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San Diego County, CA November 2, 2010 Election
Smart Voter

MEETING STANDARDS AND SOCIAL PROMOTION

By John de Beck

Candidate for Trustee; San Diego Unified School District; Trustee Area C

This information is provided by the candidate
I want to focus on raising student achievement by making sure achievement and student promotion match up.
There is an acknowledged need to raise student achievement, and much is being said about increasing standards. However there is very little information about the connection between STATED standards and the achievement needed to be promoted. Using the most currently available data in San Diego, and using the California State Standards test (CST) as a measure of achievement, I found a huge discrepancy between promotion and achievement that can only be called "social promotion!"

The most recent CST data for nearly every grade in San Diego City Schools shows that on average 8% are FAR BELOW BASIC on the Language and Mathematics Sections of the test. The most recent San Diego City Schools data on promotion for nearly every grade shows about 1% of the children are retained in grade. The data proves that the grade level standard for promotion is below...FAR BELOW BASIC.

I think these data are proof that something needs to be done. I agree that retention is not the solution, but differentiated instruction meeting students deficiencies is. That differentiated instruction is difficult to design and evaluate, so the school district continues to placate the parents, and move students along in a pattern of failure. Even the unproven action of putting students in Summer School shows no value, and when I proposed an evaluation, none was forthcoming. I care about student achievement, and continue to insist on INDEPENDENT program evaluation. Don't keep doing what fails! It is costly and unproductive.

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ca/sd Created from information supplied by the candidate: September 27, 2010 18:11
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