The Poly Optimist John H. Francis Polytechnic High School Vol. XCVII, No. 1 Serving the Poly Community Since 1913 August 2010 Poly as CST SCORES Media UP AGAIN Darling Poly beats CST targets for tenth year in a row. Briahna Angulo Staff Writer By Daniel Martinez Staff Writer he TV crews are often here before many students. ecently released California T Their objective: the Standardized Test (CST) scores show secret to Poly’s ongoing success R in raising test scores. Poly has exceeded its target scores for Principal Gerardo Loera has the tenth year in a row. become the must-get interview “We have gains in almost proficient or above in English for local TV and print media and every single possible area,” said ran 39% versus 30% in 2009. his quotes appear weekly in the Poly Principal Gerardo Loera. Eleventh grade student scores press. Big improvements included increased to 35% from 24% last On TV, Poly has been Algebra 2 results, where 20% year. making the 6 o’clock news with Photo by Alejandro Cadena of Parrots scored proficient or “About eight years ago, regularity. PLEASED: Poly Principal Georado Loera smiles at the news of above compared to 3% last year. Poly was at the bottom And the news is all good. another year of rising CST scores for Parrots in all grades. Ninth Grade students scoring 10% of schools with similar Fox News was here opening demographics,” said Principal day to talk about Poly’s new Gerardo Loera. “This year, Poly balanced traditional calendar and is in the top 20% of schools with early start and interviewed Loera. similar demographics.” Later, the news crew visited Million Dollar Look The percentage of students in special ed teacher Brenda the Below Basic or Far Below Fishler’s PAES Lab. Poly gets trees, Basic fell. Ninth Grade English “I saw Mr. Loera come in the dropped from 40% to 30% room and then a minute later a shrubs, flowers Below Basic or Far Below Basic news reporter, Cristina Gonzalez, while Tenth Grade English fell and a cameraman came in,” said and a teachers from 51% to 39%. Algebra 2 fell Fishler. from 80% to 57% Below Basic. “I didn’t know who she was lounge to start “Each score is its own story, at first” said Fishler. “She asked because there is a story behind a lot of questions about what the the new school each one of those pieces and I class was about but she was there think that’s what the media tends to find out how the students felt year. to miss sometimes,” Loera said. about starting early.” “They get so fixated on those Los Angeles Times columnist numbers that we miss the story Sandy Banks didn’t quite make By Gloria Marin behind those numbers.” it to Poly, however, despite Staff Writer “If we look at Ninth Grade what she said in her August 17 Photo by Jennifer Martinez English last year for example, page two story entitled “What oly’s campus looks SLC LOUNGE: Measure R funds helped pay for a teachers’ lounge scores went down a little on Effective Teachers Can Do.” greener this year, in room 95 that includes computers, printers and work tables. the students who are proficient “My visit to Polytechnic High thanks to over a million or advanced. The Ninth Grade in Sun Valley last week” Banks P dollars in Measure R for FAME. construction costs of $750,558 teachers were not going to let told her readers, but the facts are money. Each courtyard has or will ran the transformation total to that happen again. They took a a little different, according to The school’s Small Learning have banners and tables with $1,095,576. lot of ownership and the results Counseling’s Jamille Kenion. Communities (SLC) Campus umbrellas. Measure R funds have been speak for themselves - they are “I spoke to her on the phone,” transformation project, begun A variety of bushes, shrubs, used to repair and upgrade they highest they’ve ever been.” Kenion said. ”She wanted to in October of 2006 and nearing trees and flowers have been aging classrooms and build new In World History, proficiency speak to the principal but he was completion, was part of a $3.87 planted in these areas and tented neighborhood schools to reduce scores climbed to 28% from busy so he told me to talk to billion bond measure passed in rest areas with tables erected for overcrowding. last year’s 17%. Below Basic or her.” 2004. FAME and the 9th Grade Center. Measure R also qualified Far Below numbers in the same Kenion suggested Banks talk Poly’s new look includes The newly completed Upper LAUSD for $1.5 to $2 billion subject fell from 57% to 40%. to former Principal Jan Fries- SLC “contiguous spaces” in Grade Career Theme SLC Center in state matching funds, money U.S. History climbed from 27% Martinez. the Freshman Center, the Tenth in room 95 includes counseling that has been used to repair old proficient or above to 36% while Most of Banks’ story Grade Center, the area behind and deans’ offices and a spacious schools like Poly. Below Basic fell from 48% to consisted of her phone interview classrooms 16-19 for Sports, teachers’ lounge with computers Poly repairs have included 38%. with Fries-Martinez. the area adjoining room 95 for and a printer. asbestos/lead paint abatement “The expectations we have HABIT and the area between the Planning expenses for and restroom repair. [ See CST, pg 7 ] music rooms and the auditorium the project of $344,951 and Now that’s Rabins New a vacation Tennis Coach Science teacher meets Girls’ season saved by terracotta warriors. volunteer. Photo courtesy of Vanamali Bishakaha Tay TRAVEL - page 5 Photo by Jennifer Martinez SPORTS - page 8 2 August 2010 The Poly Optimist polyhigh.org/opt.jsp OPINION ON THE BEACH Summer is a great time for catching up on your reading. Below, Parrots comment on books they liked. “I Am Not a Serial Killer” By Dan Wells Storyline: Teenager thinks he has the potential to be a serial killer, discovers there is a real serial killer in his town and tries to stop him. Review: The main character, John, must struggle with his darker side in order to understand the demon that is stalking and killing his friends and neighbors. An interesting approach to a classic young adult theme. Teaching, Testing and the LATimes Well written and extremely readable! The Los Angeles Times published a story August 15, 2010 claiming CST test results by Wendy Elam / English LAUSD students indicate how well a teacher can teach. These were among the replies the Times published on August 18, 2010. “Water for Elephants” By Sara Gruen Shame on You Grading Reporters Free public education is a cornerstone of our Let’s grade the editors, reporters and staffs of major Storyline: Jacob Jankowski, a 93 year-old man living in a nursing democracy. Attacking dedicated teachers who have metropolitan newspapers. What was the circulation home, is reminiscing his memories and experiences in a traveling missed the bar on teaching to standardized tests of your paper when you started? What is it now? circus. The story takes place in the Depression. Jacob is sitting for will only discourage people who are considering Who’s responsible for its slide? Oh, not you? his veterinarian finals. When he is told his parents were killed in an teaching as a career. Shame on The Times for accident, he rushes out of class. He hitches a ride on a train, which publishing this series, and shame on L.A. Unified You’re saying there are many other factors why turns out to be a traveling circus. for sharing its testing information. some papers are slipping while others are doing better at holding readers? That you can’t judge the Review: The description of circus life is phenomenal. You feel as Teresa Nield, West Hills work of a professional by a single metric, and that if you are right there and get to learn about the behind the scenes to imply otherwise would be misleading at best? of circus life. There is a love triangle, compassion, jealousy, rage, murder, and a surprise ending. You’ll love it. I could not put it down. Inexplicable Teens Steve Kaplan, Chatsworth As I scour my just-released test scores from the Leona Warman / College Counselor past school year, I am struck by the student who What’s the Score? shot up 84 points in my eighth-grade honors The Times must be as qualified to judge good English class. Oops, I also see a kid who dropped teaching as I am to judge good journalism. 44 points. “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson That being said, here’s my take on your article: You These are two girls, in the same period, the same posit that raising student test scores equals good learning environment, taught the same standards- Storyline: A quality computer hacker gets mixed up with a touched teaching. based curriculum and given the same homework journalist to solve a mystery and they end up fighting for their lives. assignments. No. Or at the most, maybe. Review: I picked this book because not too many best sellers take Why the discrepancy? Is it me? Am I to be held place in Sweden. I visited family in Sweden a few years back and Raising student test scores equals getting students accountable for such disparity in test scores within was interested in reading a book that took place there.