OP-ED: 2018 test scores show need for charter schools
By John Crowder
Last week the California Department of Education released the 2018 test scores in English and math for all districts and schools in the state. This is the fourth year of data from this latest testing scheme, the Smarter Balanced Assessment Test (SBAT), meant to align with the Common Core teaching standards and methods. Students completing the test are placed into four broad categories in the subjects tested. These are, Standards Not Met, Standard Nearly Met, Standard Met, and Standard Exceeded. By combining the percentages from the latter two categories, we can compare how well schools and districts are doing in preparing students to, at a minimum, meet basic standards.
As has been the case since California began using this test in 2015, the results are not good for the Antioch Unified School District (AUSD). AUSD students have the lowest scores of all eighteen school districts in Contra Costa County (See table below). Further, the results for AUSD have remained, essentially, unchanged for the last four years. In 2015, the percentage of students achieving success in English was 30%, while it is currently 31%. In math it was 19% in 2015, and it now stands at 18%.
It is this low performance, combined with a lack of progress, that led hundreds of Antioch parents to sign the petitions and to turn out to the hearings held over the last couple of years to support bringing new charter schools, the Rocketship Elementary School and the Tech Academy Middle and High Schools, to Antioch.
The Charter School Act of 1992 was passed by the California legislature to address exactly the situation we find in Antioch. Public charter schools, with longer school days, more interventions, and proven programs, bring hope to parents who want their children to have a good education, but who can’t obtain it from the district schools they find their children assigned to.
Parents only have one chance at ensuring their students learn the skills they need to be prepared for college and the job market. They can’t afford to wait years, or decades, for change, especially when progress toward positive outcomes is nonexistent. Each year of delay is another year lost.
Establishing high-quality, public charter schools in districts where students are not being adequately educated is imperative for communities where students are being failed by the education establishment when the district schools can’t, or won’t, change.
English Language Arts – Contra Costa County School Districts
Rank District % Meet/Exceed
1 Orinda Union Elementary 88
2 Lafayette Elementary 85
2 Moraga Elementary 85
4 Acalanes Union High 82
4 San Ramon Valley Unified 82
6 Walnut Creek Elementary 73
7 Canyon Elementary 67
8 Brentwood Union Elementary 60
9 Liberty Union High 58
10 Byron Union Elementary 56
11 Martinez Unified 53
12 Mt. Diablo Unified 51
13 Knightsen Elementary 43
14 Oakley Union Elementary 39
15 John Swett Unified 37
16 Pittsburg Unified 34
16 West Contra Costa Unified 34
18 Antioch Unified 31
Source: https://caaspp.cde.ca.gov/sb2018/Search
Mathematics – Contra Costa County School Districts
Rank District % Meet/Exceed
1 Orinda Union Elementary 85
2 Lafayette Elementary 82
3 Moraga Elementary 79
4 San Ramon Valley Unified 77
5 Walnut Creek Elementary 71
6 Acalanes Union High 69
7 Canyon Elementary 65
8 Brentwood Union Elementary 50
9 Byron Union Elementary 47
10 Martinez Unified 42
11 Mt. Diablo Unified 39
12 Knightsen Elementary 38
13 Liberty Union High 31
14 Oakley Union Elementary 27
15 John Swett Unified 26
16 West Contra Costa Unified 23
17 Pittsburg Unified 20
18 Antioch Unified 18
Source: https://caaspp.cde.ca.gov/sb2018/Search
Crowder is a candidate for Contra Costa County School Board, Area 4
What an Embarrassment !!!
These scores are nothing new. Antioch has always been pitiful. The last 5 school superintendents we have had have just multiplied the problems in our schools. We need to start at the top all the way down to our teachers and clean house. Most of our teachers are wonderful. They need the support of staff and they just plain do not get it. The school board totally needs replacement. Do not vote for Mary Rocha she is one of the problems. She should not be on the board with the conflict of interest involved. Her son is a principle in our schools. She should not be on the board..