Aiming High is a Sonoma County initiative designed to close the achievement gap for English learners. Twenty-two school districts are participating in Aiming High, along with 21 partner agencies. The Sonoma County Association of School Administrators (SCASA) and Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE) are providing joint leadership for this effort.
Joining Aiming High
Districts and agencies interested in joining Aiming High should contact SCOE interim assistant superintendent Gail Wright, (707) 524-2786 or gwright@scoe.org.
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News
Kindergarten readiness booklets for parents
Let's Go to Kindergarten is a parent booklet developed by the Community Action Partnership (CAP) of Sonoma County and First 5 Sonoma County. Available in English (pdf) and Spanish (pdf), this publication reviews parent and child expectations, offers activity suggestions, and provides helpful tips and information.
PowerPoint presentations for DELAC and ELAC meetings
The Santa Rosa Migrant Education office has graciously shared a variety of PowerPoint shows for educators to use at site-based English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC) and District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC) meetings. These presentations are primarily in Spanish; two have been translated to English.
• Binational Teacher Exchange | English (ppt)
• California High School Exit Exam | Spanish (ppt)
• Comparison of Two School Systems | English (ppt) | Spanish (ppt)
• Five Elements for a Clear Objective | Spanish (ppt)
• Learning School/Family Culture | Spanish (ppt)
• Parent Rights | Spanish (ppt)
• Preventing Family Violence | Spanish (ppt)
Should you need assistance or additional information about these resources, contact Isabel Quiñónez, program coordinator at Migrant Education, lquinone@bcoe.org.
New Aiming High Brief issued
Our first Aiming High publication for 2010 highlights the role of progress monitoring in ensuring that students acquire English as rapidly as possible. More...
Update on the 2009-10 Algebra Boost Program
Applications from interested schools were received and nine Algebra Boost programs are being funded in 2010-11. These programs are located at the following schools: Bellevue and Meadow View (combined), Brook Haven Middle, Cali Calmécac, Kenilworth Junior High, Miwok Valley, Stevens (Robert L.), Taylor Mountain and Kawana (combined), Washington, and Windsor Middle. For more information, contact Doreen Heath Lance, (707) 524-2853 or dlance@scoe.org.
Summer Kindergarten Jump-Start: Interviews January 19
SCOE has secured funding from the Sonoma County Board of Education to continue the Summer Kindergarten Jump-Start in 2010. Six schools will be selected, with priority given to Aiming High districts, schools not previously funded, and schools with the highest need (that is, schools with high numbers of English learners with limited preschool experience). Summer 2010 application materials are available below. Interviews will take place on January 19, with final notification scheduled for January 22. Contact Patty Dineen, (707) 524-2908 or pdineen@scoe.org for more information.
Intent to Participate (pdf) – due December 18
Memorandum of Understanding (pdf)
Application Timeline (pdf)
Program Summary (pdf)
News release profiles Aiming High progress
On November 9, SCOE issued a news release, 20 districts and community partners succeed in raising English learner achievement in 2008-09 (pdf), to highlight the progress made by the Aiming High initiative to date.
Goals for 2009-10 established
Goals for the 2009-10 school year have been established by each participating Aiming High district and partner agencies. The goals are summarized in these documents: District Goals (pdf) | Agency Goals (pdf).
New Aiming High Brief
This Aiming High Brief and accompanying video reviews a presentation by Kevin Clark, keynote speaker at the 2009 ELL Administrator Conference, then explores how educators can incorporate the five components of language (phonology, morphology, syntax, lexicon, and semantics) in ELD instruction.
Structuring language instruction to advance stalled English learners: EL consultant Kevin Clark says that focusing ELD instruction on the five components of language will help students who plateau at the intermediate level (Sept 2009)
JX Wilson, an Aiming High School, featured in SCOE Bulletin
J.X. Wilson School, located in the Wright School District, is one example of a local school that has shown significant progress in closing the achievement gap. With English learner and socio-economically disadvantaged populations nearing 50 percent, this school has realized high STAR and API scores for all students. What is the secret to their success?
Close to Home: J.X. Wilson School’s action plan for improvement has yielded impressive results (March 2009)
District Wish List
Aiming High recognizes that the combined efforts of educators, businesses, service and community agencies, and students are needed to effectively close the achievement gap. To further this idea, the Aiming High districts have developed this Wish List (pdf) of their support and assistance needs. These requests are aligned with district improvement goals and are based on real student and program needs.
Algebra 1 Summer Academy
Recognizing that having a skilled workforce and closing the achievement gap are interconnected, the Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce took a leadership role in addressing this issue from a business perspective. During the summer of 2008, the Chamber offered a three-week algebra academy for 30 English-language learners entering ninth grade. Students from the Piner-Olivet, Roseland, and Santa Rosa City districts participated. Each week, the program was held at a different company. Agilent, Medronic, and JDS Uniphase served as hosts. A teacher presented daily algebra lessons, then the students saw how the concepts were applied by engineers and other professionals in the workplace.
The program was offered again in June 2009 and enrolled 60 students. Now known as the Mike Hauser Algebra Academy, it was renamed in memory of the Chamber president who launched this successful program. The Algebra Academy was awarded Outstanding New Program by the Western Association of Chamber Executives in February 2009.
Algebra 1 Summer Academy: The Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce organized a three-week summer algebra academy for 30 English-language learners entering ninth grade (Aug 2008)
What the Community is Doing to Close the Gap
The February 2008 issue of the SCOE Bulletin (pdf) highlighted the new and expanded community-wide efforts Sonoma County has initiated to tackle the achievement gap. Chambers of commerce, nonprofit agencies, the County Board of Education, and local educators are all committing time, talent, and resources to help meet this critical challenge.
Self-Assessment Surveys
These self-assessments are designed to help educators identify improvement needs in eight areas that are key to raising English learner achievement.
Classroom Level (pdf)
School Level (pdf)
District Level (pdf)
