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Riverside County, CA November 6, 2001 Election
Smart Voter

Great elementary scores slide when students enter high school

By Paul F. Diffley, III

Candidate for Member, Governing Board; Murrieta Valley Unified School District

This information is provided by the candidate
Let's reverse the slide and also give our kids the tools to compete in a very competitive world.
One often hears the Board brag about our students test scores as being the best in Riverside County. More realistically, how are our kids doing when compared to schools in, say, the San Gabriel Valley?

Our elementary youngsters are taught well and their test scores prove it. However, if the District continues to mismanage funds, will our elementary kids accomplishments suffer? There is a noticeable test score drop when students enter high school. Why?

Several factors contribute to this problem:

  • Low teacher morale
  • Large classes
  • Low expectations in some classes
  • Reading skills problems with some learners
  • A large disconnect when a student enters high school, no one on campus to share problems with
  • A need for a better variety of courses
  • A need for more vocational courses

This year the high school overall score was in the low 700's, compared with some San Gabriel valley schools scoring in the 800's.
All kids eventually go into the world to compete. Ours need to be better equipped.

Let's work to raise the intellectual achievement of the high school students and also find out why so many are failing the first year of college.

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