One child was left behind
By JAMIE WETHERBE Special to the Daily Press
A Santa Monica elementary school has failed a new federal program for lack of participation.
Edison Language Academy, a dual-language elementary school — where courses are taught in both Spanish and English — failed this year to meet new federal standards by one-tenth of 1 percent. As a result, Edison could face severe budget problems if federal funding is cut off.
Under the Bush administration’s new law “No Child Left Behind,” all public schools must adopt grade-level standards — which increase each year — and evaluate student progress through annual standardized tests. If schools fail to make the grade two years in a row, federal funding may be pulled, officials said.
Schools are evaluated based on education and participation.
The law requires a 95 percent test participation rate among students in all categories, which are broken down based on ethnicity and income.
If even one group fails, the entire school fails — as was the case with Edison.
While Edison met or surpassed proficiency criteria in both math and English in all categories, the school failed to meet the participation requirement — by one student.
Edison’s missing student fell under the English-language learner group, giving that subgroup a participation rate of 94.9 percent.
And the federal government didn’t round up.
“Ironic since we use rounding skills in the math classes,” said Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Superintendent John Deasy. He added that the federal program, passed in 2001, needs a “dramatic and substantial” rewrite.
The federal program is a funding initiative designed to pump billions of additional dollars into public schools, so that by 2014, all students demonstrate 100 percent proficiency in math and language arts.
And despite that SMMUSD is situated in one of the most affluent communities in California, Edison, located on Kansas Avenue in the city’s eastside, is classified as a “Title 1” school. The school accepts federal funding with the goal of providing extra help in reading and math to students who need it most in schools with high levels of poverty.
Edison is one of 10 elementary schools in the SMMUSD system and nearly 8,000 students are subject to the standards.
Overall, SMMUSD elementary schools met the criteria and participation requirements, and test scores even improved since last year — especially among minority students.
This year’s English scores throughout the district improved by 20 percent. And English students’ scores also improved in 2003 with about 45 percent demonstrating proficiency. Though less significantly, math scores improved about 2 percent, with almost 56 percent of students showing proficiency.
Edison parents this week received a letter from the school district, declaring Edison a “program improvement school” based on the participation standard. The federal government requires school districts to send notification to parents when a school fails to meet the standards.
Edison is the only school in the district that will implement the improvement program to meet next year’s standards, said Steven Cannell, the director of the district’s educational services department, adding that part of the school’s plans include targeting a 95 percent participation rate.
“(Participation) is the easier target,” Cannell said, adding the academic component is a more difficult target to solve.
Historically, Edison’s test participation rate has often fallen below 95 percent because parents have opted out of testing.
“In the past, we were encouraged not to (have our children) take the test” because classes are taught mainly in Spanish until about the third grade, said Carol Davis whose daughter attends Edison, adding both parents and Edison weren’t aware of the possible federal repercussions.
The district also could face consequences.
Under federal program, parents can transfer their children to another district school that passed the standards.
But that’s not likely because in the Santa Monica and Malibu schools already are overcrowded.
Officials said they don’t foresee many transfers
345,“Parents will just now have to reevaluate allowing their children to take these exams,” said Harry Keily, president of the Santa Monica Malibu Classroom Teachers Association.
Edison “does a remarkably great job” providing students with alternative education — not reflected by the federal standard, Keiley said.
And parents seems to agree.
Cannell said he received only one reaction regarding the letter — a parent declaring her support for Edison and the dual-language program.
Several parents also said they feel that the federal program unjustly stigmatizes Edison and its unique language program.
“It wasn’t a lack of education but a lack of participation,” said Frank Kosa, whose two children attend Edison. “I’m sure next spring we’ll be passing with flying colors.”
“It wasn’t a lack of education but a lack of participation.” — — FRANK KOSA Parent
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Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 29, 2003. Read the original PDF.