The Roseville Joint Union High School District (RJUHSD) recently confirmed their involvement with the nationwide scholastic program Race to the Top.
     Approved in 2009 by the Obama administration, Race to the Top is a financial aid program which serves to improve the United States’ lowest performing schools. In return for their participation, the states will receive funding from the US Department of Education. California stands to gain in between $350 and $700 million, which would be equally distributed between the state government and the participating school districts.  
     Participating districts were required to submit a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by January 8, 2010 in order to be included in the state application for funds. In submitting the MOU, the participating districts agreed to the terms of the Race to the Top program, which included the refinement of various nationwide educational standards.
     “Our district can request to pull out (from the program) at any time,” said assistant superintendent John Montgomery. “The contract is not binding.”
      The MOU contains four areas of potential revision to the current US educational system: the revision of state standards, new support for faculty members expected to improve district wide test scores, augmentation of state data systems, and the significant improvement of consistently underperforming schools.
      Under the first condition, the standardized tests at the end of each school year may undergo changes aimed at designing a comparable system nationwide.
     “There has been talk of the creation of a nationally normed exam at the end of each year,” said RHS principal Brad Basham.
      In the current arrangement, each state has created its own series of standards and examinations for each grade. With the Race to the Top organization, the nation would agree on a singular test and standards, including a high school exit exam, which would be administered across the United States.
     “This would make comparing our states’ test scores much easier,” said Basham. “It would also be great for seeing how we rank internationally.”
      Race to the Top’s revision to current examination methods could possibly go so far as to negate the No Child Left Behind Act, signed into effect in 2002 by the Bush administration. For the 2010-2011 school year, 77 percent of high school sophomores are required to score proficient-a score of 385 out of a possible 450-on their CAHSEE, the high school exit exam. The percentage increases 11 percent each year.
      “In 2014, 100 percent of sophomores are required to score at a proficient level on the CAHSEE. Considering students with economic disadvantages and those that are English learners, it’s just not possible,” said Basham. “With things the way they are, all schools will be on Program Improvement (PI) by that time.”
     The CAHSEE falls under the criteria, along with the results of the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) exam, for judging the adequate yearly progress (AYP) of schools. Under the revisions instigated by Race to the Top, nationally normed assessment tests could not only do away with the PI status but assess faculty and the administration based on test scores.  
     “We want to see where students come from the time they set foot in our school to the time they leave,” said Basham. “If the teachers aren’t consistently preparing them adequately to pass these exams, do we really want them?”
         Principals would be required to conduct an evaluation of each teacher annually, as opposed to every other year. In the event of no improvement, low performing schools would be closed and reopened as charter schools.
     “We want to give our teachers as many resources and chances as possible to improve their test scores without being overly tolerant of poor performance,” said Basham.
      Race to the Top funds will not be determined until early April. After that, RJUHSD will have a period of 90 days in which to send in their plans for how they will act in order to adhere to the terms set across by the MOU. California school districts are expected to act within their means to make sure that the plans come to fruition.
     Even with the potential payoffs, certain groups, such as the California Teachers’ Association (CTA) remain skeptical of the program.
    “There are lots of parts of Race to the Top that aren’t quite ironed out yet,” said site representative Marie Criste.

    In their concerns, the CTA agrees with the necessity for educational reform but argues against the four conditions present in the MOU. A primary grievance remains that of merit based pay, which would come into existence under Race to the Top.  Faculty imbursement would be determined through the success of their students on the standardized testing at the end of the school year.
    “Linking student achievement to test scores is not always indicative of teacher effectiveness,” said Criste. “There are so many factors there that come into play depending on the situation of the individual student.”
     Similarly, Race to the Top’s fiscal aid is tied primarily to core classes, and does not include other classes, such as electives. 
     The district office acknowledges these concerns even while supporting the program.
     “One question I might have personally is what will happen when the financial aid runs out,” said Montgomery.
     Regardless, RJUHSD is optimistic for the success of Race to the Top.
     “We believe that the Race to the Top initiative will become part of the Federal Education Program for every school, every district, and every state,” said Montgomery.