Scores Slip at Einstein; New Principal Plans Improvement

’s principal is just a few weeks into , and he already has a plan to raise test scores.

Students there scored lower on standardized tests this spring than in the previous year, but said he’ll do more to make sure students aren’t rushed into subjects they don’t understand.

“I knew coming here academic achievement was one of my missions,” Kirkland said.

He said students will learn new concepts over the course of a week and be tested at the end of the week. Students who have trouble with the new concept will receive extra review the following Monday or Tuesday, he said.

Kirkland also plans to add an algebra-readiness class for eighth-graders who take pre-algebra but are still below grade level and aren’t ready for algebra. That way, students who are below grade level in math won’t be forced to take a standardized algebra test they’re sure to “bomb,” he said.

“Algebra is the hardest class on campus,” Kirkland said. “When we put kids below grade level into the hardest class on campus … it’s only going to lead them to fail and have to repeat the class in ninth grade anyway.”

According to stats released this week by the California Department of Education, fewer than half of students at Albert Einstein are proficient in math. In English and language arts, 53 percent are proficient.

Kirkland previously worked as an assistant principal at California Middle School, where he said these strategies helped pull standardized test scores within range of the more affluent Sutter Middle School.

He said he has high hopes for Albert Einstein, where he’s been impressed by the commitment and enthusiasm of the staff and faculty.

“They haven’t been sure of their program, but there’s a lot of great things in the individual components,” he said. “[Now comes] bringing all the parts into one plan that’s school-wide.”

This week’s figures showed Albert Einstein’s Academic Performance Index (API) score at 777, shy of the state target of 800. He said that score is important as a public relations tool and as a way to attract new students to the school.

“Everything that we do from here on out is going to be about academic achievement and connecting with our community,” he said.

Check back to read about standardized test scores at Rosemont High School. .