Achievement Snapshots
There are many stories which highlight Sycamore’s successful improvement on its Stanford-9 scores during the 2001-2002 school. Some of the stories single out remarkable individual growth; others address the value of on-site support programs which assist at risk students; while still others are a testament to the dedication, and commitment of the Sycamore staff. Three stories will be shared, though it needs to be reiterated these are but three of 200 equally revealing stories, which can be told.

Snapshot #1
Julia has always been a highly motivated student. Her interest in school is keen. Her verbal skills are quite strong, however, she has had some difficult in becoming a fluent reader. Her faulting confidence in her reading ability also affected her self-assurance in mathematics and written language. As a second grader, all of Julia’s standardized test scores were below the 25%ile. Through her personal desire to improve, her parent’s support, the assistance of America Reads and work study-students, and the constant challenge of her teachers, Julia began to show dramatic improvement with each passing year. As a sixth grader, her Stanford-9 scores skyrocketed. In reading, Julia’s scores increased over 60 points to the 88%ile; her mathematics scores improved 50 points to the 73%ile; and her written language scores improved 57 points to the 82%ile. Though much of the credit needs to be extended to Julia for her assiduity, it is a pleasing success story for everyone who watched Julia grow.

Snapshot #2
The second story to be told is of Karl. Karl enrolled in Sycamore as a first grader with the distinction of having both of his parents’ Sycamore alumni. Karl was a capable, well-behaved student who was reticent, and at times seemed to lack serious motivation to excel in school. As a primary student there was some concern Karl might qualify for resource time. His parents, however, were strong proponents of in-class support. Thus through developing specific goals established at Goal Setting Conferences and self-assessment at Student Led Conferences, Karl set and met reachable yearly goals. A modification initiated by Karl was his interest to work one-on-one with Sycamore’s language arts resource teacher-something he did for two semester as an upper grade student. One means of measurement Karl, his parents, and teacher used to document his growth was the degree of improvement on his Stanford-9 scores. As a second grader each of Karl’s National Percentile Ranking scores were in the single digits. As a sixth grader all of Karl’s National Percentile Ranking scores were at the 50%ile or higher and in reading alone Karl improved by 62%ile points. There were many other signs of Karl’s continual growth, i.e. his involvement in class discussions, his ability to use technology to extend his learning, his interest in independent reading, and his ability to make connections with previous learnings.

Snapshot #2
The last story to be chronicled is not of a single student, but instead of the sixth grade class of 2001-2002. Collectively, the growth this class made from their second grade Stanford-9 scores to their sixth grade Stanford-9 scores is truly noteworthy. The 41 students who took the test in second or third grade and then continuously attended Sycamore through sixth grade showed a consistent growth, which was sustained over a four/five year period. In reading 88% of the students improved their scores, in mathematics 91% showed growth, and in written language 86% bettered their scores. What was also impressive was the realization that as a class, the total NPR improvement from second grade to sixth grade was 24 points in reading, in mathematics it was 27 points, and written language observed a 39 points growth. It will be interesting to chart this class—or any other class for that fact—as they pursue their academic careers in Claremont Unified. I propose the growth might not be as dramatic a seen in their first five years, but I am confident it will be persistent and continual.

The staff at Sycamore fervently advocates that standardized testing results have a place in a child’s assessment portfolio, however, tests should not be the most significant measuring tool in determining a child’s success. It has been well documented that a student’s interest in what he is learning far exceeds any external pressure to fare well on a test. The Sycamore staff prides itself in delivering a broad and balanced multi-age curriculum, which is assessed by authentic and holistic student work. Learning is a priceless journey, which evolves over time. It is not a timed race, which is best measured in miniscule intervals. Learning is a lifelong commitment, which has no beginning or end. The Sycamore staff is pleased by the substantial growth displayed by the large core of our students, however, it is more pleased by the well-rounded caring students who move on to be successful contributors to society. It knows that individual and school successes are a result of a community of committed learners working in synergy.