Test Scores

A parent in the Ocean View School District has legally challenged the candidate statement of incumbent Trustee John Briscoe, who accused the district of declining test scores, illegal secret meetings and more in his filing with the Orange County Registrar of Voters. Parent Mary Beth Arnold petitioned for the registrar to change Briscoe's statement for the November ballot. The registrar has until Sept. 2 to make changes to ballot materials. An Orange County Superior Court judge heard the case Friday, although a court clerk said Tuesday that the order to change Briscoe's statement had not been officially signed yet. In the proposed order, the court ordered a number of comments removed from Briscoe's candidate statement, including repeated uses of the phrase "We can do better," plus references to the district having "declining test scores," "thievery of teaching minutes" caused by furlough days, "secret spending of public money," "illegal secret meetings" and more.

What is the biggest issue facing the school district? I believe the biggest issue we face is the effective implementation of the Measure C funds. Through Measure C the district can now repair and renovate our aging facilities while ensuring diligent oversight and fiscal accountability. Projects are currently underway throughout the district and although the scope is large, as school bond measures go, we expect to be completed within five years. What can be done to keep test scores on the rise?

RACE FOR HUNTINGTON BEACH UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT Name: Sallie E. Dashiell Age: 50 Occupation: Speech pathologist consultant Family: Sarah, 15, and Lillie, 12. Community activities: Currently serving on the Governing Board of Trustees for the Huntington Beach Union High School District. Education: Bachelor's from Georgetown University; master's from George Washington University. Favorite leader: Jesus of Nazareth. Contact information: (714)

I have some good news and some bad news. Students -- after this spring you will no longer be made to take the Stanford 9 test. As I've heard over and over, that test has been the bane of your educational career for the last five years, that dreaded downer that demands concentration when all you want to do is go enjoy the beautiful weather and waves. Now, it will be no more. Alas, you are not off the hook. In it's place educators will administer the California Achievement Test, sixth edition.

With students back to school across Huntington Beach, data released by the state showed most schools made the cut, but two districts didn’t quite meet all state and federal targets. The state released its Growth Academic Performance Index (API) and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) reports Thursday, a significant measure of school success. The reports measure whether schools and districts improved enough on standardized tests in a variety of areas to meet federal No Child Left Behind targets.

Whenever you read about a well-spoken, successful student from your hometown, you can’t help but be proud. As any parent knows, much goes into producing a child who will foster that kind of reaction, continually surpassing expectations. Students, teachers and parents in the area should receive a pat on the back after recently released test results show that, on the whole, scores are improving Huntington Beach school districts, with a few exceptions in some subjects, kept their Standardized Testing and Reporting above county averages.

RACE FOR OCEAN VIEW SCHOOL DISTRICT Name: Debbie Cotton Age: 34 Occupation: Attorney/homemaker Family: Married with a son (daughter on the way) Community activities: Women's Jail Project, 2000-01; Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC), since 1999; CHOC Sponsorship Council, since 2000; Public Law Center, since 1997; Stay in School Program, since 1998 and Orangewood Volunteer Day Education: Bachelor's from UC Irvine; doctorate from Western State University College of Law; wholesale exemption certificate from California State Board of Pharmacy; certificate in mediation from The Mediation Center; admitted to practice law in the state of California by the California Supreme Court Favorite leader: Ronald Reagan, although President George W. Bush is pretty much tied COTTON ON: Student safety I think education is the key. The parents, students and staff of each school need to be communicated with and informed on any potential and/or actual situations that exist.