Swimming in the Pensieve

“Students must correctly answer roughly 55 percent of the math problems and 60 percent of the English questions to pass.” — [For 25% of LBUSD seniors, diplomas ride on exit exams 10/16/2005]

Twenty-five percent of the LBUSD high school seniors cannot pass what amounts to a middle school test of proficiency in math and English with at least an ‘F’ and a ‘D-’, respectively? This, of course, leaves us to wonder how many students just barely passed the test with an ‘F+’ and a ‘D’.

Interestingly enough, CAMS is sporting a 100% pass rate on both portions of the CAHSEE, with Lakewood coming in at a distant Math: 75%, ELA: 76% pass rate; with LBUSD, as a whole, lagging behind the statewide CAHSEE pass-rates.

While LBUSD claims increased academic performance on the part of the students as among the benefits of mandatory school uniforms, neither CAMS nor Lakewood is a mandatory school uniform campus.

LBUSD is certainly missing some key variables in the formula for providing a quality education to its students. As a first step in a positive direction, perhaps they could replace Chris Steinhauser with the principal of CAMS, Dr. Kathleen Clark.

CAMS, the California Academy of Mathematics and Science at Cal State, Dominguez Hills, functions more or less apart from the very low academic standards held by LBUSD. This fact hasn’t thwarted the district’s attempts to financially throttle the school whenever possible; yet, the school continues to turn-out the kind of high school graduates that colleges and universities tend to salivate over.

At any rate, submitting the above to the Press Telegram resulted in the following text, published under my name:

Exit exam

Re: “Pass or else! Special report: the high school exit exam,” Page 1, Oct. 16]:

Twenty-five percent of LBUSD high school seniors cannot pass what amounts to a middle-school test of proficiency in math and English, with at least an F and a D-minus, respectively? This, of course, leaves us to wonder how many students just barely passed the test with an F-plus and a D.

Interestingly enough, CAMS (California Academy of Mathematics and Science at Cal State, Dominguez Hills), under Principal Kathleen Clark, is sporting a 100 percent pass rate on both portions of the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE). Lakewood is coming in at 89 percent math and 88 percent English.

LBUSD, as a whole, is lagging behind the statewide pass-rates. While LBUSD claims increased academic performance on the part of the students as among the benefits of mandatory school uniforms, neither CAMS nor Lakewood is a mandatory school uniform campus.

LBUSD is certainly missing some key variables in the formula for providing a quality education to its students.

Allan Gabston-Howell

Long Beach

Let’s get something straight right now. Lakewood is turning in only 75% and 76% pass rates on the Math and English portions of the CAlifornia High School Exit Exam, according to the numbers reported on the CDE web site; and those are the numbers I specified in my Letter to the Editor. It would seem that the Press Telegram has no problem falling into line with the district politics in quoting the district-generated statistical percentages which are not supported by the data on the California Department of Education CAHSEE results reporting web site.

It would also seem that the Press Telegram is reluctant to print anything that might be construed as supporting the removal of Chris Steinhauser from his position as superintendent of LBUSD. Is, “As a first step in a positive direction, perhaps they could replace Chris Steinhauser with the principal of CAMS, Dr. Kathleen Clark.” too controversial for the public to read and consider for themselves? Or is it that such statements can be construed to be contrary to Steinhauser’s self-admitted agenda of using the falsely positive perception of LBUSD schools as a means of artificially inflating Long Beach real estate prices–and that, only in the affluent areas of Long Beach?

Our experiences, with the limited access to GATE program services by the West-Side inhabitants of Long Beach, only tends to confirm such suspicions that educational dollars are predominantly spent in the schools situated in the affluent neighborhoods of Long Beach.

So…who has a vested interest in the residential real estate market in Long Beach; and, are they on the school board?