ESCONDIDO -- Although most children in local elementary and middle schools are not reading or doing math at grade level, recent test scores indicate that many of the schools are making progress toward state learning goals.

The scores are calculated from the California Standards Test administered last spring. In the Escondido Union School District, 15,024 students took the test, which gauges whether children are "advanced," "proficient," "basic," "below basic" or "far below basic" in his or her mastery of required knowledge for their grade level.

To be considered at grade level, the child must perform at "advanced" or "proficient."

To students like Francisco Alvarez, an eighth-grader at Rincon Middle School, the scores matter very little.

The 12-year-old doesn't know what Rincon or the school district does to improve his performance; he only knows that his new English schoolbook has difficult words defined lower on the page so he doesn't have to stop his work to look them up, and his extra math class gives him time for teachers to help him over the tough spots.

Two years ago, "I didn't have anyone to help, and I got F's," he said.

Scores determine penalties

Still, Francisco and other children's test scores are at the center of schools' high-stakes accountability system created by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

Whether school-wide or for students of a particular demographic, the number of "advanced" and "proficient" children must meet the state's goals.

Schools who don't meet the targets face mandatory "penalties" such as offering transfers to other schools, reworking curriculum or, in extreme situations, being taken over by the state.

In last spring's testing, schools were required to have 13.6 percent of children at grade level in English and 16 percent at grade level in math.

Grant Middle School and Glen View School are under the gun.

The state Department of Education released general and grade-level scores for each school on Aug. 16. Scores for various demographic groups at each school will be made public on Tuesday.

With a high number of students coming from low-income families or not speaking fluent English, the odds seem stacked against the Escondido district's success.

The standards tests are given in English, an automatic challenge for English learners. And low-income children tend to struggle in school because they often enter kindergarten with little if any preparation, and may have limited support at home for their schoolwork, district officials said.

Of the roughly 15,000 Escondido students tested last spring, 6,202 were classified as English learners, and 8,876 children qualified as low-income.

Small, steady progress

With those challenges in mind -- and scores that show the majority of local children not making the grade -- Jennifer Walters, the district's deputy superintendent and testing chief, frequently uses the phrase "sustained incremental change."

A closer look at schools' grade-levels scores over the last three years shows small pockets of progress.

Central, Felicita and Glen View elementary schools had increases in their second- through fifth-grades' English and math scores.

Conway, Juniper, L.R. Green, Miller, North Broadway, Oak Hill, Orange Glen and Pioneer elementary schools, as well as Grant Middle School saw improvements in their grade-level scores with one or two exceptions.

Felicita principal Henry Leso said he attributes his school's success to its commitment to a state program for low-scoring schools.

The school used grant money to, with a consultant, examine why its scores were low, create a plan to raise them, and give teachers time to collaborate and track students' progress closely.

The staff also visited successful schools with similar demographics.

Voluntarily entering the program wasn't easy but proved worthwhile, Leso said.

Schools see change

Test scores weren't as positive for Lincoln, Rock Springs and Rose elementary schools, or at Del Dios, Hidden Valley, and Rincon middle schools. At those campuses, scores dropped in at least half of the grade-level English and math categories.

Administrators say they aren't discouraged. Some of them wonder if comparing one year's sixth-graders to the next year's, for instance, is reliable. They also use a different strategy -- tracking second graders' performances as they move into third and fourth grades, and so on.

Principals said they were encouraged by gains within their school's scores' proficient and not proficient designations.

For instance, Rincon principal Brenda Jones said fewer students at her school performed at the "far below basic level" and more were at levels which are not proficient, but at least show progress.

She said she attributes that progress to after-school tutoring, and new textbooks and teacher collaboration that closely follow state standards. Students who are two years behind are also required to take two math classes rather than one.

"It shows me that those interventions are working," Jones said of the scores.

As for changes this year, Jones said she hopes to have Rincon's new parent liaison work with families on improving attendance, homework and other elements critical to a student's success.

Lincoln School principal Elisa Fregoso said technology -- specifically a new program called Edusoft used by the district this year -- will help Lincoln's teachers and administrators pinpoint where students need help.

She stays optimistic about the changes she and her staff can make.

"I think anybody who spends time on campus, whether family or staff members, know we are working hard and doing the very best for children and making decisions based on what's best for children," Fregoso said. "I don't think we get discouraged … we keep on working."

Contact staff writer Tanya Rodrigues at (760) 740-5420 or trodrigues@nctimes.com.