MESA INTERMEDIATE FACES STATE SANCTIONS.

Byline: Marci Wormser Staff Writer

PALMDALE - After failing to meet academic performance growth targets for three years in a row, Mesa Intermediate School could face state academic sanctions this year if it fails to reach its goal for 2003 as well.

Possible sanctions specified in a 1999 state law include removing the current school administration and reassigning the teachers to other schools.

``Mesa was not the lowest scorer in the district, but it did miss their target three years in a row, and that's why they're in this particular situation,'' Palmdale School District spokesman Isaac Barcelona said.

Mesa's academic performance index scores in 2001 were 619, or six points lower than the target of 625 set by the state. They dropped to 583 in 2002.

To help the school improve test scores, Palmdale School District administrators and California Department of Education officials put together a joint intervention agreement. Palmdale District trustees voted unanimously last week to approve the plan.

The agreement calls for steps that include increasing school days from the present 163 to as many 180 a year, holding monthly meetings among teachers and parents, making sure that classes all have recent state- approved textbooks, re-evaluating the current reading program, offering more training for teachers and offering extra help to students with problems in reading, math or the English language.

The API test is designed to show how California schools rate against each other. Each school receives a single score - between 200 and 1,000 - based on student test scores and is assigned a score it should reach the following year. The state's goal is a score of 800 at every school.

State education officials performed an academic audit of Mesa in October. The state board subsequently recommended an 18-month probationary period for the school to make academic progress.

Every three months, state officials will examine the school's progress, trustee Sheldon Epstein said.

``I do know that Mesa is taking it very seriously,'' Epstein said.

If scores do not improve, state officials have the authority to take over management of Mesa.

However, Palmdale Assistant Superintendent Willie Thomas said, ``I doubt anything of that nature is going to happen.''

In the agreement, state officials identified several areas of weakness and outlined corrective actions for each area. Benchmarks were implemented for district administrators to take steps to correct the areas of nonproficiency.

According to findings by the Department of Education, ``there is a lack of district leadership for effective district/school communication, allocation of resources and a sense of urgency to support student achievement at the school site.''

To correct the lack of leadership, the district should ``develop and implement a formal communication structure among district cabinet, district leaders, school administrators, teacher leaders, faculty, staff, students, parents and community,'' according to the recommendations.

State officials also reported that ``the school's instructional program is standard-based in name only and does not reflect educational equity and a grade-level, standards-based curriculum with high expectations for student achievement. There is inconsistent use of effective, research-based instructional strategies.''

State officials recommended that the district ensure that all students have recent, state board-adopted textbooks and supplemental instructional materials at the students' reading level.

Mesa also lacks a comprehensive program to help non-English-speaking students in English language development, the state said.

Two other Palmdale schools, Palm Tree and Tamarisk elementary schools, were identified as underperformers a year ago.

However, those two schools are not facing the same potential penalties as Mesa, in part because they accepted $50,000 state grants to develop plans to improve test scores. The two schools implemented the plan beginning in the 2000-01 school year.

``The other schools that were underperforming ... are in a different category because they did accept the grant and they did not miss their target three years in a row,'' Barcelona said.

Palm Tree scored 673 on the API in 2001. Its target was 679. Tamarisk scored 528 in 2000 and 517 in 2001. Its target was 542.

Mesa did not accept a grant.

``At the time, Mesa voted not to accept the grant because it was early on in the program and the rules were not clear and they did not understand the penalties were a lot stiffer if they did not take the money,'' Barcelona said.