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Becoming Leaders in a Bottom-Up Accountability System: Learning, Assessment, & School Safety
by Yvonne Ballesteros
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TCLA's outreach coordinator, Yvonne Ballesteros, works with student leaders at four Los Angeles schools to develop reports on the conditions in their schools. |
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For the last issue of the School Accountability Report Card, high school student leaders researched two topics: student learning and school safety. After reading Deborah Meier's definition of what it means to be “well educated” and comparing it to their own definitions, they constructed a list of skills needed to be “well-educated.” They then contrasted the resources and activities available in a “regular” classroom to that of an Honors/AP class. The students also reported on what safe and democratic schools mean to them by taking photographs of places, people, and events that represent safety and democracy. The student leaders analyzed these images to provide a new perspective on student experiences at their schools. |
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“It is important for the 'regular' classes to see how students in an AP/honors classes are taught and what resources are offered so that they can see if they are learning enough of what they need to know and have a good grasp of the subject matter. In my Spanish AP class we used additional materials, such as, computers and the internet to get further information for our reports and we also used tape recorders more often to practice for the language exam. We also spent a lot more time with the teacher and got one-on-one tutoring when we needed help.”
- Denise Ballesteros
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New Roads School
"AP/honors and ‘regular’ classes at New Roads School really try to address all of the subject matter and the connections to the outside world. These teachers have the ability to see a larger picture and bring this mentality into the classroom and at the same time push students to excel to another level of comprehension and reflection. For most classes, the resources needed, if any, focus on the need for more class time. Overall, the main difference between a regular class and an honors class is the workload and studying time, not necessarily the quality of the teaching or the teachers.."
- Diana Flores
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“The main difference between AP/honors and ‘regular’ courses is that there is far more communication between students and teachers in advanced courses at Roosevelt. There is usually a better learning experience, especially when they are AP courses, because they are far more rigorous and are preparing for a test. The difference between the English honors and regular Chemistry class was not significant because the Chemistry teacher was well-trained and helpful. The way they separate students in the 9th and 10th grade into the honors or ‘regular’ track is through SAT 9 scores, which do not really say who is really capable or not because they only measure certain things and do not reflect how ‘smart’ you are.”
- Everardo León (Roosevelt High School)
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“It is important to compare an AP course to a 'regular' course because you are able to see the evidence that more resources are needed in certain classes. Because of ‘titles’, resources are distributed unevenly. In my AP Spanish class, the teaching style was different and expectations were high. We had to put in more time and effort because the teachers worked extra hard and his work ethic infected everyone.”
-Moises Castillo (Santa Monica High School)
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Yvonne Ballesteros leads TCLA's outreach efforts to high school students across Los Angeles.
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