Tehachapi News

THS could get distinguished school honor

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Tehachapi High School is in a class all by itself, having earned the opportunity to become an honored “California Distinguished School.”  It's the only high school in Kern County to become eligible for the honor in 2009.

Principal Cary Johnson planned to announce Monday that the hard work of the students, faculty, staff and the Tehachapi Unified School District has placed the school on the eligibility list that allows schools to apply for the distinction.

He will launch the application process immediately.

“I think it's wonderful,” Johnson said last week as he oversaw repairs to the school's new interior landscaping that was taking place while the school was empty for Thanksgiving break. “It's great. It's the first time we're going to apply. It's one of my goals to make Tehachapi High School a California Distinguished School.”

Johnson said that Tehachapi Unified School District Superintendent of Schools Richard Swanson, Ph.D., broke the good news to him when the high school's name appeared on the list released by the California Department of Education last week.
While Tehachapi is the only high school in Kern County on the eligibility list,  a middle school, Edwards Middle School in the Muroc Joint Unified School District, also received notice of eligibility for the California School Recognition Program for 2009. 

For 2009, high schools and middle schools are eligible. The program alternates between high schools/middle schools one year and elementary schools the next.
Eligibility is just the first step, Johnson said.

“Schools that meet the minimum standard of eligibility requirements can apply,” he said. “Next we submit the application. If it is successful, the state will send people on a validation visit for a couple of days, after which they will make a recommendation.”
Johnson is in his second year as principal at Tehachapi High School following a three-year position as vice principal at Highland High School in Palmdale.

“I went through this process at Highland,” he said. “I suspected we [Tehachapi] would be eligible. I kept checking.”

Johnson said eligibility rests on how well all subgroups of students in the school make progress.  “All our subgroups went up significantly,” he said.

More than that, he said, “We blew away” previous results and other schools with the gains under a testing system that demands that all students in a school improve every year - that is, the bar goes up every year.

The California Department of Education measures assessment results by (1) No Child Left Behind Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), (2) Academic Performance Index (API) and (3) Closing the achievement gap. The data is based on overall school results and results of subgroups defined by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic level.

The 2007-2008 API data for all students at Tehachapi High School, released several months ago, shows a gain of 33 points, growing from the previous year's result of 730 to 763. The subgroup of “White, not Hispanic” gained 32 points, growing from 744 to 776. The subgroup of “Hispanic,” beginning at last year's result of 665, showed a gain of 33 points to 698. The subgroup of “Socioeconomically Disadvantaged” gained 53 points, rising from a 645 to 698.

The AYP figures in English-Language Arts and Mathematics show the school met and exceeded its target rates for all students and the three subgroups. Additional subgroups of “English Learners” and “Students with Disabilities” were not large enough to be rated statistically.

Also in 2008, 92 percent of the Tehachapi High School tenth grade students passed the California high school exit exam (CAHSEE) in English-Language Arts and 90 percent passed the Mathematics section.

The winning Distinguished Schools will be honored at an awards ceremony, where each school will receive a plaque and flag. The event and awards are funded by donations from California corporations and statewide educational organizations.

Principal Johnson is looking toward more distinction for the community's high school.

“Becoming a National Blue Ribbon School is my next priority,” he said.