The Bluffer - Red Bluff, CA
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'42' 'Bioshock Infinite -Page 4 -Page 5 Volume CXIV Issue 12 April 19, 2013 Serving Red Bluff High School since 1901 Nationwide common core standards change the face of testing Egan Meagher Sports Editor With a change in the Common Core standards comes a reevaluation of the testing process. Common Core Standards is a set of requirements that California, along with 45 other states, has adopted for the 2014 school year. These Standards lay-out what must be taught in schools and areas that students should be proficient in by the end of each year. The current standards that schools are aligned with were adopted in the late 1990's to early 2000's. All assessments and curriculum in the schools are based off of these standards in order to comply with the state. "The Common Core Standards are really good when new students move in to the school because it helps make a more streamline process to get them back on track," said Stacy Dausse, English teacher. Recently, the state voted to update and change these standards and to also change the way they are assessed. "The new English standards are way more specific and connected than the previous ones," said Becky Coker, English teacher. By changing these standards every aspect that is based on the previous ones must also change. Teachers must now reassess whether or not their curriculum fits with the new standards. If their curriculum does not align with these standards then they must remake their classroom lessons to follow these standards. One of the more potentially problematic questions is how this change will affect the high school Exit Exam, since the Exit Exam is an assessment of how well the students know the standards. This means that a whole new design for the Exit Exam might have to be made, which is leaving teachers wondering just how to go about over the next years. Another change that has come about from this is the state's move to internet based assessment testing. California is working with a state led consortium, called Smarter Balance, to design this online assessment based process. Using this process, each student would log on to the computer and take a test of the standards, much like current standardized testing except on the computer. However, this poses another problem for the school. Red Bluff High does not have a 1:1 ratio of computers to students. Each classroom only has a handful of computers to roughly 30 students. This means that when it is time to take those assessments the whole class can't take them at the same time. Only a few students at a time will be able to be on computers while the rest of the class will have to wait. Teachers are now faced with how to handle a change in assessment procedure, further complicating the change of standards. While the district works to solve the problem, teachers are also preparing for many changes. 254 out of 320 students passed this year's English portion of the California Exit Exam in the sophomore class... 79% 280 out of 320 passed the math section... 88% RBHS announces new principal Ron Fisher set to start at beginning of school year Tymberlyn Bealer Staff Writer According to Ron Fisher, Red Bluff High School's newly hired principal for the following school year, a distinguished school, by definition, represents a school that is different from the rest. His goal: to once again make RBHS a distinguished school. "I want the school to be more focused on a few things," stated Fisher. Fisher started his career in education after graduating from Oregon State with a Bachelors degree in Zoology. After teaching science and biology, Fisher was a principal at ACE Charter High School for a few years in Camarillo, California. This school, specializing in architecture and engineering, was a good fit for Fisher due to his "real world" experiences. Dance Show The Dance Show will be April 25 and April 26. All three levels of dance will be showcasing their talents at 7 pm in the PAC each night. As of right now, tickets are only on sale for members apart of dance and can be bought during lunch. For those wanting to attend the show, they will be sold at the door. Fisher grew up in the small town of Union, Oregon with a total population of 1800 people. After attending college and moving to Camarillo, he had always wanted to move back to a small town. Fisher said, "There is something to be said for a small town." There were other factors that contributed to him wanting to apply for the principal position here in Red Bluff. Fisher has a total of five children, two of which will be attending RBHS. "I was looking at a place where I could bring my kids." There are many things that Fisher really appreciates about this school. According to him, RBHS is unique in the fact that it still has many core technical programs. These are programs like radio, dance, and yearbook. "The district and board has done a good job at keeping these programs active," shared Fisher. There were, of course, some immediate concerns that Fisher had. Red Bluff High's low API score and involvement in Program Improvement are two areas that were really surprising to him at first. In his opinion, the low API number does not correctly reflect Red Bluff High as a school; however, API is the only thing a community has to judge a school on. One other source of concern for Fisher is the lack of gates and fences surrounding the school currently. "It is not safe for the students," said Fisher. After the school year ends for Fisher's kids, he will officially move to Red Bluff. His role as principal does not begin until July 1, 2013, although he is currently spending the time to better understand Red Bluff High in its entirety. Graduation Speaker Applications On April 26, applications will be available in the Main Office for any senior wanting to audition to be a speaker in this year's graduation. The applications will be due the following week on May 1. May 2, a meeting will be held at lunch in the Main Office.