The Weekly Newspaper of Inglewood
Daily News on a Weekly Basis - Herald Publications - Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, El Segundo, Torrance & Manhattan Beach Community Newspapers Since 1911 - Circulation 30,000 - Readership 60,000 (310) 322-1830 - October 19, 2017
West Basin’s Gray Receives
Award of Excellence from Mayor
On October 12, Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts presented West Basin Municipal Water District Division II Director Gloria D. Gray with the Esther Williams Award of Excellence during South Bay Workforce Investment
Board’s (SBWIB) 22nd annual Alumni Awards event. Gray earned the honors for her continued commitment to community service, work as a director on West Basin’s board and her ongoing support of SBWIB programs.
Photo Courtesy of West Basin Municipal Water District
School Board Faces Big Challenge
in Trying to Raise Low Test Scores
By Haleemon Anderson
The Advisory Board of the Inglewood
Unified School District received a report on
academic achievement at last week’s meeting
that painted a picture of optimism, despite
test scores that suggest a district in distress.
Dr. Carmen Beck, Chief Academic Officer,
reported on SBAC scores for the District. The
standardized testing system is administered
to all California students in grades three
through eight as well as 11th at the end of
each year, and is used to assess learning and
plan academic goals for the upcoming year.
Beck presented a PowerPoint showing
Inglewood students by school and across
grade levels. Testing is specific to Math and
English Language Arts (ELA), and scores are
designated as “met or exceeded standard.”
Although discernable patterns are hard to find,
in general Inglewood students are not scoring
at proficient, meaning they have not “met or
exceeded” learning goals or “standards” in
sufficient numbers.
Modest gains have been met over the past
three years, but scores indicate that less than 35
percent of students meet or exceed standards
in English. Math achievement is worse, with
less than 30 percent of students on target.
Some bright spots exist. ELA scores at La
Tijera are consistently above the average--60
percent of fifth graders met the target last
year. Hudnall sixth graders were at 64 percent
proficiency last year and at Highland, 47
percent of the sixth graders were on target.
Still, some schools are extremely low, even
dipping into single digits. Scores dip across
almost all grade levels in eighth grade. At the
high school level, the picture is equally grim.
With the exception of City Honors (64 percent
proficiency), high schoolers in Inglewood are
scoring below 30 percent in Math and English.
Beck addressed the low scores saying, “The
District is determined to deliver a multi-tiered
system of support, while addressing the needs
of the whole child.” She noted that several
measures are being put in place to address the
scores. “Some of the countermeasures are…
teachers are meeting in subject areas across
the District and we are questioning what
these standardized assessments are actually
measuring,” said Beck.
Board Member Dr. Dionne Faulk expressed
dismay, saying, “I am saddened by these scores.
This is not acceptable. We will be working
with the staff to improve going forward.”
Board President Carliss McGhee echoed
Faulk’s concern. “There appears to be a
disconnect within our plans going forward. I’m
concerned as to how to monitor our students’
progress,” she said.
Board Member Dr. D’Artagnan Scorza asked
Beck for clarification. “I’m questioning how
these scores are situated in comparison to other
similar districts,” he said. Beck answered that
by comparison, Los Angeles Unified School
District is at a 36 percent proficiency rate in
Math and 44 percent in English Language
Arts. “In LA County, they are not seeing
much growth either,” said Beck. She reiterated
measures are being implemented to look at
evidence-based practices to address the social
and emotional aspects of the student, including
trauma-informed pedagogies. Beck said the
move is toward interventions and small group
instruction.
Dr. Thelma Melendez de Santa Ana, State
Administrator, commented that the scores are
in part, shock value. “We have a community
summit planned on October 25,” she said. “It
will focus on identifying those areas we feel
are important for our students to know, setting
metrics and being completely transparent.”
Melendez said a strategic planning process
is in the works, and the Board will help host
four community meetings. Areas of focus
are professional development, accountability,
accessing resources in the community, and
career pathways for students.
Faulk remarked, “We have to take active
measures to improve our scores.” Melendez
referred to a news article on the “Inglewood
miracle” from the District’s heyday and said
she believes Inglewood can improve to that
standard of achievement again.
Abu Ngissah, President of the Inglewood
Teachers Association, questioned the
Board’s timing in announcing the October
25 community summit. “We are trying
to understand. We are trying to build a
collaborative relationship,” she said.
Ngissah, a regular attendee at the meetings,
announced at the previous Board meeting that
the teachers’ group was planning an outreach
meeting scheduled for October 26. “We’ve
invited you to our event on October 26,” said
Ngissah. She added that the Board’s actions
amount to splitting the community. “We will
continue seeking collaboration.”
Parents also weighed in on the students’
state of achievement. One couple whose child
attends FD Parent said, “We really want to see
academic excellence and a culture of excellence
at our schools. We have to do better.” They
urged Melendez to hear from them. “We
would like to meet with you personally, Dr.
Melendez. Every student deserves a better
education.”
A parent with an eighth grader at Morningside
said, “I’m telling others to be patient--we’re
getting better.”
Scorza expressed faith in the Board’s plans.
“I’m excited about our efforts to engage in
school redesign,” he said. “We want to reclaim
the moniker of a miracle school.” He thanked
Melendez for her service and leadership.
Board member Margaret Turner-Evans asked
for community support in the upcoming year.
“Hang in there with us and keep your children
here,” she said.
Melendez ended the meeting by saying, “We
have to address both sides of the equation.
This community has always focused on
students and we will continue to do that. It
is important we meet with stakeholders and
focus on the whole child and also ask, ‘How
do we encourage teachers?’”
The Inglewood Unified School District
Board meets once monthly. The next meeting
is scheduled for Wednesday, November 8, at
5:30 p.m. at 401 S. Inglewood Avenue, in the
Dr. Ernest Shaw Board Room. •
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Weekend
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