Local schools honored for narrowing gap

Three local schools were hon- ored last week for their success in narrowing the achievement gap between students who perform at different levels.

Colina Middle School in Thou- sand Oaks as well as Campus Can- yon and Flory Academy of Sci- ences and Technology in Moorpark made the statewide list of 103 schools compiled by Standard & Poor's School Evaluation Services.

This is the company's second analysis of achievement gaps in California, a study based on read- ing and math proficiency rates.

Mario Contini, superintendent of the Conejo Valley Unified School District, shared the news of Colina's honor at last week's school board meeting.

"The school's done a lot of good things," Contini said. "This doesn't come from one or two people. This gets down to the preparation at the elementary schools that led them into middle school. But the school has been working really hard with differ- ent programs; individuals have been focusing on students.

"They are doing the right things, the things that make a change in closing that achievement gap."

Colina and Campus Canyon closed the gap between the eco- nomically disadvantaged and other pupils, while Flory Acad- emy was noted as one of 36 schools that have tightened the Hispanic-white gap.

Linda Bowe, principal at Cam- pus Canyon, attributed her school's inclusion to additional time spent with the students.

"We do a lot of extra things for all students at all ability levels," Bowe said. "We do tutoring-be- fore-school, lunchtime, after- school tutoring. We do what we call a second dose of reading and math, especially reading in the pri- mary grades. Kids who are below grade level, we find a time to pull them (aside) for extra reading and language arts development."

Bowe touted her school's trade-a-book lunch program as well as the practice of breaking up the school's English-language learners so they can work at the appropriate level.

Representatives from both dis- tricts also credited SuccessMaker, a computer program that quizzes students in reading and math af- ter pinpointing their levels.

"When they go to the com- puter lab, they're doing things that are school-appropriate for them," said Bowe, who added that being recognized by S & P is "just won- derful for us."

"It's difficult to narrow achieve- ment gaps," said Thomas Sheridan, S & P's vice president. "However, this analysis shows that there are a number of schools that have made outstanding progress. Their success should be commended, and their practices should be more closely examined . . . by educators who are working hard to raise the perfor- mance of all students."