(October 24, 2008) High expectations and attention to the individual needs of students are producing results at Imperial High School.

In addition to being selected as an honor roll "Star School" by the California Business for Education Excellence Foundation, Imperial High School has twice been named a California distinguished high school by the state Department of Education — in 2003 and 2007.

Lisa Tabarez, principal of Imperial High School, circulates on campus during passing period. (Photo Courtesy Imperial High School)

School Profile

Located in southeastern California, just 30 minutes from the Mexico border and an hour from the Arizona state line, Imperial High School is in a historically agricultural area that more recently has seen an influx of other types of businesses. Parental occupations range from the Border Patrol and law enforcement to agriculture.

The student population of 850 is more than 70 percent Hispanic. About a third of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches and just more than 39 percent are categorized as socioeconomically disadvantaged.

Rising Proficiency

The percentage of students testing as proficient in math and language arts is rising — from 30 percent of all students in 2002 to more than 60 percent in 2007. All student groups are scoring well above the minimum for adequate yearly progress.

“The gap is closing; everyone is learning,” reports Principal Lisa Tabarez, now in her eighth year at the school.

She was brought onto the staff as vice principal, specifically assigned to make sure the counseling department was reaching students effectively, and served three years in that position before being named the principal.

Focus on Students

Tabarez credits an “awesome” and energetic staff that pays attention to details about the students for the students’ academic success.

"Our priority is students and what can we do to help these students,"Tabarez says. "And then we expect them to do their best."

The release of the previous spring’s test scores in August kicks off a year round effort in which the school staff uses the test results to identify who needs help and in what areas. Each quarter, staff members do benchmark assessments to identify which students may need intensive intervention, time at the homework center or just a phone call to mom and dad.

By the end of the semester, says Tabarez, students' grades will be a strong indicator of whether they will test as proficient or advanced on that year’s test. The school reaches out in multiple ways to students who aren’t succeeding: teachers talk to the student, arrange for conferences with parents and get the counselor involved if necessary.

"If you’re failing, it’s because you haven’t reached our hand,” says Tabarez. The results of this unified effort are “so worth it,” says Tabarez. Students “are better people for it. They’re better able to handle the workforce."

Plan for Life

Looking beyond test scores, Tabarez and the school counseling staff work to make sure students “have a plan when they leave here.” Imperial High has a “good rapport” with the local community college and its fast-track program, as well as the satellite campus of San Diego State University, and is continually on the lookout for resources that help students after they graduate.

Ultimately, Tabarez says, "It’s just business and the way we do it on a daily basis that has made a difference for kids."

This profile is another in an Alert series highlighting public schools identified by the California Business for Education Excellence (CBEE) Foundation as high performers, based on academic achievement tests. The CBEE Foundation has established a two-part honor roll:

• "Star Schools" - those with significant populations of socioeconomically disadvantaged students where all subgroups have significantly increased grade-level proficiency over four years.
• "Scholar Schools" - those that are showing significant academic achievement gains, but do not have a significant population of socioeconomically disadvantaged students.

No other school recognition program in California uses data rather than a self-reported application process to evaluate school performance and recognize achievement.

More information, including easy-to access test data for schools throughout the state, is available on the free Just for the Kids-California website, www.jftk-ca.org.

More Information

Public Schools Succeeding at Helping Students Learn - Top Story 6/10/2008

Education

California Business for Education Excellence Foundation