Group helps schools address test scores

BARSTOW -— A school-improvement group has helped Barstow Unified School District teachers and administrators zone-in on raising students’ scores on state standardized tests through a regimen of new teaching techniques and methods to analyze student shortcomings.

At Tuesday’s school board meeting, officials from Action Learning Systems Inc. noted that schools have improved in their ability to target students’ weaknesses through the use of standardized practice tests and new instruction techniques for their teachers.

A particularly effective tool has been the recent use of standardized benchmark exams across the district. These are tests taken at intervals throughout the year to gauge how students are progressing, in preparation for the year-end California Standardized Tests (CST). Since Barstow Unified schools have tested below federal standards in recent years, these benchmark exams are being used by teachers to collect data on students’ weak points and bring them up to par.

To supplement this, Action Learning Systems officials also worked directly with teachers throughout the district, training them in new ways to deliver education that captivates the students’ interests and gets them to discuss the educational material in class and amongst each other and retain that information for testing, officials said.

The goal of all of this would be for students to improve their scores on the CST at the end of the year.  

Four years ago, due to low scores across the district on the CST, the Barstow Unified School District was labeled by the state as a “program improvement” district, for not meeting federal standards. Student’s were particularly struggling with secondary math and English language arts, school officials said.

In 2008, to assist in bringing their scores up, the school contracted with Action Learning Systems, an organization that works with schools around California to improve students’ achievement. Action Learning Systems was one of several organizations that state education officials had recommended to the district.

“They had a good track record in turning districts around,” said Teresa Healy, asst. superintendent for educational services.

Every teacher in the district received at least six hours of hands-on coaching, and two-and-a-half weeks of training during the summer, learning instruction strategies and how to effectively use the information from benchmark exams.

Officials from Action Learning Systems have returned to observe teachers’ improvement twice since training began more than a year ago, and have seen improvement in the way teachers present material to the students.  But Systems officials reminded district officials that coaching efforts must be continued.  

“We really need to focus on the coaching and assistance to ensure every student in Barstow has a teacher that is delivering instruction effectively,” said ALS Vice President Gary Soto.

With students having just finished their latest CST, the district will soon see how far they have come.

“I am confident that our numbers are going to improve,” Healy said.

Test results will be available in the fall.

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