PACT school gains students, academic success PACT school gains students, academic success (September 27, 2002)

Alternative program students score higher on state test Alternative program students score higher on state test (September 27, 2002)

By Candice Shih

Alternative schools can be hit or miss but, there is one in Mountain View that has been proclaimed a success.

Last year, students in the PACT (Parent, Child, Teacher) program at Slater School scored better, as a whole, than the average student in the Mountain View-Whisman School District on two standardized exams.

On the SAT9 -- the state's standardized test -- PACT students scored between the 78th and 82nd percentiles in all four testing areas: reading, math, language and spelling. In contrast, the district average ranged from the 58th to the 65th percentile in the four areas.

In addition, PACT students in second through fifth grade did better than the average district scores on the California standards exam.

PACT, a seven-year-old school, draws 30 percent of its students from the Slater neighborhood and the remainder from the rest of the district. Parents take part in a 10-hour parent education class and volunteer in the classrooms for two hours each week.

The program has a special component called Arts Focus that educates students in five different media and supplements academic instruction.

Originally begun with only two classes, PACT now enrolls 180 students in eight classes.

Slater Principal Nicki Smith said there are several reasons why PACT students are performing better than non-PACT students. "Some of it's demographics," she said, referring to the fact that education studies often link socioeconomic advantage to academic success. "The parents who have the flexibility to put in two hours of classroom participation (per week) are people who are more affluent."

But Smith pointed out that PACT students are diverse and the parent volunteer time also contributes significantly to the comparatively high test scores. With more adults in the classroom, students receive more one-on-one attention and teachers can be more flexible in their instruction.

"We're able to experiment and try some different kinds of programs," said Bonnie Malouf, a fifth-grade PACT teacher and former PACT parent. She added that choice programs such as PACT inherently indicate a higher level of parent involvement.

"When we make a choice, we are more invested in it," she said.

PACT parent Judy Levy said the program is successful also because of its philosophy, which is centered on educating the "whole child." For example, activities such as cooking and gardening teach the students math and science in addition to cooking and gardening.

She praised the program for helping students become comfortable with talking to adults, making presentations, and speaking for themselves.

Levy cautioned, however, that PACT is not for everybody, especially students who feel more comfortable in a traditional school environment.

The MVWSD also offers two others schools of choice, the Castro Language Academy at Castro School and Community-Enhanced Learning (CEL) at Monta Loma School.

Monta Loma Principal Linda Haines said CEL differs from PACT because it blends into its home school more. Monta Loma did not separate CEL test scores from non-CEL test scores this year.
E-mail Candice Shih at cshih@mv-voice.com