One thing that has heartened us in this
quest to eliminate the achievement gap is that some teachers and schools have achieved amazing results already. We think that by studying these examples of success, and then collaborating to determine whether and how they can be replicated, we can eliminate the gap.
We have an excellent example we can
look to in San Jose. Leroy Anderson Elemen- tary School in the Moreland School District shows how dedication, focus, hard work and innovation can improve academic per- formance across an entire student body. At Anderson, 80 percent of students are Latino, and 90 percent qualify for free or reduced- priced meals. In 2006, Anderson was the lowest performing elementary school in Santa Clara County; by 2010, it was rec- ognized by the California Department of Education for its success in narrowing the achievement gap and was named a Califor- nia Distinguished School. In just four years, Anderson raised its Ac-
ademic Performance Index from 602 to 810. In that same span, its API for socioeconomi- cally disadvantaged students went from 577 to 807. English learners did even better, from 560 to 806. Anderson’s dramatic improvement is
credited largely to “Academic Excellence for All,” a systematic approach to ensure all students are academically challenged and receive support. Anderson was a winner in 2011 of the American School Board Journal’s Magna Award for Innovative Best Practices, and featured in a story about closing the achievement gap in the New York Times.
Early results are encouraging SJ2020 has been in place for two years
now. Early results are encouraging. In the most recent release of the California Stan- dards Test, we found that the county’s His- panic students recorded growth on all four academic areas assessed by the CST between 2010 and 2011. Not only that, they also reduced the
achievement gap with the subgroup of white students (who also demonstrated academic growth) in ELA and math between 2008 and 2011. In ELA, the gap reduced from 41 percentage points to 38 percentage points;
Students at Wool Creek Head Start classroom in San Jose find the computer screen is a friendly place to gather – and learn.
and in math, it narrowed from 36 percentage points to 30 percentage points. Our task now is to accelerate the growth of these student subgroups to narrow the gap faster. The results also revealed that more His-
panic and African American students are taking tougher courses, such as algebra, that pave the way to higher education. And even though the number of students taking the test is much greater, the scores still slightly rose. These results might challenge our be- liefs about students’ abilities. They show us that we must be extra careful not to under- estimate the capabilities of any group. When given the opportunity and support to take tougher courses, all students can succeed. But we know that students of color are
disproportionately required to delay entry or repeat algebra, regardless of testing or pro- ficiency, making it more difficult for these students to meet the state university’s A-G requirements. To combat this, San Jose’s East Side Union High School District, with strong support from the Silicon Valley Edu- cation Foundation, is working with its feeder elementary districts to develop a common standard for algebra placement and advance- ment for all students enrolling in the high school district. The district – which has a high propor-
tion of English learners, Hispanic students and students qualifying for free or reduced meals – also has adopted the A-G framework as the default curriculum for all students.
Vision of a community These are just a few of many examples.
We are fighting this battle on many fronts, and we clearly have a long way to go to reach our goal by 2020. But we are encouraged about our prospects. While we continue to modify and change SJ2020 as necessary, we feel we have in place a strong foundation that will easily allow for those modifications. What we have created is not the vision of one or two or a handful of people, but of a community. And when a community shares a vision, what inevitably results is durable, valuable and inspirational. n
References
Cortright, Joe. (February 2009). CEOs for Cities. “City Dividends: Gains from Im- proving Metropolitan Performance.”
www.ceosforcities.org.
Charles Weis is Santa Clara County
Superintendent of Schools. Weis served as ACSA president in 2009-10.
November/December 2011 21
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