Gibson wrote on Sep 4, 2008 1:50 PM:The VUSD District as a whole increased its API score by 16 points.

The VUSD District’s API is now at a 762 (the State average is 742).

Nine schools within the VUSD District are now at a score of 800 or more.

Fourteen schools are between 700 and 799 (Vista High is one of these).

Eleven schools in the District made all AYP targets (Vista High missed by 1)

Vista Magnet Middle School has the highest API score in the District with an 871!

This Cant Be wrote on Sep 4, 2008 4:14 PM:or no one has let the Democrats know the No Child Left Behind act is working! Last I heard Obama and cronies said it wasn't. Good job!

Lynn wrote on Sep 4, 2008 4:14 PM:The Classical Academy High School's API dropped 33 points from 2007. It is the only high school in Escondido not to show improvement.

NONE of their subgroups met State Requirements.

This charter school is overcrowded and students cannot get the classes they need for graduation.

To cant be wrote on Sep 4, 2008 4:29 PM:Scores rose because they changed NCLB to allow different sub-groups to be scored correctly. Good teaching and caring teachers is why the scores rose. NCLB is useless!!

Fuzzy Wazzy wrote on Sep 4, 2008 5:30 PM:Mr Gibson did you read the article? It says one more school Maryland Elementary in Vista Unified School District was added to the sanctioned list. How many schools does VUSD have in the sanctioned list by now? Just why do you think VUSD keeps changing principals?

Also please notE the article says Vista Unified School Districts in one of the schools that struggles the most with the FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS! Now that is an understatement, VUSD struggles not just with FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS but also STATE REQUIREMENTS at any rate and any level.

The article also says that, “Twenty-three of the 31 sanctioned schools in North County” are in Vista (most of the schools) Fallbrook and Escondido. How encouraging is this?

In addition, “three schools in the Vista district MISSED THE MARK THIS YEAR and could be punished if their scores don't rise next year.”

I am greatly concerned just exactly is VUSD getting the scores from a fortune cookie?

Now here is the joke for the day, VUSD said at a VUSD BOD meeting that the VUSD drop out rate is 3% ha, ha, ha, ha,……..

Fed Up wrote on Sep 4, 2008 5:45 PM:Two of the three middle schools in Oceanside failed to meet their targets even though those targets were set at levels below the state average. This is entirely unacceptable. A few months ago Oceanside educators successfully pleaded with the public for more of our hard earned tax dollars. Now that we have approved the bond measure, we taxpayers will be watching. We expect to see an above average return on our investment. Forget about meeting targets set below the state average. We expect our schools in Oceanside to produce students with test scores above the state average. Nothing short of that will do. Public school educators who continuously beg for more and more tax dollars to fund their never ending stream of projects must be held accountable to the public to produce above average results. Our children deserve nothing less.

Very Intrested Observer wrote on Sep 4, 2008 6:19 PM:Yes Mr. Gibson Guajome Park Academy improved from 753 in 2007 to 768 in 2008.

Now how do Guajome Park Academy scores of 768 compare with the scores in the 900’s scores from the other school districts in the North County?

Lets not forget this charter school averages 21 students per classroom and the staff is highly paid.

SIATech the other VUSD Charter School funded 100% by the United States Department of Labor (JOb Corps) scores 904 in 2007 and 858 in 2008. Now these scores are impressive!
SIATech student composition are African American 15 students Hispanic 39 students White students 4 English Language Learners 3 socioecomomically 67 students and American Indian or Alaska Native 2, one Filipino and no students with disabilities.

SIATch tested a total of 135 students.

Now based on the salaries for SIATech Board of Directors and employees:

LINDA DOWSON President of the Board of Directors and Operations Manager $ 220,461.

ED BROWN Director and Operations Manager $ 124,878.

LINDA MILLER Director of Educational Services $172,860.

DAVID JENKINS Assistant Supervisor $ 169,81.

KRISTIN MALLORY Assistant Supervisor $ 168, 896.

DIANE FAIRCHILD Director of Special Education $ 161,348

MANOUCHEHR HADJIAGHAI Director of Administrative Services $ 160, 210.

Think. Its good for you. wrote on Sep 4, 2008 7:48 PM:Less than two months ago, the newspapers carried the story about how almost 25% of students were dropping out of school. If the low perfromers are dropping out, wouldn't it make sens that the average of the remaining 75% would go up? This is a statistical blip due to the high dropout rate.

Thank you... wrote on Sep 4, 2008 9:23 PM:Thank you Mr. Gibson for taking the time to share the exact scores with the community. I know that there are still schools that are sanctioned, but they are steadily improving. This is due to the unwavering support by you and Dr. Guffanti for Dr. Bales and the hard working teachers of VUSD.

Escondido Resident wrote on Sep 4, 2008 9:37 PM:The scores at all three of Escondido's High Schools increased, including Orange Glen High School. This happened despite a huge immigrant, English Learner population at Orange Glen, and without any additional monies from the proposed bond in escondido.

This just goes to prove that education comes down to quality teaching and committed students. Money and facilities come in a distant second.

Vista Teacher wrote on Sep 4, 2008 9:40 PM:In reality the scores in VUSD are mostly going up. The reason is a combination of hardworking teachers who are embracing LMB (even though our Union keeps telling us it doesn't work) and the new direction set by Dr. Bales (even though our Union wants to get rid of her). All in all, GOOD WORK VUSD Teachers! We are starting on the right track and must ensure we have a supportive board that will allow us to continue on this track. Beware of the trap our Union Leaders are setting, and stick to what you know works! Good teachers teach and support other teachers. Our union has shown us they would rather have PTA puppets on the board instead of our sister Patty Anderson. I think we all know where our Leadership wants us to go: back to the days of failure! Stand together for the improvements we are seeing and we will eventually return to top billing in SDCOE for grades and test scores! Again, GOOD WORK VUSD Teachers, together we can change this district for the better!
VT

Reardon wrote on Sep 4, 2008 10:23 PM:The standards are set so low that an 'improvement" can be registered when actually it is just a measurement of lower illiteracy rates.

California schools still rank with Mississippi and Louisiana in the federal National Report Card, while our teachers remain first in average teacher pay.

Measurements against other failing California schools means that if your school is ranked 800, you are the equivalent of being The Best Dressed Man in Bigfoot ,Texas!

Best among a diminished standard!

JimRT wrote on Sep 5, 2008 5:56 AM:Wow! Our kids are getting better at taking tests.

Hummm wrote on Sep 5, 2008 7:42 AM:SIATech only tested 135 students and according to the Department of Labor website these are the number of students they have just in California.

San Diego 635

Treasure Island Job Corps 850 students

Inland Empire 310

Long Beach 300

Los Angeles 735

Sacramento 477

San Jose 440

There are two serious issues here SIAtech tested only135 students perhaps the only students doing well. Based on past state standardized test scores SIATech students tested 63% FAR BELLOW AVERAGE based on California standards. So what did SIATech do to improve their test scores?

Well SIATech officials gave themselves another pay raise and weeded out the bad testers as they only tested 135 students.

I wonder what would happen to the scores from OUSD, VUSD, EUSD if they only tested a VERY SELECTIVE 1% of the student population? I think their scores too would skyrocket too!!!

Is this legal?

JimIsRight wrote on Sep 5, 2008 8:05 AM:Yay! Our kids are getting better at taking tests! I'm willing to believe that NCLB is mostly a good thing, but it's pretty sad that some districts are neglecting art, music and other subjects that keep at-risk kids engaged and out of trouble. Not to mention PE.
And you don't have to look too far to see flabby kids who could benefit from a couple hours of PE every day. Maybe we could teach some of the little porkers how to perform liposuction on themselves... or provide No Parents Left Behind classes to let Mom and Dad know that two bags of Fritos and a can of Coke don't qualify as a healthy meal.

Lies damned lies and statistics wrote on Sep 5, 2008 8:08 AM:And what do these statistics really mean, anyway? I'm skeptical. Is our children learning? or are better-educated children with wealthier, more involved parents moving into the districts and skewing the numbers?

FTM to Fed Up wrote on Sep 5, 2008 8:09 AM:Yes, it's true, we passed a bond - FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL. And the high school scores continue to improve which it quite a feat when you consider how many of the students there have parents that can't even read! Fed Up is right - it's time to focus on the middle schools. The primary schools got cleaned up and then the high schools got needed improvement but the middle schools have been ignored - time to get to work.

FTM wrote on Sep 5, 2008 10:05 AM:Oh, forgot to add: F.ollow T.he M.oney

Where there is the most wealth - there are the highest scores.

Where there is the most poverty - there are the lowest scores.

Follow the Money.

Homer wrote on Sep 5, 2008 10:12 AM:Yes, look at the list. Many Vista schools have been/are being sanctioned. So this is the legacy of Morris Vance. Thanks, Mayor Vance. Thanks.

oside mom wrote on Sep 5, 2008 10:22 AM:The irony of the requirement to meet federal standards for all subgroups--MLK Middle School in Oceanside. The overall school API has reached the coveted 800 API mark for the first time (by far the highest scoring middle school in the district), yet two subgroup scores puts this school into its 4th year of sanctions. This means that the 3rd year principal of the school, who has worked very hard to raise the school's scores, is now facing losing his job over the scores.

Mumbo Jumbo wrote on Sep 5, 2008 11:30 AM:API is a joke & hard to understand. This information might be useful IF the numbers where provided in a graph & over time. Why, because an entire school's or subgroup's scores can plummet one year & the goal or target for the next may only be a few points (big deal).
AYP numbers are also misleading because a subgroup population is ONLY considered "meaningful" IF the number of valid scores is 100 or greater. When you consider that ONLY 10th graders are included, at the high school level, it's a lot easier to sneak under that bar.
If you want a better indication of how high schools are doing, I'd suggest you look on the CDE's DataQuest website (under create your own report). At the bottom, you can request the percentage of students that took the tests & scored proficient by subject. SURPRISE, these numbers are a lot lower than what's reported as AYP. Math scores are especially depressing (even for those so called "good school districts.") Unfortunately, 2008 numbers are NOT currently available (so all you can see are the 2007 scores.)
Parents, students & all taxpayers have got to STOP being fooled by all the happy talk. The system is broken, even our best students are NOT being adequately prepared for life after K-12. They lack the basic skills they need to enter the workforce and/or they are not prepared to take college level courses (even at our community colleges).
When you consider the money that's wasted on do-over courses, that don't count toward any degree, as well as the extremely low percentage of students, that require remediation, that actually stay in college to earn any degree, is it any wonder why education is the biggest piece of the budget pie in California?

amazed wrote on Sep 5, 2008 11:49 AM:It is amazing to me the amount of complaining that goes on about schools? How many of the complainers are teachers or have been into their child's classroom lately. I've been in my child's room. 35+ children with some or many that act out. Instead of blaming the schools for all of the problems, I think that parents and teachers need to work together to solve the problems. How many parents check their students homework on a daily basis? How many parents know what classes they are taking? Everyone needs to work together to make our schools better instead of playing the blame game.

To To Cant be wrote on Sep 5, 2008 3:48 PM:Drink the Kool Aide! What did the teachers decide to start teaching well the last year or so? Fear of funding loss is th reason. That is why we need vouchers!!

Shirley wrote on Sep 5, 2008 4:50 PM:My son is in middle school in VUSD. He scores the top 90% in the COUNTRY. If we didn't have illegals here our district would score as high as the rich areas. I am so tired of illegals or children of illegals bringing our school district down. So much time and money goes to them but nothing seems to work. We do have a good district with great teachers and students. But you wouldn't know it by reading the paper. Please, illegals, move to another district. Please.

Vista Teacher wrote on Sep 5, 2008 8:16 PM:Shirley,

Hm, where to begin...

I've been teaching in Vista for two years now, and never thought of my students as illegals, only children. Really. Six year olds, with six year old smiles, six year old voices, six year old hearts and minds.

And as a teacher I can ensure you A LOT seems to work. Everyday dedication, collaboration, professional development and compassion for fellow human beings WORKS.

I'm sorry you're disastified with your school district, perhaps its time to move away toward the coast and toward a higher API score. Who knows, maybe then you're son will score in the 95th percentile!

Vista Mom wrote on Sep 5, 2008 8:30 PM:I know this for fact: my child attends an under-performing school. He has awesome teachers and his test scores are off the charts. He is being taught, and not just how to take a test! These tests are not a true measure of what goes on in our schools. Yes, VUSD has problems, but it is not the teachers!

How can I get a job at SIATEch wrote on Sep 5, 2008 9:56 PM:Wow Shirley and Vista mom your children must be attending Guajome Park Academy the highest scoring school in the North County. Or maybe they attend SIATech?

these schools are awesome, the teachers are excellent they make more than the superintendent of California public schools and the California Governor.

To Shirley wrote on Sep 6, 2008 9:36 AM:It is not that they are illegal immigrants, but that their parents don't speak English and then in turn they don't until they get to VUSD. It is sad that there is a group of people who are so unwilling to become part of the American Dream that they wouldn't want to learn or teach their children how to speak English, our country's language. My Grandparents were immigrants and when they came to this country they had some knowledge of English, but their parents wanted them to assimilate into the culture while maintaining their heritage. That is what the problem is; the Hispanic population doesn't want to assimilate. So, where does that leave the District? Teaching them to speak English and giving them the same opportunity that my Grandparents had. Why is it so hard to accept those who are different instead of being so degrading towards them? What are you teaching your child? To have a superior attitude and to degrade others. If you don't want to deal with the Hispanic population (60% give or take of VUSD) you might be happier in Carlsbad or Poway. Just a thought.