California GEAR UP e-Newsletter

Located in the high desert city of Palmdale north of Los Angeles, Shadow Hills Intermediate School currently enrolls 1066 students in grades 7 and 8. The student ethnicities are 68% Hispanic, 18% African American, 9% White, 2% Filipino, and 3% other; 62% participate in Free or Reduced Price Lunch. API scores increased from 2007 base of 701 to 711 in 2008. Suresh Bajnath became the principal in 2005, and Pam Williams joined the staff in 2008 as Assistant Principal/site contact for GEAR UP. Kathy Hudson was previously on the GEAR UP Leadership Team at Desert Willow Intermediate School before coming to Shadow Hills Intermediate School in 2006 as the Special Projects Teacher and joining the Leadership Team

Kathy Hudson, Special Projects Teacher

Shadow Hills Intermediate School began participation in California GEAR UP in 2006. Please describe your school community at that time.

Shadow Hills is one of five middle schools in the Palmdale School District. We currently have a student population of 1066 students, and we are a school-wide Title I Program school. Ten percent of students receive Special Education Services and 20% of students are English Language Learners. The 2008

Lorraine Armelin, Title I Coordinator, and Marcy Hamm, Principal

Located in the eastern part of the San Fernando Valley and part of the Los Angeles Unified School District, Pacoima Middle School enrolls over 2200 students in grades 6 through 8, including 2 magnet schools. The main student ethnicities are 93% Hispanic and 4% white. Per District policy, 100% of the students participate in the free or reduced price lunch program. 36% are English Learners. API scores increased from the 2007 base of 643 to 663 in 2008, meeting all subgroup growth targets. Marcy Hamm became principal in 2008. Lorraine Armelin has been Title I Coordinator at the school since1996 and site contact for the California GEAR UP program for 4 years.

Continuing Sustainability Project (CSP) training workshops were offered to CSP schools in Northern California and Southern California in February.

Pamela Goode, Assistant Director, Division of Curriculum and Instructional Services, Los Angeles County Office of Education, reviewed the many professional development documents and curriculum on the Taking Center Stage ACT—Act II (TCSII) website: http://pubs.ced.ca.gov/TCSII

Mary Sirody, Mathematics Diagnostic Testing Project (MDTP) Director, UCLA Mathematics Department, described the free MDTP tests which math teachers can use to identify topics and skills that need more attention in courses, including Prealgebra and Algebra Readiness. This information can help students identify specific areas where additional study or review is needed. Tests are ordered at website: mdtp.ucsd.edu.

Pictured are Vance Mills, GEAR UP staff, and Mary Sirody, Mathematics Diagnostic Testing Project Director.

Michael Burton, Project Manager of Student Friendly Services, showed ways middle school students can do career and college planning on the California colleges website: www.californiacolleges.edu

Family Initiatives Project Coordinator Marsha King has been asked the following questions by parents who have participated in the Family Initiatives Project sessions:

"How can my special needs child attend college?"

"Who will help my learning disabled child get into college?"

Reflecting upon their educational experience and the GEAR UP Mission Statement of Academic Excellence and College Access for ALL Students, GEAR UP Regional Coordinators offer these thoughtful suggestions.

In December 2008, California GEAR UP was awarded the IBM iTraduceloAhora! (Translate Now!) automatic translation grant. This program uses an enhanced version of IBM WebSphere Translation Server Software to translate web sites and e-mails automatically from English to Spanish and Spanish to English. GEAR UP will use this grant at GEAR UP middle schools to broaden access to English content on the World Wide Web for Hispanics from various ethnic backgrounds and to enhance communication between school staff and families.

California GEAR UP Regional Coordinator Don Mar led the effort to secure the grant. The IBM translation software, administrative support, evaluation and training represent a $20,000 contribution for each GEAR UP school invited to participate. The project timeline is from December 2008 to December 2009. For more information, contact the California GEAR UP Project Coordinator, Karla Lagunas at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

California GEAR UP Selects 54 Middle Schools for Planning Phase