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Schools

LEUSD's English Learners Test Higher Than State Averages; Improvement Still Needed

Despite concerns about English Learners, the LEUSD showed significant gains in student achievement.

Education Trust-West, a statewide education advocacy organization, warns that an overall decline in the performance of students on the California English Language Development Test is a cause for profound concern.

The California Department of Education Assessment and Accountability Division reports that only 34 percent of California students in grades K-12 passed the proficiency test, which is given to students whose primary language is other than English. In Riverside County only 36 percent passed.

But students in Lake Elsinore Unified School District scored slightly better with 39 percent passing. The LEUSD students scored much better in grades 8-12, including a 64 percent pass rating in grade 12.

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That compares to a 43 percent pass rating for 12th graders statewide. In Lake Elsinore, the percentages were lowest in the early grades.

In terms of overall achievement, Lake Elsinore students scored well in all ethnic categories. Last week at the district board’s regular meeting, Alain Guevara, assistant district superintendent, talked about the district’s gains in student achievement.

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He pointed out that since 2006, the district has made significant and consistent gains each year in student achievement. Last year was no exception.

In fact, the Lake Elsinore progress was at the top of the ranking in many areas for similar schools in terms of size and demographics. The Lake Elsinore district was one mentioned in a recent article published by Education Trust-West called “Progress in Unexpected Places.”

Lake Elsinore was also among districts with outstanding grades in a study called “A Report Card on District Achievement: How Low-income, African-American and Latino Students Fare in California School Districts." The study ranked 146 unified school districts with at least 5,000 students on performance, improvement, achievement gap, and college readiness.

The scores are based on API growth from 2006 to 2010.

On performance, Lake Elsinore African American and Latino students received a B rating and scored fourth.

On improvement, Lake Elsinore's African American and Latino students were ranked first with an A rating. Lake Elsinore’s low-income students also came in first with an A rating.

On achievement gap, which is the observed disparity on a number of educational measures between the performance of groups of students defined by gender, race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status, the Elsinore district came in fourth with a B grade for districts closing the gap between Latino and white students.

Lake Elsinore received an A grade for districts closing the gap between African American and white students.

In the college readiness category, which measures the percentage of minority and low-income students who meet requirements for admission to a four-year university, most districts scored Cs and Ds.

The Lake Elsinore district received an F in this category, but district officials said the grade was given in error because of a breakdown in communication between the district and The Education Trust-West last fall.

"I believe we received an A,” said Frank Passarella, district superintendent.

The Lake Elsinore district topped all similar districts with an overall B grade. Six schools from throughout the state had B- grades.

“Our teachers are doing a great job of teaching,” Passarella said.

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