Well its d
éjà vu all over again.
Well its déjà vu all over again. Another year, another not so stunning “progress report” for El Portal Charter School. One wonders how long this school will be allowed to not serve these students.
I know that some angry parents and students will be quick to tell me that I’ve got it all wrong. Parents like Cara Ragan will insist that their students are succeeding at El Portal. However, success in high school is measurable. It is measurable through data like MAP scores, SAT scores and the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE). Student grades should closely correlate with the scores they receive on these standardized tests.
As of today, by all accepted academic measures, El Portal is a failure.
I don’t doubt the sincerity of Ms. Ragan. She is happy that her son is working hard and making progress. El Portal may be succeeding insofar as the student population is happy in their environment. But ultimately, the mission of this and every school is to see that the students get an adequate education. I am glad that Ms. Ragan acknowledges that El Portal is in for a long fight, because if she wants to see all those El Portal students graduate, it is going to be a long fight. Ninety two percent of El Portal’s students are performing below grade level.
In a class of 50 students, that means only four of them are on grade level. That is a pathetic and sobering statistic. If I were a trustee on the School Board, I would give El Portal until the end of the year to turn it around. It is the district goal that 90 percent of all students be on grade level by 2004. I would give El Portal the goal of having 50 percent of its students on grade level by the end of this school year, or pull the plug. In my opinion, their will be no graduating class for El Portal unless they can accomplish this much less lofty goal.
Finally, I must put in a plea for the retention of the Slingerland program here in Gilroy.
I have met many parents of Eliot students, and my children have friends who have gone through the Slingerland program. My son was a borderline candidate for the program, so I visited the school. If the location were not so geographically distant from Rucker, I would probably be active in the Eliot Parent Club.
I was very impressed with the staff and the program they have. I meet parents all the time who have issues with the district. I have never met anyone who had a complaint about the Eliot program; it is by all means an effective way to teach children who have alternate learning styles.
The Eliot program already has teachers trained in this method, so why not keep offering the Slingerland option. The cost is minimal since there is no new training needed for these veteran teachers. I believe the district has an obligation to all of its students, including those who require an alternative program.
Which alternative programs will this district support? If the Slingerland program goes this year, will the GATE program be next? What about the dual immersion program? That program is losing some of its English speaking students, a component vital to its success.
At the end of the day, this district is faced with more than budget issues. Difficult decisions need to be made. I would hope that the district would look at the value of the programs which do succeed and sustain them, and let those programs which are failing our students be the first to go.
