D's and F's: The new C's and D's?

Are too many local high school students getting D's and F's in class?

Reports that a high percentage of Agoura and Calabasas high school students received substandard grades prompted the Las Virgenes Unified School District to study the potential problem and separate fact from fiction.

Joe Nardo, assistant superintendent of education, presented a report to the school board recently that analyzed 2005-06 first semester grades at both high schools.

More than 900 of Agoura High's 2,250 students in grades nine through 12 earned at least one D or F on their report cards last fall, according to Nardo's report. At Calabasas, 596 students of the 2,000 enrolled received a D or an F.

Grades earned in elective classes and core (required) classes were examined for each grade level at the schools. The numbers were crunched to determine whether troubling trends were emerging in particular classes or subject areas.

Apparently, pre-algebra at Agoura High School is one of the toughest classes for students. Of a total of 35 students who took the class, 54 percent received a D or an F in the class during the first semester of this school year, the report said. Thirty-nine percent of the 110 students in intermediate geometry also made the D/F list.

While the majority of pre-algebra students made the D/F list, a high number of students also received the lowest possible grades in their core classes. For instance, out of 110 students in geometry, 43, or 39 percent, received a D or an F on their first semester report card. Twenty-four percent of students in freshman English got the low grades as well.

"The numbers tell us the what, but not the why," Nardo said.

Calabasas High School Principal Dave Jackson offered an explanation.

"We need to look at different ways of presenting information," Jackson said. "Homework and attendance are a big factor, a huge factor."

At Calabasas High last semester, biology, algebra and introduction to physical science posed the most difficulty for students. Nearly 37 percent of biology students made the D/F list, followed by 36.5 percent for algebra and more than 30 percent for the beginning science class.

Sophomore English also posed problems for students at Agoura and Calabasas.

Electives not a cop-out

Even elective courses, which students generally select based on interest, produced substandard grades at both schools. Twentyone students in Agoura High's Auto Tech I class earned a D last semester, and one student failed. With just 64 total students, the number means that 34 percent didn't perform satisfactorily in the class.

Surprisingly, seven of the 11 students who had already completed the prerequisite of Auto Shop I at Calabasas did poorly in their second year of the class and got D's or F's.

"(Students) are not just going in there and changing spark plugs," Nardo said, indicating that some students might be enrolling in a class that appears easy only to find out that there is much more work involved to earn a decent grade.

LVUSD School Board Member Terilyn Finders said it was important not to "get lost in averages."

She said many students did well in most of their classes, and may have earned a D in just one. Finders offered several possible reasons for poor grades-the class is difficult, the student has little motivation or the instruction is poor.

Finders also said many students have a difficult time making the transition from middle school to high school, and their grades often suffer.

Board President Cindy Iser said some students simply choose the wrong classes.

Discovering the reasons behind poor grades is important, Superintendent Sandra Smyser said. Smyser said students who receive a D or an F on their report card because they're not coming to school are vastly different from those who earn poor grades because they don't understand the subject matter.

Agoura High School Principal Larry Misel said his school's new support period is productive, but said many D/F students choose not to attend the extra class to ask for help.

"If D and F students come to support they are no longer a D or F student," Misel said.