Summer days are winding down, and as difficult as it is to believe, our first day of school is right around the corner. On Tuesday, Aug. 19, we expect 9,500 students to arrive at our 14 schools to start their first day of the 2008-09 school year. We are ready and excited for the joys and challenges of another school year. The Class of 2009 will be starting their last year with us as seniors. The Class of 2021 will be arriving for their first day of kindergarten. The responsibility that we feel for each one of these students is immense. First and foremost, students are the focus of everything that we do, and we are committed to challenging each and every one.
Our goal is for 100 percent of our students to graduate with what they need to have a variety of options for their future. Whether they further their education at a two-year or four-year college, or enter the work force, each graduate will have the coursework and credits that they need to have choices for their future. With the help of the California High School Exit Exam, all students across the state of California must demonstrate an established level of competency in math and English to earn a diploma. Our job is to insure that all of our students from elementary school through high school stay on a path to be successful in school and earn that diploma.
Parents and students must do their part as well. As talented and experienced as our teachers and support staff are, they cannot guarantee that a student will be successful without the active participation, hard work, and perseverance of students with the support of their families.
This year, as a district, we will continue our focus in three areas to reach our goal of a 100 percent graduation rate and to make certain that all of our students are prepared for their future. First, all students will take algebra before they leave the eighth grade. This is a different practice from the past, when only some students reached the level of algebra in mathematics. The California High School Exit Exam includes algebra. In addition, the California State Board of Education recently adopted a mandate that all eighth-graders will take the California Standards Test in algebra I. With these two requirements, all of our students need to know algebra by the end of eighth grade, and we need to provide the opportunities and support structures for that to happen. We will provide students and teachers with the tools and support that they need so that all students can be successful with algebra.
Second, all students will take biology by the end of the ninth grade. Again, this is different practice from the past, when only some students made it to the level of biology in their science education. Both algebra and biology are "gatekeepers" for students to continue in higher education. No student should be held back behind that gate because they were not given the opportunity to take the courses.
For the past three years, we have made tremendous progress toward moving all of our students through these "gates." In 2005, Morgan Hill Unified had 761 students enrolled in algebra I. That number increased to 942 in 2006, and 1,048 in 2007. We are also increasing the number of students who move on to geometry and algebra II. In 2005, we had 565 students enrolled in geometry. By 2007, 685 students were enrolled in geometry. From 2005 to 2007, we also increased the number of students enrolled in algebra II from 370 to 444. Our students are clearly being pushed to achieve at higher levels.
The numbers in biology are even more dramatic. In 2005, there were 650 students in the district enrolled in biology. In 2006, we had 1,241 students enrolled in biology, and in 2007, there were 898 students enrolled in biology. (We attribute the higher number in 2006 to "catching up.")
Our students are our future. Our job is to provide them options for their future through successful academic achievement. It is a team effort. The schools cannot do it alone. Students and parents must be equal partners in the process. We look forward to a great school year.
Alan Nishino has been serving as superintendent of the Morgan Hill Unified School District since July of 2005. He served as superintendent of the Alameda School District for five years. Reach him at alan.nishino@mhu.k12.ca.us.
Alan Nishino Alan Nishino has been serving as superintendent of the Morgan Hill Unified School District since July of 2005. He served as superintendent of the Alameda School District for five years. Reach him at alan.nishino@mhu.k12.ca.us.
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