The Gilroy Unified School District ’ s mission is a multifaceted one . Academic success is clearly the District ’ s top priority . The goal is for all students to leave our high schools with the skills needed to be successful at the college level , even if they choose not to go to college . At the same time , we are dedicated to the education of the whole child , which includes preparing students to be productive citizens , encouraging the development of good character , fostering strong communication skills , providing opportunities to work effectively in groups , and requiring community service . Here are some answers to the questions I am often asked about how we are accomplishing our goals .
The academic success of the District as a whole was recently confirmed in a report from the state . In the world of school districts , a score of 800 or higher on the state ’ s Academic Program Index ( API ) is a sign the school district or individual school is performing well . Gilroy Unified broke the 800 API mark as an entire district for the first time and 8 schools individually exceeded this target . Most of the schools in the district made significant progress in improving their API scores , some scoring 50 or more points higher than a year ago . In addition , the college going rate has increased , the drop out rate has steadily decreased , and the percent of students passing the California High School Exit Exam has increased . Please see charts on pages 44-45 .
This excellent progress is the result of carefully designed plans for improving student achievement and the hard work of our dedicated district staff . The following elements were put in place and have contributed to academic success last year and will be used to make further improvements this year :
• Focus on standards based instruction using adopted textbooks and materials
• Frequent assessments to determine if students have mastered the standards
• Modification of instruction to address the needs of students based on these assessments
• Interventions during and after school to help students master the concepts being taught
• Strong teacher collaboration and dialogue about how to improve instruction
• Specialized instruction for English Language Learner students to help them learn English as quickly as possible , while learning the subjects taught
• Infusion of technology into the instructional program
It is our hope that every student will find additional interests to pursue as they are mastering the required academic skills . There are opportunities in athletics , career technical educational classes , student leadership , visual and performing arts , and so much more . Some examples of these outstanding programs are : a district-wide Run For Fitness ; after school sports at the middle schools ; athletic programs at the high schools ; violin and performing arts programs at Antonio del Bono ; dual immersion programs at Rod Kelley , Las Animas , South Valley Middle School , and Gilroy High School ; Gifted and Talented Education ( GATE ) programs at Rucker and Brownell ; Missoula theater program at El Roble and Glen View ; and band and choir programs at the elementary , middle and high school levels .
One additional goal of the district is to prepare students for the world of work after high school . Christopher High School and Gilroy High School offer a wide range of career technical education ( CTE ) programs including ; advanced photography ; ag biology ; autos , advanced autos , and small engines ; bio technology & biomedicine ; culinary arts ; dance ; digital animation , digital design , & advanced digital design ; fashion design ; horticulture ; law enforcement ; marketing ; sports medicine ; veterinary science ; woodshop , woodworking & advanced woodshop ; and welding . Students who participate in these programs obtain skills that will allow them to move directly on to careers in these fields or to enroll in programs at the college level .
Schools tend to be the heart and soul of a community and that is so true in Gilroy . Our schools are performing very well and continue to draw families to our City . We are still growing as a district both in size and performance . Our goal is to be among the best in Santa Clara County .
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