GILROY
– The school district’s effort to teach students at individual
levels and target state standards has paid off, based on this
year’s jump in school improvement scores, say district officials,
administrators and teachers.
By Lori Stuenkel
GILROY – The school district’s effort to teach students at individual levels and target state standards has paid off, based on this year’s jump in school improvement scores, say district officials, administrators and teachers.
Gilroy Unified School District schools all surpassed their goals for increasing Academic Performance Index scores. Districtwide, API scores show students have improved performance on standardized tests over the last three years.
“When I look at the level of growth at our elementary schools and look over the last three years, they have all had significant growth,” Superintendent Edwin Diaz said. “I’m especially pleased to see the level of growth that Las Animas has achieved.”
Las Animas Elementary School posted a district-leading 64-point improvement this year, becoming the last Gilroy school to leap above the 600-point mark.
“One of the things that made a big impact is that we’re now more data-driven,” Principal Sylvia Reyes said. “Each child is being assessed by the classroom teacher … and the teacher is aligning the curriculum to meet the needs of each child.”
Teachers analyze standardized test scores throughout the year to monitor student performance and differentiate instruction, often grouping students, depending on their abilities, within their classes or across grade levels.
“It’s really focused on figuring out how to differentiate instruction for different students and not just testing, but looking at the data and what the test is telling you what those students need and focusing on that. And matching that to standards,” said Cindy McCabe, who teaches third grade at Las Animas. “It is all about knowing the standards for your grade level, and we spend a lot of time getting to know what those standards are and really focusing on those.”
Teachers said that, with API and standardized test scores always at the back of their minds, tracking students individually and placing them in smaller groups helps them achieve slow but steady improvement.
“The grouping allows the teachers to get a better picture of where the kids are at …,” said Naomi Byrne, a fifth-grade teacher at Rod Kelley. “It’s really difficult to target where they are when some kids are so far beyond and some are below.”
The groups address the same standards and concepts but in different ways, using level-appropriate materials. Students thrive in smaller groups because they receive the specific lessons they need and have more interaction with teachers, McCabe said.
Teachers occasionally are released from their classrooms to assess students or observe another teacher who is giving a model lesson. Teachers engage in peer coaching to share strategies and receive feedback, Reyes said.
Olivia Schaad, GUSD’s director of curriculum and instruction, credited literacy facilitators with providing essential training at each site. The facilitators support teachers, demonstrate lessons and coach on how best to instruct English Language Learners, often the district’s lowest-performing group.
“What I think the strength of the literacy facilitators is here at the district is that we’re all classroom teachers,” said Maureen Bellew, one of three facilitators at Las Animas. “I don’t think I could train a teacher to do their job if I hadn’t done it before.”
Bellew said that most literacy facilitators in the district are highly experienced and have been with GUSD for years.
GUSD’s Director of Assessment Esther Corral-Carlson said it is important that the state is including subgroups like English Language Learners in API scores.
“We have had typically under-served children and the state as said that’s not OK,” she said.
All Gilroy schools met their improvement goals for subgroups such as low-income, Hispanic or white students.
Teachers continue to hone their skills through staff development during the summer and throughout the school year.
In summer 2002, about 180 district teachers participated in 40 hours of training in GUSD’s new language arts textbooks.
“The books they’re using are completely matching the assessments they’re using now, and I think that’s why we’re seeing such a big spike,” Schaad said.
Gilroy’s improvement is part of a statewide trend. More than 81 percent of schools in Santa Clara County and 78 percent of schools statewide met their goals for raising API scores.
GUSD had the third largest API increase among districts in Santa Clara County, although its score of 683 ranks it above only four other districts. Among the county’s five unified school districts – which combine elementary, middle and high schools – GUSD has the lowest API score but also improved the most, bettering last year’s score by 40 points.
Between staff development, on-site training, grade-level meetings and test assessment, teachers spend hours outside the classroom focusing on API and standardized test scores.
“All the teachers here put in an extraordinary amount of hours above and beyond what our contract allocates for,” Byrne said. “Teachers (are) here an hour at least before school and three hours after school, and that’s not included.”
However, student success is what counts, she said.
“If the kids are learning and they’re making advances, it’s totally worth it,” Byrne said.
Antonio Del Buono Principal Tammy Gabel said that, after working toward progress, better API scores help motivate teachers and students for the next year.
“It’s a cycle that says all the hard work teachers put in last year paid off big time,” Gabel said.
Constant re-evaluation of student performance could help Gilroy’s schools reach 800 by the state’s 2013-14 deadline.
“As long as we have that type of annual cycle going on in the school district and at each individual school site, it’s very possible for us to continue this upward trend,” Diaz said.
Being held accountable by API scores could help the district do that, Corral-Carlson said.
“It’s kept our feet to the fire, and it’s forced us to look at what we’re doing,” Corral-Carlson said.
