Beyond the Blackboard

A Dozen National Merit Semi-Finalists for Capistrano Unified

this just in ... (as a Capo guy I have to proudly note the two semi-finalists from San Juan Hills...but we should each of the district's regular high schools has a semi-finalist.)

12 SENIORS NAMED NATIONAL MERIT SEMIFINALISTS

District Students Compete for College Scholarships

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO—A dozen Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD) seniors have been named semifinalists in the 57^th Annual National Merit Scholarship Program, officials from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced today.

The 12 students are part of approximately 16,000 semifinalists, which represents less than one percent of the nation’s high school seniors. Last year, 20 CUSD students reached the semifinals; 10 were eventually named National Merit Scholars.

“We are proud of these students and their commitment to academic excellence,” Superintendent Joe Farley said. “Being named among the top one percent of students in the nation is an incredible accomplishment. We also need to thank these students’ families and teachers for supporting and encouraging these bright young minds.”

The District’s semifinalists are: Jacob Joseph, Charles H. Leo, Alexandra L. Mardock, and Derrick Xin from Aliso Niguel High School; Shana Hu and Marisa L. Shimano from Dana Hills High School; Valen B. Crain from Capistrano Valley High School; Regine J. Goh and Vivek Manjunath from Tesoro High School; Elena N. Gacek from San Clemente High School; and Kiana R. Hui and Dominick E. Wong from San Juan Hills High School.

These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for 8,300 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $34 million that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition. About 90 percent of the semifinalists are expected to attain finalist standing, and more than half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the National Merit Scholar title.

About 1.5 million juniors in some 22,000 high schools entered the 2012 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, which served as an initial screen of program entrants.

Finalists will be announced in February.

Capistrano Unified School District API Score Rises 13 Points -- Updated

From the District; we'll start sorting through scores when they become public:

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO—The Capistrano Unified School District remains the state’s highest achieving large school district, Academic Performance Index (API) scores released today by the California Department of Education indicate.

The District’s API score rose to 875, a 13-point increase from 2010. Of the District’s 54 traditional schools, 24 scored better than 900, which is considered an elite score. Another 51 scored above the state goal of 800, and every school in the District scored above 775.

“I can’t describe how proud I am of our students and their teachers,” Board President Jack R. Brick said. “These results validate the intense focus on instruction the Board has demanded. Under the leadership of Superintendent Joe Farley and with the support of our entire community, Capistrano Unified continues to be a leader in preparing students for success after graduation.”

When compared to other districts in the state, CUSD fared quite well. Among large districts, those with more than 35,000 students, CUSD has the top API score. Among the largest 100 school districts in the state, there are just six that scored higher.

“These numbers prove that this is one of the top school systems in the state,” Superintendent Joe Farley said. “We cannot succeed without the fantastic support our schools and students receive from the community. While we expect great results, these numbers are truly an indication of the hard work our teachers and instructional leaders have put into the development, design, and delivery of instruction.”

Chaparral Elementary School had an API of 948, the highest score in the District. For middle schools, Ladera Ranch earned the highest score with a 935. Tesoro was the highest scoring high school with an 883. Again, all of the District’s high schools surpassed the 800 mark; and, for the first time, all of the district’s middle schools surpassed 800.

Several schools saw large increases in their scores, led by Wood Canyon Elementary School in Aliso Viejo with a 44-point gain from 2010. Wood Canyon raised its API from 802 to 846. At the middle school level, Shorecliffs Middle School in San Clemente saw its score increase by 40 points, from 817 to 857. San Juan Hills High School experienced a 25-point increase, moving its score from 810 to 835. Just three schools saw a decrease.

Statewide, 55 percent of elementary schools, 43 percent of middle schools and 28 percent of high schools met or surpassed the state API target of 800

The API is a single number, ranging from a low of 200 to a high of 1000, which reflects performance level, based on the results of statewide testing. Its purpose is to measure the academic performance and growth of schools. The API was established in 1999 by legislation that created a new academic accountability system for K-12 public education in California. The API is calculated by converting a student’s performance on statewide assessments across multiple content areas into points on the API scale. These points are then averaged across all students and all tests. The result is the API.

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Here's a link to finding the scores for your own school

Here's a list of the three cities we cover - some impressive gains in English-learning ...

Download South API Scores

Tesoro Student Selected as New Trustee Representative

from the district:

Tesoro High School junior Ryan Pallas, the founder and president of a literacy group that helps elementary students advance their reading skills, was selected to serve as Student Adviser to the Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees for the 2011-2012 school year.

            Pallas, 17, will be a voice and advocate for the District’s 51,000 students during twice monthly meetings of the Board of Trustees. He succeeds Capistrano Valley High School senior Larson Ishii.

            “The Board of Trustees believes it is important to seek out and consider students’ ideas, viewpoints, and reactions to the educational program,” Board President Jack R. Brick said. “Ryan is an impressive young man with the right mix of intelligence, courage, and charisma to represent our students and we look forward to his input and involvement.”

            Members of Titans for Literacy, the organization founded by Pallas, read with students at Kinoshita Elementary School, coordinates events at Family Literacy Night Events and donates books to the school library.

Pallas is also a mock trial team captain, vice president of Model United Nations, varsity basketball letter winner and a member of the speech and debate club and comedy sports team. He holds a 4.5 weighted grade point average and is a member of the National Honor Society and California Scholastic Federation.

            “I have been a student in CUSD for twelve years, and I have received an incredible education. As the Student Adviser to the Board of Trustees, I will have the opportunity to make sure each and every student receives the same great experience I have had. I look forward to hearing from students throughout the district, and I am ready to share their opinions during Board meetings,” Pallas said. “My main priority next year is to increase student engagement. Since the Board’s main focus is the well-being of students, I want to make sure students are aware of Board activities and involved in the Board’s proceedings. I look forward to working with all of the Board members in order to ensure that we continue the great students in the District receive.”

The Student Adviser serves a one-year term and attends all meetings of the Board except for closed sessions. He may cast a preferential vote, which is recorded in the minutes but does not affect the numerical outcome of a vote, on all matters except those subject to closed session discussion.

STUDENT CONVICTED OF BREAKING INTO HIGH SCHOOL TO CHANGE OFFICIAL COLLEGE TRANSCRIPT GRADES AND STEAL PUBLIC RECORDS

March 21, 2011

From the OC District Attorney's Office:

SANTA ANA - A former Tesoro High School senior was convicted today of breaking into his high school on multiple occasions to steal advanced placement (AP) tests from classrooms, alter test scores, and change official college transcript grades.

Omar Shahid Khan, 21, Coto de Caza, pleaded guilty to the court to two felony counts of commercial burglary and one felony count each of altering public records, stealing or removing public records, and attempting to steal or remove public records. He is expected to be sentenced Aug. 26, 2011, to 30 days in jail, three years of probation, 500 hours of community service, and over $14,900 in restitution. The sentencing will be at 9:00 a.m. in Department C-41, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.

Co-defendant Tanvir Singh, 21, Ladera Ranch, pleaded guilty Sept. 9, 2008, to one felony count of attempting to steal or remove public records and one misdemeanor count of computer access and fraud. He was sentenced on that date to 200 hours of community service and three years of formal probation.

Between Jan. 23, 2008, and May 19, 2008, Khan entered classrooms and administrative offices at Tesoro High School on several occasions late at night and on weekends to steal AP course tests and access school computers to change his grades. Between Jan. 23, 2008, and Jan. 26, 2008, Khan obtained the user name and password of his AP Physics instructor and accessed the classroom computer to change his test scores and grades. On April 17, 2008, he entered the school administrative offices late at night and changed his office transcripts using the Registrar's user name and password, which he previously obtained by installing spyware devices on multiple computers in Tesoro's administration offices.

On April 18, 2008, Khan was caught cheating on an AP Statistics test. The teacher confiscated the test and gave it to the Assistant Principal for further disciplinary action. Over the weekend, Khan broke into the Assistant Principal's office and stole the test in an attempt to destroy the evidence that he cheated.

Late at night on April 21, 2008, Kahn entered the administration offices to change his transcript grades and the grades of other students in the district's grade database program. The following morning, he requested certified copies of his official transcripts in order to appeal his denial of admission to several colleges including the University of Southern California and the Universities of California, Berkeley and Los Angeles.

On May 19, 2008, Khan and Singh entered a classroom to steal an English test scheduled for the following day but were interrupted by a night custodian and fled the scene. Cell phone records established that Kahn and Singh exchanged several text messages earlier that day detailing their plans to break into the English teacher's classroom later in the evening to steal the test answers. A subsequent search by the Orange County Sheriff's Department revealed that Khan had installed spyware devices on the computers of several teachers and school administrators throughout his senior year. The devices were used to obtain passwords to access teacher computers in classrooms and school administrative offices.

Deputy District Attorney Chuck Lawhorn of the White Collar Crime Team is prosecuting this case.

CUSD Superintendent Farley to Moderate Homework Discussion

CUSD SUPERINTENDENT TO MODERATE A PANEL DISCUSSION ON “HOMEWORK: BALANCING LIFE AND LEARNING”

The Capistrano Unified Council of PTSAs (CUCPTSA), in collaboration with Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD), will host a community-wide panel discussion, “Homework: Balancing Life and Learning,” to help parents of students in grades K-12 understand the importance of finding balance for their families on Thursday, March 24, at 6:45 p.m., at the CUSD Education Center, 33122 Valle Road., 949.234.9200.

During this session, parents will hear from an experienced group of panelists about how to master and balance homework in their daily lives and prepare their students for academic and future success. Panelists will cover several topics, including: 

–– What is meaningful homework?

–– Managing the balance––Do extra-curricular activities revolve around homework?

–– What is the purpose of homework?

–– Parent pressure on homework––Are you a “helicopter” parent?

–– Homework and college readiness

–– Myth versus reality—Media’s influence, GATE pressures, and AP classes

––Teaching your child the art of self-advocacy 

Panelists who are educators, parents, and administrators, include:

–– MODERATOR: Joseph Farley, Ed.D, Superintendent, CUSD

–– Julie Hatchel, Assistant Superintendent of Education Services, CUSD

–– Tim Reece, Principal, Niguel Hills Middle School

–– Patrick Harris, Counselor, San Clemente High School

–– Karin Foster, Instructional Services Coordinator, Orange County Dept. of Education 

“We are all aware of the importance of homework, and that meaningful homework can help children do better in school,” said Michele Langham, CUCPTSA president. “Maintaining a healthy balance of school work and extra-curricular activities is a constant challenge for today’s busy families,” she added. 

Cost is $5 payable at the door. Spanish translation will be provided. Event flyer can be downloaded at www.cucptsa.com/uploads//CUCPTSA_Homework_Presentation_3-24-11.pdf

Capistrano Unified Council of PTSAs is composed of PTA leaders from 52 CUSD schools. The Council meets monthly to provide training and support for our PTA units and to collaborate with other agencies. CUCPTSA’s mission is to support and speak on behalf of all children and youth in the schools, in the community and before governmental bodies and other organizations that make decisions affecting children; to assist parents in developing the skills they need to raise and protect their children; and to encourage parent and public involvement in the public schools of this nation.”

'The ABCs of IEPs'

This in from a news release:

"The Orange County Asperger’s Support Group will host a panel discussion, The ABCs of IEPs, on Monday, February 28, 2011 beginning at 7 p.m. at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach. The meeting is free to individuals and families dealing with Asperger’s, High-Functioning Autism (HFA) or PDD-NOS, but reservations are required. For information, call (714) 227-8819 or visit www.meetup.com/ocaspergers/.

Guest panelists include educational advocate Paul Eisenberg, special education attorney Jeffrey A. Gottlieb and autism expert Rosa Patterson, and they will share successful advocacy strategies with parents of children (pre-K through 12^th grade) with Asperger’s, HFA or PDD-NOS."

The IEP (Individualized Education Plan) is a legally mandated document that addresses the way a child’s special needs are accommodated in the child’s LRE (Least Restrictive Environment). An effective IEP takes teamwork to determine what specialized services, adaptations and modifications may be needed to enable the child to make progress in his or her appropriate school placement. The bottom line is this: If a student has an IEP, the parent always has questions. This panel can provide the answers."

Here's the entire release: Download PRESS_RELEASE_OCASG_FEB_2011-final