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Summerville teachers push for remedial classes
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Struggling students were a recurring theme at Summerville Union High School District’s regular board meeting Wednesday night. Three teachers presented a proposal for remedial classes to help students below grade level in reading comprehension, and the Board of Trustees debated whether to disqualify students with more than one failing grade from practicing in athletic programs.
English teachers Brianna Willis, Brooke Hallinan and Greg Smith asked the board to consider adding four to six English classes for students falling a year or more behind in reading comprehension. They estimated that one-third of their students need remedial classes and that the school could fill at least one remedial class per grade level. Summerville High School currently doesn’t have an intervention program for students struggling in English classes, the teachers said. The intervention program is one of three changes mandated for the high school English classes by California’s Program Improvement Plan. Under No Child Left Behind, the California Department of Education requires Program Improvement Plans of schools that fail to show adequate yearly progress in standardized test scores for two consecutive years. Summerville High entered Program Improvement status after the 2010-11 school year, according to California Department of Education records. Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) results for the 2009-10 school year show that 58 percent of all Summerville High students met state standards in English and language arts. In the 2010-11 school year, the number dropped to 54 percent. Students take the STAR exams in spring of each school year. “On the STAR exam, students will do a lot better if they know how to approach the question,” Smith said. He added that many are “trying to do things they can’t conceptualize” due to poor vocabularies and trouble understanding context. In the plan Smith and the other teachers presented, students testing below grade level would have to take two English classes, one with a standard curriculum and one with a specialized curriculum from National Geographic called Edge. Remedial students would lose the opportunity to take an elective but could gain it back if they tested out of the remedial class. The remedial curriculum, which has online and print components, would entail a one-time cost of $10,000. A data tracking system for reading scores, also required by the Program Improvement Plan, would cost the school $7,500 a year. The addition of remedial classes would necessitate hiring another English teacher. Finally, the teachers recommended that the school update its textbooks to reflect current state standards and a growing emphasis on nonfiction. Providing textbooks for all students, as required by law, would cost an estimated $65,000. The Board of Trustees will discuss the proposed changes to the English program and make a decision at a later date. No timeline for the decision was given at Wednesday’s meeting. Summerville Union High School District is also considering a revision to its eligibility rule for extracurricular activities. Under the new rule, students with two failing grades would lose the one-semester probationary period in which they could still attend practices. “I don’t think ineligible students should be out practicing,” said board member Randy Richter. Dennis Spisak, also on the board, said that the new rule would motivate students to keep their grades up. Board member David Marquez said it would prompt athletes to “be competitive in the classroom too.” Two teachers present at the meeting voiced their concern about the proposed change. “They’re going to get involved in things that will get them away from the team entirely,” said social studies teacher Lee Suggs. Special-education teacher Deena Koral-Soto mentioned the possibility that some students with failing grades may be trying as hard as they can. The board and teachers concluded that a possible compromise would allow students with only one failing grade to attend practices. The eligibility rules will get a second reading at the next regular Board of Trustees meeting on Feb. 22. Wednesday’s meeting also featured a presentation by world history teachers that highlighted efforts to educate students about the experiences of women and minorities. |
