SCHOOL CHANGES A MUST LOW STATE TEST SCORES REQUIRE IMPROVEMENTS.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer

LANCASTER - Later start times and longer class periods, more English language instruction for bilingual students and new parent outreach are some of the steps four Antelope Valley schools must take as part of plans to improve academic achievement.

Antelope Valley High School in Lancaster, Wilsona Elementary School in Lake Los Angeles and Palm Tree and Tamarisk schools in Palmdale must improve their school culture and climate, which experts found contributed to poor morale, low expectations and a lack of open communication.

``When you talk about changing the culture of a school so that there are high expectations, and that all students are supported, changing the culture of a school, just like with any change, is the hardest to make happen,'' said Jane Maxwell, assistant superintendent for Antelope Valley Union High School District.

Wilsona School District Superintendent Ned McNabb said the toughest thing will be to change beliefs and attitudes. At the Wilsona school, auditors found the school community does not fully believe that all students can achieve at a high level.

``Each school district has a different set of demographic challenges. Based on what those demographics are, it can be more or less difficult to achieve standards,'' McNabb said.

The four schools were among 24 statewide ordered to undergo audits of their instructional programs by outside educators because they failed for two years in a row to meet targets for improvements in scores on the state's Academic Performance Index.

Each team of outside experts produced a report of the schools' shortcomings and steps to be taken to correct those problems. Of the four schools, only Antelope Valley High School was ordered to replace its principal and four other top administrators.

State education officials will be monitoring the schools' progress over the next two years.

``If they make some positive progress two years in a row, they will exit the accountability program. If they fail to make any positive progress, if they go backward, they might be subject to more stringent sanctions,'' said Wendy Harris, assistant superintendent with the state Department of Education.

Each of the four schools received state funds to help pay for the team of experts to come and audit the school's instructional program and provide ongoing monitoring and support.

High schools received $100,000 and middle schools and elementary schools $75,000. In addition, each school will get $150 per student to implement the improvement plan, what Maxwell called a ``detailed road map to school improvement.''

Still, the state funds are not enough to pay for everything the schools must do, so the districts have to scrape together other funding to cover the costs.

At Antelope Valley High, the team of experts found there were low expectations of student achievement, and that staff blames socioeconomic conditions and mobility for inhibiting student success, the school's report said.

``Teachers and administrators accept little responsibility for low student achievement. Staff blame low achievement on student and family conditions and changing demographics. A `culture of failure' permeates the campus,'' the report said.

The corrective actions include the hiring of four instructional coaches to help teachers improve their teaching methods, and having staff visit high-performing schools that are similar to Antelope Valley in size, socioeconomic and ethnic composition, the report said.

The report found that instruction lacks relevance, depth and high expectations for all students, who are not actively engaged in learning and lack motivation.

Longer class periods, such as those found in block scheduling, would allow for more flexibility and more opportunities for small-group instruction, the report said.

The report also ordered a schoolwide retreat for all staff at an off-site location ``to come together to develop a common vision for AVHS centered around student learning and the change process.''

Starting the school day later would also help, incorporating brain-based research that shows ``teenagers learn better with a later start,'' Maxwell said.

Evaluators focused on the hiring of fully credentialed teachers at Palm Tree and Tamarisk schools. At Palm Tree, the report said the district will ensure that all teachers are highly qualified and have the appropriate credentials under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which calls for all teachers to be highly qualified by 2005-06.

At Tamarisk, the district must assign fully credentialed teachers with bilingual training to any vacancy. No interns are to be placed at the school, the report said.

At Palm Tree, 88 percent of teachers are fully credentialed; at Tamarisk, the figure is 83 percent.

The experts also focused on bilingual students and instruction at the three elementary schools. Each team said English-language learners should receive English-language development instruction 30 to 45 minutes every day.

``The district and school do not provide a consistent and comprehensive instructional program to assist English learners in English-language development, and lack strategies for English learners to access the core content areas,'' the report on Tamarisk School said.

At Palm Tree, the district must develop a master plan for English learners that addresses teacher credentials, assessment of all English learners for placement and redesignation, proper placement of students, and professional development for teachers, the report said.

At Wilsona, the report said, ``while there is a climate of concern and caring in which the school community wants the best for students, the school community has not yet fully accepted the belief that all students can reach a high level of achievement.''

The school must develop outreach to parents and the community beyond the traditional parent nights and meetings, explore the possibility of a part-time community liaison, and set up education programs for parents so they can help their children be successful in school, the report said.

The audit of Tamarisk School also ordered a community liaison to work closely with families, the creation of a parent center, and a bilingual monthly newsletter from staff to parents.

``There are inadequate and ineffective two-way communication systems among the district and site administrators, staff, students, and parents resulting in misunderstandings, inefficiencies, poor morale and a climate not conducive to student learning, parent support, and community involvement,'' the Tamarisk report said.

Karen Maeshiro, [phone]

karen.maeshiro(at)dailynews.com