Santa Barbara School Board Says Teachers Will Be Given a Voice on Grade-Change Policy
District officials propose eliminating Ds and Fs for secondary students to address student inequities that have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic
Hilda Maldonado, Santa Barbara Unified School District superintendent, says she is looking forward to working with teachers to craft a change to grading that would eliminate Ds and Fs. (Joshua Molina / Noozhawk photo) By Joshua Molina, Noozhawk Staff Writer | @JECMolina
January 5, 2021
| 9:56 p.m. Most teachers I know, they are already adjusting their practices, they are encouraging revision, they are stretching deadlines, they are providing extra tutoring and they are focusing on competency-based grading, board president Kate Ford said. I think changing board policy only acknowledged these changes, and gave them strength, and maybe provide a way forward.
Chronic absenteeism poses a problem, and the district sees a drop in enrollment of more than 400 By Joshua Molina, Noozhawk Staff Writer | @JECMolina
December 15, 2020
| 10:24 p.m.
Elementary school students in the Santa Barbara Unified School District have experienced a 15% increase in reading test scores, but a drop of 8% in math test scores, according to data presented at Tuesday night s school board meeting.
Chronic absenteeism is also up at two schools, Cleveland Elementary and Harding University Partnership. At Harding, absenteeism jumped about 6% from the year prior.
At the junior high and high school levels, the number of students with three or more Ds or Fs has increased from the year prior.
Housing and Development Newsletter It took my life back to my childhood years, Alvarez said. People I had gone to elementary, junior high and high school with reached out when they heard I was running. Also, former co-workers, supervisors, teachers, my kids’ friends, their parents, my siblings and their friends, and current and former school board members whom work or have worked for, all embraced my candidacy and supported me. It was an overwhelming show of community support that surfaced my strong community ties.
She encourages other candidates in her situation in the future to be authentic and trust their intuition when deciding to run.