More than 10 percent of all students at San Benito High School
are failing at least one class, creating one of the highest
”
F
”
rates in the past several years, according to the most recent
figures provided by the San Benito High School District.
Not all educators agree on what the root of the problem is, or
even how best to fix it, but all agree that student achievement is
the school’s first priority and are taking steps to reverse the
”
F
”
trend.
Hollister – More than 10 percent of all students at San Benito High School are failing at least one class, creating one of the highest “F” rates in the past several years, according to the most recent figures provided by the San Benito High School District.
Not all educators agree on what the root of the problem is, or even how best to fix it, but all agree that student achievement is the school’s first priority and are taking steps to reverse the “F” trend.
“A major cause for the low grades is the lack of work ethic on the part of students,” said Chuck Schallhorn, president of the San Benito High School Teacher’s Association. “This is the fifth school I’ve taught at in three states, and never I have encountered this huge percentage of students who choose not to do their homework on a regular basis.”
According to figures provided by SBHS, the high school’s “F” rate has risen from an average 7.4 percent in 2002, to 7.9 percent in 2003 to a high of 10.7 percent in 2004. By the end of the 2005 school year, the percentage had dropped to 10.1 – still considerably higher than the original figure from 2002.
Principal Debbie Padilla believes much of the problem stems from what the community and educators expect of high school students.
“I think we need to look at the expectations we have of high school students,” said Principal Debbie Padilla. “What exactly is the minimum you would require of a high school graduate?”
The report issued with the figures speculated that 2004’s particularly high “F” rate coincides with a low attendance rate for that year, due to many students attending the funeral of two former students and an especially nasty flu season.
“Attendance is certainly a factor in our ‘F’ rate,” Padilla said. “It’s a very important factor. One of the things we try to do is look for a pattern, and see if a certain student has an attendance problem. The question then is how to get them back into the school system.”
San Benito High School’s “F” rate also has serious financial implications for the high school, Padilla said. Students who fail require remediation classes, summer school, or need to take a different course – all of which costs the district money.
In order to boost both attendance and student performance, the District is considering adopting a new calendar which would lengthen the first semester and push winter break back several days, rationalizing that many students tend to miss school immediately before and after the break should they be traveling with their family. These students, then, often miss the end of one semester and the beginning of the next, which can cripple their chances of passing later in the year.
Many freshman are required to take one or more semester classes for graduation requirements, such as Health or Geography, and an extra 10 days or so could mean the difference between passing and failing.
“I teach semester-long courses, and depending on the class you find yourself reducing the course by at least a unit,” Schallhorn said. “It really does make a big difference.”
Padilla also said that more extensive support programs for students in lower grades were being established, to prepare students for what’s expected of them in high school.
“We want student support programs built into their daily life,” she said. “Coming into high school is a big transition, and a lot of times they don’t know what’s expected or what it means to study as a high school student.”
Many teachers believe, however, that while a calendar change may be helpful, more dramatic changes need to occur at both the student and community level.
“A lot of parents are stressed because they’re working all the time. And it’s difficult to monitor your children, because if you don’t work you can’t eat,” said Chemistry teacher Dr. Jessica Gautney. “No one’s to blame, but if parents can’t make sure that their kids have breakfast, get to school on time and have their materials, then the teacher can only do so much.”
With no local bookstore, no college campus to speak of and few creative venues available for students looking to broaden their horizons outside of class, some teachers speculate that the community simply doesn’t appreciate the value of an education.
“I think it’s mostly about exposure,” said Schallhorn. “As more families move to Hollister, as we become more of a suburb and more metropolitan, things are bound to change.”
School officials were able to share some good news, however. Out of 422 of last year’s graduating seniors who responded to an exit survey, 133 planned on attending a four-year university immediately after high school and 223 planned on attending community college first – for a total of 356 students planning on continuing their education.
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected]
