PROGRESS MADE ON AREA DROPOUTS; EAST VENTURA COUNTY, LAS VIRGENES DISTRICTS SEE DECLINES IN '96; PROGRAMS TARGETING AT-RISK KIDS LAUDED : DROPOUT RATES.

Byline: Michael Coit Daily News Staff Writer

Dropout rates across most east Ventura County and Las Virgenes-area high schools continued a downward trend and remained below state and regional averages, according to a California Department of Education report released Tuesday.

Rates for area students dropping out in 1995-96 ranged from a low of 0.3 percent in the Las Virgenes Unified School District to 2.1 percent in the Simi Valley Unified School District.

The Conejo Valley and Moorpark unified school districts' rates were both 1.4 percent and the Oak Park Unified School District rate was 0.4 percent.

By comparison, the statewide dropout rate was 3.9 percent, the Los Angeles County rate was 5.4 percent and the Ventura County rate was 2.9 percent.

``It's the lowest ever in Ventura County,'' said Charles Weis, the county's superintendent of schools.

The annual dropout rate is calculated by dividing the number of dropouts in grades 9 through 12 by the total enrollment in those grades for the same year. The state defines a dropout as a student who has left school for 45 consecutive school days, has not enrolled in another school and has not received a high school diploma or its equivalent.

Counselors who work with students throughout the area said a variety of intervention efforts are needed to keep youths in school.

Alternative programs, such as continuation schools and vocational education, also continue to help keep students interested in school and graduating, officials said.

Agoura High School educators, for example, keeps students from falling through the cracks by spotting signs of trouble and having counselors or a state-mandated student-study team intervene and work with the students, their teachers and families, said Herb Fineman, the school's counseling director.

``Many of them will be picked up by counselors before they get to the student-study team,'' Fineman explained. ``So something happens on their end either with attendance or discipline. If a pattern builds up, then somebody will flag it.''

The first warning signs of a student at risk of dropping out often are poor attendance or discipline problems. Another way to spot problems is the school's grade reports, issued every five weeks, which educators use to compile a list of all students with D or F grades.

``Basically we try and chase it down. Sometimes we will refer students to our psychologist, sometimes we will work with the parents,'' Fineman said.

``Everybody gives it their best shot. I'm not saying we win them all,'' he added.

One measurable lure educators say they use to keep students in school is showing them that high school graduates, on average, earn $6,415 more per year than dropouts, a figure obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ventura County Regional Occupational Program provides a direct link between completing high school and finding work in a trade or field of interest, said Peggy Velarde, the program's director.

``A lot of kids look for relevance in their education and a lot of times that translates into, `How am I going to get a job or how am I going to use my skills,' '' Velarde explained. ``So a lot of kids who don't thrive in a traditional academic program find out that they have some wonderful skills.''

ROP is offered to mostly high school juniors and seniors and is part of the regular curriculum offered at eight high schools, including the Newbury Park, Thousand Oaks and Westlake campuses in the Conejo Valley system.

About 1,800 students have been enrolled this school year in 23 programs, with a dozen of the programs offered at the main ROP campus at Camarillo Airport. The most popular programs are dental assisting, hospitality and tourism, auto service and computers, Velarde said.

``Our intent is to train students for actual jobs,'' Velarde said, noting the program places about 65 percent of its graduates in either jobs or continuing education.

The Simi Valley district offers an example of the broad choice of alternative programs. Students who might not succeed at the district's two regular high school campuses can choose from continuation, home study, adult education, vocational and minor-parent programs.

``So this district is very pro-active in terms of offering options for kids, because kids learn differently. And so each program has a different method of teaching,'' said Sara Davis, assistant principal at Royal High School.

``Over the years, these different alternative programs have developed because the needs of kids have changed. We've tried to be more flexible,'' she said.

Dropout rates across most east Ventura County and Las Virgenes high schools continued a downward trend in 1995-96 and remain below regional and state averages. The following are the drop-out rates by district:

DISTRICT 1995-96 1994-95 1993-94

State 3.9 % 4.4 % 4.9 %

Conejo Valley 1.4 % 1.8 % 1.4 %

Moorpark 1.4 % 1.9 % 2.5 %

Las Virgenes 0.3 % 0.4 % 1.1 %

Oak Park 0.4 % 0.1 % 0.2 %

Simi Valley 2.1 % 1.8 % 2.6 %

Source - California Department of Education

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Chart: (Color) DROPOUT RATES (See text)