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Cesar Chavez Elementary School in Danger of Losing Its Charter
With low test scores, Cesar Chavez Charter Elementary — Santa Barbara’s only bilingual school — is in danger of becoming the city’s first public school in years to close, and parents aren’t happy about it.
In a show of support, Cesar Chavez families on Tuesday night packed the Santa Barbara school board meeting to overflowing capacity, even though no board action or discussion was scheduled.
“We know why our test scores are low,” parent Lee Fleming said. “Fifty percent of (the youngest) students are not even learning to read in English.” But by sixth grade, she said, the students’ scores “are very competitive.”
Cesar Estrada Chavez Dual Language Immersion Charter School, at 1102 E. Yanonali St., opened in 2000 partly in response to how the Santa Barbara School District — and later, the state of California — abolished bilingual education in regular public schools. At the Eastside school, students spend half of their time learning in English, and the other half learning in Spanish.
Like all public charter schools, Cesar Chavez — where about 85 percent of the students are Latino, and about 65 percent are considered English learners — enjoys a good deal of independence from the rest of the Santa Barbara district. The school, for instance, has its own board of directors — made up mostly of parents — who make most of the financial decisions.
But every five years, the school must go before the Santa Barbara school board to renew its charter. Cesar Chavez’s charter expired Monday.
Last week, school administrators released a report stating the Cesar Chavez has potentially failed to meet the academic requirements for renewal.
“They are the lowest-performing school in the district,” Superintendent Brian Sarvis said, though he added that he’s reserving judgment until the district finishes a more thorough report.
The school board, he said, most likely will take up the matter in the middle of next month. If the board decides against renewing the charter, then the next discussion will be whether to close the school, he said.
Despite the low scores, the school’s parents insist that in the long run, the students fare better than many of their peers at other schools.
The parents say the best way to assess bilingual elementary schools is to gauge the performance of the sixth-graders, who have benefited from years of bilingual learning, in classrooms that are unusually socio-economically diverse.
“We’ve got hourly wage-earners’ kids and kids of Ph.D. families that are totally on par,” Fleming said. This, she said, is largely because of the extensive bicultural interaction between students, who tutor each other in their native languages.
Fleming says test scores show that 50 percent of Cesar Chavez’s sixth-graders are proficient in math, compared with about 35 percent of sixth-graders in local schools with similar demographics.
Sarvis said that while that may be the case, such statistics may reflect a “cherry-picking” approach to analyzing the data. He added that the school has not posted the improvements the state suggests is necessary for renewing charters.
Cesar Chavez also ranks low in comparison to other regular public schools across the state.
In California, every public school is given a 1 to 10 ranking based on test scores, with 1 meaning a school scores in the lowest 10 percent, and a 10 indicating a performance in the top 10 percent. In the most recent release of test scores, Cesar Chavez scored a 1 — not only when compared with all of California’s schools, but also when stacked against schools across the state with similar demographics.
Sarvis said the state recommends that charter schools seeking charter renewal post a ranking of 4 or better.
Still, Sarvis said the district is taking a closer look at the data — taking the parents’ number-crunching into account — and soon will present a more detailed report to the school board.
“I don’t want to jump to any conclusions,” he said Tuesday night. “I want to give it a good, close look.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Rob Kuznia can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Comments
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» on 10.14.09 @ 03:07 AM
The US is an English-speaking country. To make artificial allowances for Spanish-speaking children does nothing except create an artificial barrier for them succeeding in life here. Learning a new language is comparatively easy for a young child. This school program provides incentives for them not to learn English, and prepares them for a future career of picking strawberries and cleaning restrooms.
I also was an immigrant, and quite young when I arrived here. I spoke only German. I learned English because I had to—no sobbing, hand-wringing pro-German language course advocates for me here, thanks be to Mr. God! So, I became bi-lingual, just like so many of the native-born Latinos in Santa Barbara. Those folks switch from Spanish to English and back effortlessly—and that is to their advantage.
Better to spend some money teaching English-speaking pupils Spanish—as a language class.
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» on 10.14.09 @ 05:11 AM
When are we going to buy a clue and privatize all schools? You shouldn’t be taxed to educate my kids and vice versa.
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» on 10.14.09 @ 06:01 AM
Cesar Chavez school was a result of the 1995 school board vote to end bilingual education. The push for bilingual, or Spanish dominant education has nothing to do with superior teaching methods. As the public statements by those favoring bilingual ed in 95 showed, it is really about reclaiming California as a Latino-majority and Spanish-speaking state. Indeed, one of the parents at the board meeting back then told the News-Press “We were here first and we spoke Spanish.”
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» on 10.14.09 @ 07:20 AM
The silly coucil gave the unions a new holiday with our money—get rid of the tax and spend blue line liberals—vote Grant House & helene Schneider—out—-16 Holiday’s for Government & 6 average for the people who pay them—US—union puppets..
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» on 10.14.09 @ 08:24 AM
Bi-lingual education is not about teaching foreigners only in their native language and forgetting English. It is about teaching children to be literate in two languages; something the US is lagging behind the rest of the world.
Learning 2 languages is easier for children than adults, and the younger the better; which is why a dual-immersion Elementary school makes sense. How many adults out there took French in Jr. High & High School in the US as “an elective” and can’t speak a word of French now?
I don’t know about Cesar Chavez Charter School, but I do know dual-immersion schools typically perform worse on English tests in the lower grades (2-4), and usually perform better in the upper grades (6 and beyond).
Rather than looking to close schools that are preparing our 6th graders to read/write in 2 languages (like most of the rest of the world), let’s take a hard look at schools that are pushing out 6th graders that can’t even read/write in 1 language.
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» on 10.14.09 @ 08:28 AM
This message is for Andy.
You violated the rules listed above.
How dare you generalize about Hispanics that way.
Having a bilingual environment will not only allow a child to experience another culture but be more open to different people, so they don’t end up racist like yourself.
The United States is a melting pot and to attack school for emphasizing that is unreal.
The school isn’t just teaching Hispanics in Spanish but they are teaching other non-Hispanic children another language.
So if you feel a school should be closed down for broadening a child’s vision of the world around them, then do what you must.
This is the 21st century and we need to stop being so blind and accept the people around us for who they are… After all, we all bleed the same color.
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» on 10.14.09 @ 08:51 AM
Hey noozhawk, how about you enforce the ground rules? This is some of the most discriminatory language I’ve seen on a comment thread and that’s saying a lot.
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» on 10.14.09 @ 08:59 AM
When the state ranks Cesar Chavez (CCCS) at the bottom of state schools with a “1” it is not comparing it with other bilingual schools in the state. According to the District’s “Fast Facts” flyer other schools in the District with the lowest “1” rankings are Open Alternative, SB Charter, Franklin, Harding and McKinley.
CCCS follows an internationally recognized dual language immersion program teaching children to read/write in their first language first and then in 3rd grade formally introducing the second language. While test scores in English are lower than English only schools in the 2nd through 5th grades because the students are studying 2 languages - by 6th grade the dual immersion students begin to surpass English only learners. CCCS proved that last year. Becoming bilingual/biliterate takes a lot of work. Sacrificing test scores on English only tests in Grades 2-5 seems like a small price to pay.
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» on 10.14.09 @ 10:21 AM
Kudos to Mark who knows what he is talking about.
I have studied language acquisition in young children and yes, it does take longer for a child to acquire more than one language simultaneously. But, ultimately all that information has been shown to be stored in the same part of the brain and not in two separate parts of the brain (as happens when language is learned later in life). (Source: Nature magazine about 10 years ago when MRI studies where done on language learning and the brain). When very young children acquire language they learn it easily and cleanly with no accent. Learning multiple languages has also been shown through numerous studies to be beneficial to similar undertakings such as learning the language of math and music. Waiting until jr. or sr. high school to “learn” additional languages misses the prime time window of opportunity for language development and that child will not retain as much, learn as deeply, and that child will never speak without an accent. Dual-immersion is the by far the best route. The idea is that not only do the children learn to speak, read and write two languages fluently; culturally and socially, they learn to appreciate and value each other. One cannot learn to become racist at the same time one is teaching, playing and learning from each other. So, Zorro, while it is common to learn to speak English easily when young immigrants arrive in a new country, they may miss other important opportunities that will benefit them later in life. They never properly learn to appreciate and be truly literate in their original language: reading and writing. This last part is important in order to be truly bi-lingual and bi-cultural, a highly sought-after qualification in the job market and the global economy. I wish that a school such as Cezar Chavez Charter existed when my children where little.
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» on 10.14.09 @ 03:41 PM
My kid attends CCCS.
She is receiving a superior education.
She is now *more than* bilingual. She is biliterate. She is learning to understand Spanish in ways that I can’t even comprehend.
We speak no Spanish at home, and still the school has managed to teach her Spanish at a level of fluency that I find amazing.
Her math skills are fine.
Her English reading scores are OFF THE CHARTS.
Her Spanish reading scores are excellent.
The art program at César Chávez is phenomenal.
The phys-ed program at the school makes me sweat just to think about it. Someone should clone the PE teacher. Seriously!
The interconnectedness of parents, teachers, students and administrators at CCCS is awesome; indeed it rivals that of the Parent-Child co-op pre-schools that Santa Barbara enjoys.
There is so much about this school that can not be measured by tests that were developed to measure “standard” education.
Maybe it is time to evaluate the tests.
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» on 10.14.09 @ 06:27 PM
So well put by “Concerned & Highly Involved Parent”. The tests ARE at fault. “No kid left behind” is a joke. Now the schools have to “teach to the test” it’s not about an “education” anymore.
From what I am hearing from the parents, CCCS is turning out kids that are exactly what we need as our country faces the challenges of the new world. Kids that are excited by learning; that are bi-lingual (and remember, once you have 2 languages down getting to 3 is a much shorter trip) and perhaps most importantly, kids who have learned HOW TO LEARN. Teaching to the test can rob students of that most valuable skill and that is what will determine how they fare in the world.
School gets you your first job; your willingness, eagerness and capability to learn get you the rest. it is beyond sad how many dumb college grads I interview that feel they’re all done with education.
And for the folks laying in with the not so subtle “burger flipper” comments. I am an immigrant. I have a formal education only through high school. But my teachers gave me a lifelong love of learning. My first job in the US was as a waiter. Now I am the CEO of a company headquartered here in SB. I am now a proud American. I employ Americans. Go back far enough and your grandfathers and grandmothers were immigrants who “flipped burgers” or “cleaned restrooms” —this country was built on the backs of immigrants. When you denigrate hard working immigrants you denigrate your own ancestors in the same breath.
Of course it may be the shade of immigrant that is determining your particular level of derision…
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» on 10.14.09 @ 07:18 PM
People! Your energies should be harnassed to get rid of the testing and the deleterious NCLB law. Fairly soon, every school will fall under some kind of sanction when the scores fail to have 100% of the students scoring Proficient or above. Beating each other down with the above comments only serves to divide the effort. Good luck - I’ll be watching!
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» on 10.14.09 @ 07:18 PM
Mexico last
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» on 10.15.09 @ 03:41 AM
I think holding the school to rigorous expectations is very worthwhile and if they fail to reach the agreed upon outcomes then action should be taken, such as closing it down. What is missing in this discussion is the holding to the same standards the regular district schools. They too should have high standards and failure to make them should result in similar action. The district owes it to the students.
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» on 10.15.09 @ 06:21 AM
My children completed 5 and 7 years (K-4 and K-6) at CCCS. They spoke only English when they started. We speak English at home. They are now spending a semester in a Mexican school, taking all their subjects in Spanish. Thanks to the effectiveness of César Chávez Charter School, they are earning top grades in their courses. When the oldest returns to SB, he will be in all GATE courses at his junior high.
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» on 10.15.09 @ 08:38 AM
I am appalled by the negative responses to this article.
Cesar Chavez is a school that embraces diversity and teaches children to be better equipped once they are out in the world. Bi-lingual curriculums can be any language:
French, German, Italian. Cesar Chavez just happens to be teaching both English and Spanish. The school does NOT provide incentives for primary Spanish speakers not to succeed as some readers have expressed, but the exact opposite. Being bi-lingual opens doors and provides countless opportunities for success.
For all of you naysayers, why not visit the campus and witness for yourself the unique opportunities provided at the school. Because elementary school children are in a critical stage of development, this is the perfect time to learn a second language! The Cesar Chavez students are not only bi-lingual, they are bi-cultural. They appreciate the differences they see in others and will be more well rounded, better educated and caring citizens.
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» on 10.16.09 @ 07:50 AM
Cesar Chavez school hardly “embraces diversity.” From the CSIS enrollment by ethnicity data 214 out of 255 students or 83% are Hispanic. I would consider this population homogeneous rather than diverse. Other charter schools with such homogenous white enrollments are consistently criticized for their lack of “diversity”.
http://www.sbceo.org/districts/cbeds/08csis_ethnic.pdf
Here is an interesting quote from a 1969 interview with Cesar Chavez himself, that is relevant to some of the accusations of racism that led to earlier comments being deleted by Noozhawk. “La Raza” type racism against whites seems perfectly acceptable among some elites and Latino activists in Santa Barbara. Maybe we need a more open discussion of these issues, rather than just deleting comments.
http://www.farmworkermovement.org/essays/essays/MillerArchive/032 Profile Cesar Chavez.pdf
“I hear more and more Mexicans talking about la raza—to build up their pride, you know,” Chavez told me. “Some people don’t look at it as racism, but when you say ‘la raza,’ you are saying an anti-gringo thing, and it won’t stop there. Today it’s anti-gringo, tomorrow it will be anti-Negro, and the day after it will be anti-Filipino, anti-Puerto Rican. And then it will be anti-poor-Mexican, and anti-darker-skinned Mexican. ... La raza is a very dangerous concept. I speak very strongly against it among the chicanos.”
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» on 10.19.09 @ 07:37 AM
To those who were offended by my now removed comments:
“That said, I would add that free speech is a hallmark of our country, and it throws a very wide net. As public figures we are not subject to the protection of libel that otherwise we would be. It is better to err on the side of unrestricted — even erroneous — speech than to try to monitor precisely what is fair and in good taste, and what is not. Painful as it may be for those of us attacked, we must rely on the public to judge what is honest and forthright, and what is salacious and mean.”
Frank Hotchkiss
Santa Barbara City Council candidate
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» on 10.19.09 @ 10:09 PM
Another example of why State testing and over-regulation are killing the good aspects of public education. This school is terrific for these students. State scores are meaningless if the child doesn’t know english. I wish the district and universities would sue the State for wasting tax money on such a discriminatory and meaningless activity.
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» on 11.05.09 @ 07:38 PM
“We’ve got hourly wage-earners’ kids and kids of Ph.D. families that are totally on par,” I SAY SHAME ON THOSE “Ph.D.” PARENTS. YOUR KIDS DESERVE BETTER. JUST MORE OF THE LIBERAL GUILT SYNDROME. THE KIDS MAY NOT BE LEARNING, BUT I’LL BET THEY FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT.
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