By VINCE REMBULAT

The Bulletin

Ripon Unified recently joined the list of San Joaquin County districts in Title III program improvement.

According to the state Department of Education, Title III refers to limited-English-proficient students – included are immigrant children and youths – and meets the same challenging academic contents and achievement standards as that of other students.

In Year 1 in Title III program improvement, RUSD will look to do a better job at teaching students in this area, said Kathy Coleman, director of curriculum and categorical programs.

Compared to RUSD, she noted that other districts had multiple years in Title III program improvement, including Escalon (nine years), Linden (three), Lodi (five), Manteca, (three), Modesto City Schools (eight), Stockton (nine) and Tracy (five).

The current list has yet to be updated.

“We did not meet the state’s Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives 3,” Coleman said at last Monday’s RUSD meeting. “AMAO 3 required 78 percent of our English learners (EL) to reach proficiency in English Language Arts (ELA), and 78.2 percent of our EL to reach proficiency in math on the California Standards Test.”

She added that 44.6 percent of English learners reached proficiency in ELA, while 49.1 percent were proficient in math.

RUSD was notified on Dec. 21 of its Program Improvement District for Title III, Year 1 status.

“In Year 1, we must send a letter to the parents of all English learners and notify them about AMAO 3. Year two will require a detailed plan that is written in conjunction with the regional county lead and guarantees the success to all English learners. This plan must be approved by the state,” Coleman said.

She added: “We have already begun this process.”

Coleman noted that the list of county schools on Program Improvement (PI) had yet to be updated.

“So our status will soon change to Year 1,” she said. “The districts previously showing in PI will likely jump to the next year.”