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Farmersville Junior High counselors report student needs, lower proficiency after schedule change
Summary
Counselor Emiliano Moran told the board Farmersville Junior High has 388 students, 115 English learners and that only 36% of students are at or above grade level in STAR reading and math after the school returned to a seven-period schedule that reduced instructional minutes.
Emiliano Moran, a counselor at Farmersville Junior High School, updated the Farmersville Unified School District board on student enrollment and early-year academic indicators, saying the school will return to the board with a spring progress report.
"Our number of students that we have this school year is 388 students," Moran said. He reported 115 English learners, 36 students with individualized education program (IEP) plans (about 9%), nine students with 504 plans (about 2%) and foster youth at about 1% of the student body. Moran added that 32 students were reclassified this year after ELPAC testing.
Moran presented recent STAR Reading and STAR Math snapshots taken the week of the board meeting and said, "students that are at or above grade level for reading, we've got 36%, which is about a third of our kiddos that are at or above reading level. As far as math, almost the same, 36%." He said the result means "overall in general, two third of our kids are below."
Moran told trustees the junior high moved from a block schedule last year to a traditional seven-period day this year. "We went from 82 minutes down to 46," he said, explaining that math and English previously had longer block periods and now each subject has shorter, more frequent meetings. He said the counseling team plans to return in the spring with an update on progress.
Board business later included a request that high school counselors deliver a short update to the board similar to the junior high presentation so trustees can track progress across sites.
Moran said the school uses "Falcon Pride Talks" to review expectations with students and noted staffing of 18 full-time teachers and three part-time teachers. He also highlighted two students who received credit through College of the Sequoias and earned A grades after concurrent enrollment.
The update was presented during public comment and high school issues segments; Moran said he and a fellow counselor, Miss Rosales, work as a team at the junior high. The board did not take formal action on the report; district staff noted they will provide a follow-up report in the spring.
