tomorrow (you can see the report on Tuesday, August 18 at: http://star.cde.star.gov/), and preliminary results indicate that the scores for Highland are high enough to remove us from Program Improvement status (there is still the possibility that final results will differ). Way to go Highland staff, students and community! Getting off the list of schools not making adequate yearly progress is quite a feat, and was accomplished through hard work, focus, and determination. Now we are ready to soar!

Highland became a California Distinguished School in 2006, and will once again be known for that excellence in education. Maintaining status as a high performing school has changed greatly in the last three years, and with the requirements of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), we must continually guarantee that more and more students reach proficiency on state standards. For this school year that means that 57% of all students must end the year showing proficiency on their state tests. On the surface we can all agree that, yes, we should be making sure that all students are proficient each year, but there are serious obstacles that we work very hard to overcome.

At least 32% of our students (259 students) are not native English speakers. According to NCLB, even 32% of those students must test proficient on their year-end tests. English learners take the same test as native English speakers, with no translation or assistance allowed. This is not an impossible task, but as you can imagine, that means our students who are learning English, while they are mastering the state standards, must work twice as hard to make progress.

About 76% of our students (614 students) are living at the poverty level. Students of poverty typically have more difficulty learning due to a lack of early language and real life experiences at home in the first five years of life. Studies say that these students start kindergarten seriously behind other students, so from day one of school they are behind their peers.

These are two major obstacles, but my expectation is that at Highland we understand, and then take action. We will not let those become excuses for students not learning; they are opportunities for Highland to show the world that with a highly qualified staff we can overcome any challenges! We will meet the end of year goal this year, and don't be surprised if we even exceed that goal, because we are all part of a championship team here at Highland.

Will you be part of the team effort? Will you support the efforts of the staff on behalf of all children? I have faith that all parents will join us in the challenge. You can do so by:

1. Staying informed. Read all school notices (that will be coming home on Tuesdays this year) and get involved.

2. Making sure your child comes to school everyday, on time, and remains at school the entire day (don't pick students up early for appointments, or to "beat the traffic").

3. Setting aside time each night to monitor your child doing homework, reading, and practicing basic skills.

4. Communicating with the teacher often. When students know that the parent and the teacher talk frequently they are more likely to engage in doing their work to a higher level.

A letter was mailed to all families last week, so look for it to arrive today or tomorrow. There is some basic information in the letter to help you start planning your year, but for more detailed information look for the full packet of materials to be sent home with your child on the first day of school.

Class lists will be posted this Thursday.

See you soon!

--Ms. Boucher