School staff works to avoid leaving students behind

By: KIMBERLY LAMKE - Staff Writer | Sunday, December 28, 2003 9:19 PM PST ∞

BONSALL ---- In a push to take the federal The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 from theory to reality, a Bonsall middle school is trying to get more kids into advanced classes when they reach high school by making sure no student falls through the cracks.

Sullivan Middle School teachers and administrators met at the beginning of the year and set three goals, referred to as the "Single Plan for Student Achievement," to work toward in the coming years.

One of those goals was to ensure more Latino students would enter college prep classes once they reached high school. The question then became how to make that goal a reality.

Most schools across the United States have what is called an "achievement gap," meaning that in many cases white students score higher than their black or Latino classmates on the same tests. The achievement gap can also refer to upper or middle class students outperforming economically disadvantaged classmates.

Federal education officials have said one of the specific goals of increasing student testing under the Bush Administration's education law is to reduce and eventually eliminate that gap. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires a certain percentage of students at each school to score at or above grade level on state math and English tests.

Sullivan Middle School Principal John Heckman said teachers have now met four times to work on the college prep goal. During those sessions, Heckman said staffers brainstormed about how to help Latino students, particularly students who are recent immigrants, assimilate and get extra help to catch up or surpass their classmates in certain subjects.

Staffers also took California Achievement Test scores for each student and identified kids scoring below the proficient level in certain subjects. Teachers then talked to those students and identified ways to help.

"It's amazing what's come out of that," Heckman said about analyzing the test scores. "Teachers are saying that these are good students who just need a little extra time.

"Just becoming aware of the names of those kids is a big thing. It's usually easy to find solutions when you know what you're dealing with."

The staff decided the single most important factor in helping kids, regardless of their ethnic background, was to make sure they were known ---- that teachers knew their names and what subjects they were struggling with, ensuring that each student felt comfortable asking for help.

Lori Cummins, an eighth-grade math teacher at Sullivan, said teachers showing students how much they care about helping them to perform at their best is essential.

"It's all about personal relationships," Cummins said. "A lot of their success depends on us not allowing them to be lost in the crowd."

Students knowing that there are people watching out for them makes a huge difference in their attitude, Cummins said.

Once the students asked for help, however, the teachers had to make the commitment to be available. Many of the teachers are now available more days of the week before school and at lunch time to help students who are struggling with an assignment or subject.

The school also has focused on taking students struggling with English out of the classroom to work with a teacher's assistant, who can translate directions for assignments or find other ways to help the students succeed.

It will be at least a year, Heckman said, before school officials will know whether the steps they're taking are working and if more kids entering Fallbrook High take college prep classes.

At minimum, he said, teachers and administrators should know they are doing what they can to leave no child behind.

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