Sixth in a series
Re “A Sure Sign That Culver High ‘Has Come a Long Way’”
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Principal Dylan Farris and wife Lindsey, the high school's cheer coach
At a recent School Board meeting, in a laudatory tone, Principal Dylan Farris reported that last year the number of Culver City High School graduates eligible for four-year schools rose from 38 to 42 percent.
To an outsider, neither proportion seemed praiseworthy.
Hasn’t the percentage been higher in the past? Mr. Farris was asked.
“It’s all very convoluted,” he said, “because our measurement system is not the most accurate.
“Within our student information system, we do have the ability to run a report that says so-many students completed a program of the 15 classes required by colleges with a ‘C’ or better.
“It does not necessarily catch what students have completed outside of Culver City High School. The system only operates within the context of what students have done here.
“Students could have pursued programs at a community college or elsewhere that was not reported or caught by our information system, we would not have a record.
That,” said Mr. Farris, “is why we know the numbers discussed don’t present a perfect picture. So there are variables not accounted for.”
What about the School District’s lofty historic reputation for being on the front line of Los Angeles County education?
The principal said that requires a “yes, but” response.
“There always has been a perception we have a high rate (of four-year-bound graduates) without realizing what a ‘high rate’ is,” Mr. Farris said.
“Is 42 percent a high rate?
“The short answer is, 42 is very high. If you were to compare our rate with other schools, our neighbors, in a similar situation – Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Hamilton – we hold our own.”
(To be continued)
Mr. Farris may be contacted at dylanfarris@ccusd.org
