Retention figures drop in area school districts

Angelique Flores

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Almost two years after the state ended social

promotion, fewer students are being held back.

Last fall, 221 students in the Huntington Beach City School District

were identified as at-risk. That number has already dropped to 181 this

year, and district officials expect it to decrease even more.

So far, only 10 students will definitely be retained at the end of

this school year. Sixty-one students will be placed on conditional

promotion, which means they will be promoted but may need to attend

summer school or keep their grades at a certain level.

The fate of the last 110 is undecided until the end of the school year

after more assessment, said Lynn Bogart, the district’s director of

curriculum and instruction.

Last year, the district started out with 250 students identified as

at-risk and ended up holding back 40 students.

“The partnership between school and home is much stronger. There’s

more communication with parents,” Bogart said. “We’ve increased the level

of support.”

The district’s schools have refined and increased their intervention

strategies to reach more students, Bogart said.

“I’m really pleased with the increased partnership I see expressed on

behalf of parents, students, teachers, principals and district

administrators. I see us all on the same page, focusing on student

success,” Bogart said.

Among Fountain Valley School District students, 249 are still at-risk.

“Part of the process is identifying the students early enough for

intervention,” said Fountain Valley School District Supt. Marc Ecker.

Last school year, the district started out with 600 students

identified as at-risk. Only 12 were retained.

Students still at-risk by the end of the school year will need to

attend summer school. The district will make another assessment at the

end of summer school before making final decisions on promotion.

However, Fountain Valley officials already noticed an improvement in

exam scores and the increased emphasis on literacy, which is helping the

numbers fall.

“They’re realizing we’re serious,” said Catherine Follett, assistant

superintendent of instruction.

In the Ocean View School District, the year started out with 1,317

at-risk students. This has now dropped to 1,248, which is still higher

than last year’s 1,254. A total of 604 students were retained last year.

District officials are putting more of the younger students in the

pool of at-risk children to catch any problems early on.

“We’re not leaving it to chance,’ said Beverly Hempstead, director of

student services.

Like other districts, Ocean View officials have stepped up

intervention programs, increased parent support and improved the

monitoring of the students.

“Teachers and principals know their kids,” Hempstead said. “They

really want the students to succeed.”

She is optimistic the numbers will drop by the end of school year.

“We’ve had a year of the process behind us,” she said.