[-] text size [+]

Pauma Elementary

School Information
School Name:       Pauma Elementary School               
School Address:   33158 Cole Grade Road
                              Pauma Valley, CA  92061
School Phone:      760-742-3741
School Fax:          760-742-1214
Principal:              Mary Gorsuch
Principal email:   gorsuch.ma@vcpusd.net

Demographics
Number of Students:   271
Number Eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch:  72%
Percent of Limited English Proficient: 45%
Percent of Special Education:  10%
Racial/Ethnic Percentages:

  • White  14%
  • Black  0%
  • Hispanic  67%
  • Asian/Pacific Island  0%
  • Other Native American  19%

Present Student Achievement Data at 3 points along a continuum to demonstrate trends.

Please list source of comparison data: State Averages: Pauma/State of California

AYP

Subject
2005
Pauma/CA
2006
Pauma/CA
2007
Pauma/CA
Math
34.4/50.4
39.6/53.3
40.1/54.0
L. A.
23.8/40.9
30.9/43.8
37.4/44.5

California Standards TEsts-CDE

Subject
2005
Pauma/CA
2006
Pauma/CA
2007
Pauma/CA
Math
32/50
37/52
41/53
L. A.
23/40
29/42
36/43

API-Academic Performance Index compared with state (median)

Year
School
State
Median
API statewide
Rank
State Similar
School Rank
2004
626
730
2
7
2005
658
751
2
9
2006
688
759
3
9
2007
730
766
n/a
n/a

 

Please comment on any aspect of the data that you feel is particularly significant.

The data reflect sustained, positive growth that reflects long-term efforts in our K-8 school.  The wave of improvement is continuing and we are moving purposefully ahead.   Another key factor is the comparison with similar California Schools.  We rank 9 out of 10 now compared with our peers. 

An emphasis on math vocabulary has been helpful in building up our math scores throughout the grade levels. 


                       
Please present additional information that indicates your efforts to build a professional learning community have had a positive impact on students and/or teachers.

In 2002, Pauma School had a poor reputation for academics as well as citizenship.  Parents who had the means transferred their students out of the school, and many teachers who were assigned there were lacking hope.  Isolation was the norm, and one teacher who transferred in with the principal in 2002 was asked what he had done wrong to be punished this way. 
Based on principles of collaboration, the team established a vision, set up collaborative structures and a matrix of interventions that insured that a student couldn’t fall through the cracks unless he or she purposefully tried to get lost.  Even then, a system of support for behavior was put in place. 

Fast forward to 2007 and collaboration is the way of life at Pauma.  Parents are transferring students back in droves and we have a waiting list.  Fine teachers have been developed and recruited, and Pauma is an example of positive growth that others look to for leadership. 

 

Please elaborate upon strategies you have found to be effective in any of the following areas:

1. Monitoring student learning on a timely basis.

Our school staff instituted a method that we call “Plan for Every Child” which we review at our collaborative meetings.  Each student’s progress in Math, Language Arts and Behavior/Citizenship is compared first with the state accountability data (academics) and the matrix of services available at the beginning of the year.   SMART goals are set for each student and reviewed based on the target date for improvement.  The collaborative teams include our specialist teachers and other peers who work together to modify the student’s schedule as needed. 

 

2. Creating systems of intervention to provide students with additional time and support for learning.

We created an in-school reading time where students attend at their instructional reading level throughout the day.  As a K-8 school, we break the groups into grades 1 - 2, 3 - 4, 5 -6 and 7-8 for this purpose and run “STAR”  (students teamed for accelerated reading) groups for 45 minutes per day each day.  This is the foundation of our system of support.  The most needy are in the smallest groups with highly trained teachers and those who are above level are in with the grades above.

 In addition, we’ve added before school tutoring, lunchtime support and ‘catch-up’, teacher prep time tutoring, and intervention teachers who push in during the day.   We were fortunate to be able to start an after school program for childcare where we have added rigor by hiring teachers to tutor students and add it to our matrix.

3. Building the capacity of teachers to work as members of high performing collaborative teams who focus the efforts of their team on improved learning for students.

Professional reading has been really helpful as has bringing excerpts of information on collaborative work such as Good to Great, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, and Learning by Doing. 

Sending our Leadership Team to conferences with the DuFours has been key, as has our focus on our norms.  Our norms have now become our shared commitments for all staff.  

Another key has been including our classified staff as full members of the leadership team and collaborative teams. 

Structures to regularly review student progress and structures that require teachers to share students for instruction have broken down the barriers and continue to help us to collaborate more effectively.

The pressure of being a Program Improvement school with significantly low scores and high numbers of at - risk students has given us the need to stick together to succeed.  

 

List any awards and recognition garnered by your school

Principal Mary Gorsuch was selected as the  California Principal of the Year by the California Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports  (2006 - 2007)

Pauma School won the Gallup-Robinson San Diego County Physical Fitness Award for Program Excellence   - 2006

Pauma School and Tierra Miguel Farm won the Palomar-Pomerado Health Unity Award for Collaborative work in student wellness -  2006

AVID Teacher Rosa Lemus won the Science Educator of the Year award from the Greater San Diego Science Foundation - 2007

Principal Mary Gorsuch and Leadership Team were selected to present at the California Governor’s Achievement Gap Summit, based on exiting Program Improvement  - 2007

Pauma School student-made film The Paper Trail  won a San Diego County Office of Education iVIE film award  -  2003

California Department of Education recognizes Pauma School as one of only 46 schools in California to successfully exit Program Improvement Year 4 or 5 status -  Principal to be interviewed regarding best practices for statewide project -  2008