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[L551]Los Angeles High School

by Patricia Hawke, Pat

In response to a recent evaluation of Los Angeles schools, Superintendent Brewer released a new strategy for helping failing secondary (high schools, grades 9-12) schools improve. Called ?The Strategic Plan for High Priority Schools?, it is a document that is intended to address the problems inherent in these schools and the goals that have been set to solve them.

Los Angeles schools who attend these failing schools (approximately 13 in all) may feel like they are being taken care of by their school board, if they take the time to even think about it. Most likely, they have their minds on other, more pressing (to them) matters, such as living in poverty, learning to speak English, learning with disabilities and whether or not to stay in school at all.

These students attending these Los Angeles schools may look to their school as a place of sanctuary, but given the habit of teens to bring wear their problems on their sleeves, it's doubtful that even the best school can offer much sanctuary from a stressful life.

The Plan: Inspired or Misguided?

So is the ?Plan? misguided? I believe that the leaders of Los Angeles schools truly want to improve their schools that need improving. Is the plan the best way to go? Well, let's take a look at a few of its high points.

? Local Control ? individual Los Angeles schools will be given control over how they will improve. With district support, these Los Angeles schools can use what methods work best for their particular students. (One has to wonder, however, that if the administrators of these Los Angeles schools were doing their best in the first place, whether the problems would be as extensive as they currently are.)

? Rigorous Curriculum ? Setting a higher standard for students to reach is all well and good, but if the students attending these failing Los Angeles schools are already behind, (and it's a good bet that this is so, especially if we're talking about those in danger of dropping out or with learning disabilities) it's hard to see how raising the bar will help. Perhaps more concentration should go into getting these students of Los Angeles schools back on track academically speaking.

? High Quality Instruction ? This simply means putting better teachers in the classrooms. Too often, low-achieving schools are the dumping ground for what's wrong with the teaching profession; they'll take any assignment they can get in order to keep their jobs. They're teaching for the paycheck (as unbelievable as THAT may be) and little else. Improving teacher quality is imperative; principals have got to be able to rearrange, reassign, retrain or even FIRE ineffective teaching staff. Failing teachers working at failing Los Angeles schools really do not deserve job security. We wouldn't accept that from a doctor, lawyer, policeman or even preacher, so why should teaching be any different?

While these are only a few areas which are addressed in ?The Strategic Plan for High Priority Schools?, it is easy to see that Los Angeles schools have their work cut out for them. Reform is necessary, and won't be simple. Hopefully, the leaders of Los Angeles schools will stick to their jobs for the long haul and fix what's wrong with these Los Angeles schools.

Los Angeles schools announced the results of the 2004-2005 school year, state-mandated California High School Exit Exam. Of the students slated to graduate in 2006, 69 percent (more than two thirds) of the class passed both the English language arts and the mathematics portions of the exam. Of the remaining 31 percent of the Class of 2006 students (12th graders):

• Fifteen percent (approximately 5,500 students) must pass both the English language arts and the mathematics portions,

• Ten percent (3,700) must pass the mathematics portion, and

• Six percent (2,000) must pass the English language arts portion.

State law now requires all students to pass both portions of the exit exam in order to graduate from high school and receive a diploma. Students begin taking the exam in the spring of their 10th grade year. If they do not pass one or both portions of the exam, they have the opportunity to retest in both 11th and 12th grades. Los Angeles schools' Class of 2006 was the first graduating class required to pass both portions of the exam in order to graduate.

The excellent results of the 2004-5 testing is the direct result of focused instruction and successful intervention, and demonstrates that every student is capable of passing the exam. These intense efforts on the part of Los Angeles schools educators were specifically designed to assist students with coursework directly connected to the exit exams.

In the 2004-5 school year, Los Angeles schools developed intervention strategies for students having problems passing the exam. The strategies introduced small learning communities and supported the core curriculum. Personalized teaching and learning approaches were developed for each student, such as an outreach program and intervention on an individual basis. The Los Angeles schools further made attendance at exit exam preparation classes mandatory for students who had yet to pass one or both test portions. These classes met outside of the normal school day and were provided free of charge to the students through the district's Beyond the Bell, a branch of Los Angeles schools that oversees all student extended day programs.

These combined efforts have had a direct and significant impact upon the graduation rate at Los Angeles schools, as proven not only by the Class of 2006 test results but those for the Class of 2007, as well. When the Class of 2006 was in 10th grade, the students had a first-time pass rate of 60 percent in English language arts and 58 percent in mathematics. The Class of 2007, when in 10th grade, surpassed these first-time pass results by 66 percent in English language arts and 59 percent in mathematics — a significant increase in scholastic achievement.

These results clearly demonstrate that the dropout rate can be turned around, which is just one of the many student achievement goals of Los Angeles schools. The district continues to aggressively focus upon the development of rigorous curriculum for its middle and senior high schools. Los Angeles schools recognize and the exit exam results underscore the importance of improved high school instruction, which can directly impact higher graduation rates and allow students to matriculate and move on to viable options in their adult lives.

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