Twelve seniors out of 783 were denied diplomas because of their failure to pass a battery of state-mandated basic skills tests. They are the first to be denied diplomas under the Pupil Proficiency Law of 1976. Arcadia's test requires ninth grade level competency.
All Arcadia High School students have now been granted permission to participate in voluntary drug urinalysis testing, an option previously open only to athletes and student body officers.
The Arcadia High School Apache Marching Band won the Sweepstakes Award at the annual state championship All-Western Band Review for the third consecutive year which earns them the perpetual trophy. This makes the third time they have won the perpetual trophy which goes to a school that has won the Sweepstakes Award three times in a row. This is a "first" in the All-Western Band Review.
The new CAS (2) program, an acronym for Curriculum Alignment System and Comprehensive Assessment System, will replace the California Assessment Program (CAP), the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS), and the District Minimum Proficiency Tests. CAS (2) testing will begin in November for high school seniors, with all other grades to take the test in the spring. Advantages of the new test are given in the article.
Burton Wallace Smith graduated Wednesday from Huntington High School with kudos from the President of the United States. The program at Huntington High School allowed Smith to complete classwork and take tests at his own pace.
The Board of Education reviewed results of the California Assessment Test. Arcadia students in grades 3, 6 and 12 scored well above the statewide average of 50.
Facing expulsion from Arcadia High School for striking another student with a metal pipe, 16-year old Jason Bingham testified at a school district hearing that he used the weapon only to defend himself. The three-member panel sent its recommendation to the school board, which will make a decision in the matter.
Arcadia High School opened the school year with an added 800 9th grade students, bringing total enrollment to 3050. 50% of the students are new to the school.
Mary Harvey was presented with a Certificate of Honor by the Board of Education for her volunteer work in the English as a second language program at First Avenue. An Arcadia resident since her childhood, Harvey attended First Avenue, taught there and had two of her three children graduate from there.
To save Arcadia High School $41,500 a year on energy costs, the Board of Education has selected the firm Pacific Energen, Inc. to design a joint electricity-generating & hot water-producing system for the school.
The Arcadia Girls Senior Softball Team was honored by the City of Arcadia on Saturday. The team placed best in the state and finished second in the western regional tournament.