Keep up the hard work

How pleasant to see a positive, happy headline grace the top of the

front page of the Pilot on Aug. 16.

“Local schools post gains in test scores,” the headline declared

and was followed by: “District sees strong increases in math and

English....”

Let’s give the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, principals,

teachers and students some well-deserved credit. Critics may claim

that the schools taught to the tests. But that is not a bad thing if

you believe that success in today’s ever more complex and rapidly

changing society requires that people be competent in English and

basic mathematics and that California educators designed their tests

to assess these required skills.

The remarkable progress also indicates the merit of the federal No

Child Left Behind Act’s emphasis on accountability and frequent

measurement of student competency. The act made receipt of federal

education funding contingent on all children testing proficient or

above in reading and math by 2014. The Newport-Mesa district is off

to an impressive start in achieving these goals.

What caused the increase?

It’s likely that student backgrounds, teacher backgrounds and

budget levels were nearly the same for 2003-04 as they were for

2004-05, yet test scores for the same grade level increased

dramatically. In order to maintain performance improvements and

increase them even further, it is essential that the major factors

leading to improvements be identified and not allowed to regress.

A clue is provided by a quote attributed to Supt. Robert Barbot.

He said: “The magic of it all, the secret, is hard work -- making

sure standards are taught at every grade level. As we’ve all learned,

it’s just a lot of hard work and concentration.”

Perhaps this emphasis on “hard” criteria such as learning the

basics of English and math -- rather than on “soft” criteria such as

“self esteem” -- is the cause. Although schools can contribute to

myriad social and personal growth advances, it is important that the

schools’ first priority be on academic skills and learning necessary

to contribute in today’s -- and tomorrow’s -- society. These were

formerly known as the three Rs.

Few, if any, worthwhile things in life are achieved without

significant effort and hard work. It has taken decades to acknowledge

that education is no exception.

Why lower high school exit exam standards?

In 1999, California lawmakers passed the requirement for high

school exit exams. Passing these exams was required for graduation by

the class of 2004; however, as the Orange County reported on Aug. 15,

“Two years ago, officials postponed the requirement because too many

students were expected to flunk.” Because early test scores indicated

that high school seniors were not expected to have achieved

educators’ expectations in ninth- and 10th-grade English, sixth- and

seventh-grade mathematics, and first-year algebra, “the exam was

redesigned to be shorter, simpler and more carefully aligned with

what students were learning in the classroom.”

On first glance, it appears to make no sense to relax the high

school exit exam standards. It may be that those currently in high

school did not have the advantage of the specific achievement

programs and the resultant advances now exhibited in elementary

schools. It may take several years for better-prepared students to

reach high school. If the standards expected of high school graduates

are to be lowered at all, the lower standards should be in effect

temporarily for a few years at the most.

As Barbot notes in the Pilot: “We’ve gotten from A to B, but now

we have to get to C. Until every child everywhere has equal

opportunity and is able to achieve at the level they’re capable,

we’re not going to be satisfied.”

The district is out of the gates with a heady start. This bodes

well for the students, teachers, parents, administrators and

ultimately for the entire community. Thanks to our local school

system for a job well done. Keep up the hard work on those three Rs.

* EDITOR’S NOTE: Michael Arnold Glueck is a physician and writer.

Thomas Damiani is a business consultant and writer. Both are from

Newport Beach.