Four East Bay campuses learned Wednesday that they may escape being labeled among the state's persistently lowest-achieving schools, while two others discovered they may be added to the dreaded list.
Mt. Diablo and Pinole high schools were dropped from the list of the lowest-performing schools, while Glenbrook Middle School in Concord and Helms Middle School in San Pablo were added. The change was attributed to the middle schools' lower test scores, according to a revised list released late Wednesday by the California Department of Education. In Alameda County, Hayward and Mt. Eden high schools were taken off the list, replaced by schools in other parts of the state. The updated list, which will not be finalized until the State Board of Education votes on it today, includes 18 schools in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, down from 20 that were listed Monday.
Schools land on the list if they have posted low scores on reading and math tests in the past three years and have shown little improvement, based on the state education department's analysis.
The revised list caught many school officials by surprise. Many said it was too soon to comment, while others said they had not yet heard of the changes.
Steven Lawrence, superintendent of the Concord-based Mt. Diablo district, said the revision did not alter his outlook. He still must figure out how to improve achievement at the six schools that remain on the list, and to decide whether
to apply for federal grants of $50,000 to $2 million annually for three years to help pay for interventions that federal officials said will be needed to bring the schools up to snuff.