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MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The popular Rachel’s Challenge educational program will be presented to the students of the Middletown Unified School District next week.
There will be assemblies for the students at all of the district schools on Monday, Sept. 10; Tuesday, Sept. 11, and Wednesday, Sept. 12, and two community presentations, one on Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. for elementary parents and one on Sept. 12 for parents of middle school and high school students, also at 7 p.m.
Both evening programs will be held in the Tallman Gymnasium.
The program kicks of a district-wide effort to combat bullying and promote civility in the schools.
The program hopes to encourage students, school faculty, parents and other community members to adopt Rachel’s Five Challenges as everyday facets of their lives.
Rachel’s five challenges include eliminating prejudice, setting goals and following dreams, choosing one’s own influences, offering small acts of kindness every day, and finally, starting a chain reaction of such positive ideals with family and friends.
The educational program has gained widespread national notoriety – as well as praise from educators and parents alike – on the strength of its message: Kindness, compassion and “positive chain reactions.”
The program is named in honor of Rachel Scott, a junior at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colo., who was the first of 15 students killed in the school’s tragic April 20, 1999, shooting massacre. She was 17.
Started in 2000 by Rachel’s father, Darrell Scott, Rachel’s Challenge is an anti-violence, anti-bullying program that strives to spread kindness instead of physicality and understanding in lieu of intimidation.
The program was founded on the basis of Rachel Scott’s enduring positive outlook throughout her brief life, as well as the many diary entries she left behind.
The assemblies begin with a brief video presentation explaining the Columbine school shootings to the viewers, in an effort to add a bit of background and context to the program.
As it continues, the assembly showcases some of those who knew Rachel, allowing them the opportunity to discuss how Rachel positively impacted their lives.
This one hour “multimedia assembly” is said to be “emotionally charged,” and it sets the stage for the 90-minute training session for adult and student leaders that follows.
The Rachel’s Challenge Web site calls the training portion of the program a “fun, intimate teaching setting that gets students involved.”
This section also introduces the “Friends of Rachel” (FOR) club, and intends to continue the message of the program, ultimately bringing about positive changes in all schools.
For more information, visit www.rachelschallenge.com .
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The 2012 Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) test results marked the ninth straight year California students improved their performance on annual statewide mathematics and English-language arts exams, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced.
Approximately 4.7 million students participated in the 2012 STAR program, with 57 percent scoring proficient or above in English-language arts and 51 percent scoring at proficient or above in mathematics, the highest percentage since the tests were fully aligned in 2003 to California’s content standards, which describe what students should know for each grade and subject tested.
“In less than a decade, California has gone from having only one student in three score proficient to better than one student in two,” Torlakson said. “That’s nearly 900,000 more students reaching proficiency now than in 2003 – a remarkable achievement that represents real, sustained improvements in learning.
He added, “Even more remarkable is the fact that our students continue to make gains even as our schools – and the teachers, administrators and school employees working in them—are getting by with so much less.
“As pleased as I am by the great progress many students are making, the deep school budget cuts of recent years make it ever less likely these gains will continue,” he said. “Preventing further cuts and beginning to restore what’s been lost are essential to helping every student learn and prepare for the future.”
On the 2012 STAR tests, the percentage of students at or above the proficient level increased by 3 percentage points in English–language arts and 1 percentage point in mathematics over last year.
The percentage of students scoring at the proficient or advanced level increased by 22 percentage points since 2003 in English-language arts, or from 35 percent to 57 percent; and 16 percentage points in mathematics, from 35 percent to 51 percent.
Some 54 percent of students taking the Summative High School Mathematics exam, scored proficient or above, or an increase of 11 percentage points since 2003, and 52 percent of students taking the biology exam scored proficient or above, an increase of 15 percentage points in that 10-year period.
While the STAR results show an increase in proficiency levels among all subgroups, a persistent achievement gap exists for African American, Latino, English-learner, and low-income students, compared to their peers.
“Like every teacher, parent, and principal – despite the decade of progress we’ve seen – I won’t be completely satisfied until every child has the opportunity to achieve his or her full potential,” Torlakson said.
The full results can be found on the California Department of Education (CDE) Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Web page at http://star.cde.ca.gov/ .
Under the STAR program, California students attain one of five levels of performance for each subject tested: advanced, proficient, basic, below basic, and far below basic.
The State Board of Education has established the “proficient” level as the desired achievement goal for all students.
That level represents a point at which students demonstrate a competent and adequate understanding of the knowledge and skills measured by the assessment at a particular grade, in a particular content area.
This achievement goal is consistent with school growth targets for state accountability and requirements of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
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More California students than ever before are taking and performing well on a national test that assesses college and career readiness – and scoring significantly higher than the national average.
ACT released its annual report, The Condition of College and Career Readiness/2012.
In 2012, 103,024 Californian students took the ACT, which is a curriculum-based measure of college readiness of high school seniors nationwide in English, mathematics, reading, science and also includes an optional writing test.
The number of California students taking the test rose 4,022 from 2011, and 30,698 from 2008, which represents an average annual increase of 10.6 percent over the past four years.
“College and career readiness are cornerstones of my Blueprint for Great Schools initiative,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson. “By fostering 21st century learning, we are helping ensure that our students will gain the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in our ever-changing and challenging world.”
He said the ACT report shows that despite drastic state budget cuts to education, California students – along with their schools and their families – have shown great resiliency in making academic improvements each year.”
According to ACT, students reaching a minimum benchmark score on an ACT subject-area have a 50 percent chance of obtaining a B grade or higher, or about a 75 percent chance of obtaining a C or higher in the corresponding college course.
The ACT benchmark score for English is 18; mathematics, 22; reading, 21; and science, 24.
For 2012, ACT reports that:
- California students’ College Readiness Benchmarks are significantly higher overall than the national averages and in all four subject areas.
- English: 72 percent of California students who took the ACT met the benchmark, compared to 67 percent nationally.
- Mathematics: 58 percent, California; 46 percent, nationally.
- Reading: 58 percent, California; 52 percent, nationally.
- Science: 35 percent, California; 31 percent, nationally.
- About 31 percent of California high school graduates who took the ACT met all four of the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks, compared to 25 percent nationally. California’s figure is up 1 percentage point from last year, and continues a five-year upward trend. In 2008, 28 percent of California students met all four benchmarks.
ACT also reports that between 2008 and 2012:
- African American students meeting three or more of the ACT College Readiness Benchmarks rose from 16 to 20 percent.
- Hispanic students meeting three or more of the Benchmarks rose from 22 to 27 percent.
- Asian and white students meeting three or more of the Benchmarks rose from 58 to 66 percent and from 63 to 69 percent, respectively.
“I congratulate African American and Hispanic students for improved performance on the ACT exam over the past four years, but I remain concerned that these students continue to lag behind their higher achieving peers,” added Torlakson. “Clearly, much more work needs to be done to help these students succeed and realize their dreams of achieving a college education.”
For more information on national statistics, please visit the ACT Web site at http://www.act.org/ .
California’s disaggregated data by school for will be posted on the California Department of Education’s Postsecondary Preparation Web page, www.cde.ca.gov/ds/sp/ai/index.asp , when the data become available.
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UKIAH, Calif. – Mendocino College’s Career & Transfer Center will be hosting College and University Day on Monday, Sept. 10.
The event will be held at our Ukiah Campus, 1000 Hensley Creek Road in Ukiah, in the beautiful oak grove between Macmillan Hall and the Lowery Building from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Many local and out of state colleges, universities and vocational institutions will be participating.
This is the perfect opportunity for college and high school students who are considering the possibility of transferring to a four-year university or professional school.
Representatives will be on hand to answer student’s questions concerning transfer requirements, financial aid, housing and available majors.
“Last year’s event was a huge success,” said Candie Dickinson, Career and Transfer Center director.
“More than 20 universities and colleges attended and met with hundreds of college and high school students,” Dickinson said. “High school students were able to explore the option of coming to Mendocino College and then transferring to a four-year university, or going directly to a university after graduating from high school. Our college students were able to make a more informed decision on where to apply after finishing their lower division course work. This year students will have even more opportunities to explore higher education possibilities.”
For more information about College and University Day, contact the Career and Transfer Center at 707-468-3044 or visit www.mendocino.edu .
At press, the following colleges have confirmed attendance at this year’s event:
American Public University
Art Institute
Colorado Mesa University
California State University, Sacramento
California State University, East Bay
California State University, Chico
Dominican University
Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising
Humboldt State University
National University
New School of Architecture + Design
Sonoma State University
Sonoma State University, Ukiah Campus
University of Massachusetts Lowell
University of Nevada, Reno