California has released a list of failing schools. All three of our districts are on it.
Education officials say districts have to make major changes or close entirely.
The state has listed 188 of the "persistently lowest-achieving schools" out of ten thousand.
Three here include:
"It means that particular school has not made academic progress on CA Standards tests," said .Ricardo Medina, Superintendent of Coachella Valley Unified.
Test results were reviewed over the past three years. Some schools are on the list because they have a dropout rate higher than 40-percent.
"(The state and federal government are telling us) that school needs some intervention. As a school district, (we need) to develop a plan for that school," Medina said.
The state is recommending drastic intervention options which include replacing the principal, closing and sending students to other schools, or closing and reopening as a charter school.
"We have no immediate plans at this point," Medina added. "Obviously, this information is brand new."
Medina says he plans to review West Shores High's test results over the past few years.
What Other Districts Plan To Do
Palm Springs Unified hasn't decided on an intervention model either. School officials will meet with the county Friday to determine federal funding options for Desert Hot Springs High.
Desert Sands Unified says it plans to put $100,000 thousand dollars of its Title I funding towards Indio High School. No word yet on an intervention model.
Schools can apply for school improvement grants ranging from $50,000 dollars to two million dollars.
