WHY THE PLAS EXPERIMENT MUST END AT ROOSEVELT HIGH

SCHOOL, Part II: THE NEW EAST LA CLASSIC: ROOSEVELT (PLAS)

vs. GARIELD (NON PLAS)

!"#$ %r$a$&%'
The Rivals
The NEW EAST LA CLASSIC is about academicsnot about football. It pits Roosevelt Hih
School aainst !a"field Hih School. Roosevelt Hih School is unde" the #a$o"%s &a"tne"ship fo" Los
Aneles Schools '&LAS(. Roosevelt became a &LAS school on )ecembe" *+ ,--*+ .hen teache"s and
pa"ents voted /0,12, to become a &LAS school. Roosevelt Hih School cu""entl$ has ,+3-- students+ of
.hich 334 a"e #e5ican6Latino. Roosevelt has a la"e immi"ant student population+ .ith a substantial
numbe" of Enlish lanuae lea"ne"s 'ELLs(. Roosevelt has a facult$ of /*-. The Roosevelt facult$ is
"ep"esented b$ 7nited Teache"s1Los Aneles '7TLA(. Roosevelt is made up of seven independent small
schools .ith thei" o.n p"incipal. An eihth p"incipal ove"sees the seven schools. Roosevelt has no
assistant p"incipals o" lead teache"s. Roosevelt%s si5 independent small schools+ not countin the manet
school have an A&I fo" ,-/, f"om 088 to 2*,. Roosevelt is located in 9ole Heihts+ a heavil$
#e5ican6Latino .o":in1class communit$.
!a"field Hih School is not unde" the #a$o"%s &a"tne"ship fo" Los Aneles Schools '&LAS(. It is one
comp"ehensive hih school of ,+3-- students+ of .hich 334 a"e #e5ican6Latino. !a"field has a la"e
immi"ant student population+ .ith a substantial numbe" of Enlish lanuae lea"ne"s 'ELLs(. It has a
facult$ of ,/,. 9ecause !a"field had a se"ies of lo. A&I sco"es+ it .as put out fo" bid in ,--3. Teache"s
and the communit$ ;oined fo"ces to defeat a cha"te" ta:e ove". !a"field is a &ilot school+ .hich ives
teache"s mo"e cont"ol ove" cu""iculum+ budet+ staffin+ and p"ofessional development. The !a"field
facult$ is "ep"esented b$ 7nited Teache"s1Los Aneles '7TLA(. !a"field has five small lea"nin
communities and one p"incipal and si5 assistant p"incipals. !a"field has a lead teache" fo" each small
lea"nin communit$. !a"field%s A&I fo" ,-/, is *-2. !a"field Hih School is located in East Los Aneles+
a heavil$ #e5ican6 Latino immi"ant .o":in1class communit$. It is about 0 miles f"om its "ival+
Roosevelt Hih School.
The Stats< Academic &e"fo"mance Inde5 'A&I( and &"oficient o" Advanced Levels
An A&I 'Academic &e"fo"mance Inde5( sco"e of 2-- o" belo. =ualifies a school as a >?ocus School+@
.hich can be "econstituted+ ta:en ove" b$ a cha"te" ope"ato"+ o" ta:en ove" b$ "oups of teache"s. A&I
sco"es "ane f"om ,-- to /+---+ .ith A-- bein the state.ide pe"fo"mance ta"et.
The follo.in info"mation is ta:en f"om the Califo"nia )epa"tment of Education 'C)E(. Afte" five $ea"s
unde" &LAS+ Roosevelt%s A&I fo" ,-/, fo" each of its seven schools is< School of Communication Ne.
#edia and Technolo$ 088+ Academ$ of Envi"onmental and Social &olic$ 28A+ Roosevelt #anet School
*B0+ School of La. and !ove"nment La. 023+ Humanitas A"ts School 020+ School of Science
Technolo$ Eninee"in C#ath 2*,+ and Academ$ of #edical and Health Science 023.
The follo.in a"e the ,-/, CST test pe"centaes fo" Roosevelt%s seven schools fo" thei" p"oficient o"
advanced levels in Enlish lanuae a"ts< School of Communication Ne. #edia Technolo$ /,./4D
Academ$ of Envi"onmental and Social &olic$ B,.B4D Roosevelt #anet School 824D School of La. and
!ove"nment /A.B4D Humanitas A"ts School /8./4D School of Science Technolo$ Eninee"in C #ath
,A.AD and Academ$ of #edical and Health Science /A.*4.
The follo.in a"e the ,-/, CST test pe"centaes fo" Roosevelt%s seven schools fo" thei" p"oficient o"
advanced levels in math< School of Communication Ne. #edia ,.34D Academ$ of Envi"onmental and
Social &olic$ -4D Roosevelt #anet School /B4D School of La. and !ove"nment /.-4D Humanitas
A"ts School ,.84D School of Science Technolo$ Eninee"in C #ath*.*4D and Academ$ of #edical
and Health Sciences -.84.
!a"field Hih School%s ,-/, CST test pe"centaes fo" p"oficient o" advanced levels in Enlish lanuae
a"ts is 8B.34. !a"field%s ,-/, CST test pe"centaes fo" p"oficient o" an advanced level fo" math is ,8.34.
A 9RIE? HISTERF E? &AST A&I SCERES 9ETWEEN THE RIGALS
In ,-/-+ the last $ea" Roosevelt .as a one comp"ehensive hih school+ it had an A&I of 2-*. In ,--3+
Roosevelt had an A&I of 0**.
In ,-/-+ !a"field had an A&I of 2B-. ?o" ,--3+ !a"field had an A&I of 038. !a"field has sho.n
continual and sinificant imp"ovement f"om its 038 A&I of ,--3+ to its most "ecent *-2 A&I in ,-/,.
?"om ,--3 to ,-/,+ !a"field%s A&I sco"e has inc"eased //, points. In ,-//+ !a"field had an A&I of *-*.
Roosevelt on the othe" hand+ has also sho.ed sinificant continual A&I "o.th f"om its ,--3 A&I of 00*
to its cu""ent hih of 28A and 2*,that is an inc"ease of 3/ points and //0 pointsbut this sinificant
inc"ease is onl$ fo" t.o of Roosevelt%s small independent schools+ .hich have not b"o:en the *-- A&I
ma": li:e !a"field. Ho.eve"+ it is impo"tant to note that fou" out of si5 Roosevelt small school schools+
not countin the manet school+ fo" the $ea"s ,-// and ,-/,+ a"e still in the mid 0-- A&I "ane.
CENCL7SIEN
!AR?IEL) HI!H SCHEEL IS THE WINNER E? THE NEW ,-/, EAST LA CLASSIC
En the basis of !a"field Hih School havin supe"io" ,-/, A&I sco"es and hihe" Enlish lanuae a"ts
p"oficient o" advanced sco"es and hihe" math p"oficient o" advanced sco"es on the ,-/, CST tests+ and
havin made less fumbles and less mental e""o"s+ !a"field Hih School is the .inne" of the NEW ,-/,
EAST LA CLASSICH !o !a"field 9ull )osHH The eiht Roosevelt Hih School p"incipals .ill have to
.ea" !a"field Iac:ets fo" one .ee: .hile on campus. The EAST LA Classic T"oph$ .ill also be on
displa$ at !a"field fo" one $ea"+ until ne5t $ea"%s classic.
Iust as in football+ .hen $ou" team continues to lose+ $ou et "id of the head coach and his staff.
The"efo"e+ the Roosevelt teache"s+ pa"ents+ and students have one thin to sa$ to $ou #". CEE Tuc:<
>Fou and $ou" &LAS staff a"e ?IRE)HH@
)". Iohn ?e"nandeJ tauht at Roosevelt Hih School fo" ,81$ea"s. He .as fo"me" di"ecto" of the #e5ican
Ame"ican Education Commission fo" the LA7S). )". ?e"nandeJ "an fo" the LA7S) School 9oa"d in
,-//.