Learn more about the Excellence in Education Awards

Excellence in Education Awards Wonderland Avenue Elementary School and Gifted Magnet 85 10 Wonderland Avenue, Los Angeles Judith Perez Principal A LEARN and LAAMP school Fairfax/Hollywood/Los Angeles Cluster - Larry Higgins, Cluster Administrator RESULTS: The Magnet school's test scores are at the top in comparison to similar schools in this area of Los Angeles. 85% of the students achieved at or above grade level in reading and 82% reached that level in mathematics. Fourth Grade reading and math scores on national tests are significantly above the national average for Wonderland Avenue Elementary School. Students achieve recognition in citywide essay, math and art contests. The Wonderland Avenue School and Gifted Magnet faculty work together regularly.They are committed to academic achievement for their kindergarten through fifth grade students and continuously assess student progress on learning outcomes. Both are small schools in which the teachers know each child. High-quality student writing across all subject content areas is displayed in each classroom. Science involves learning how to conduct, document and report experiments. Every child is actively involved in study, challenged by difficult curriculum, and asked to draw, dramatize, or write about what they have learned. Students work together in teams and small groups; older children tutor younger students. When teachers were not happy with achievement levels in mathematics, their analysis of test results showed that their students knew how to identify and solve problems but were somewhat weak on computational skills. They changed their program to ensure that quick memory of math computation was added to student practice. All children participate in a culminating task called the Grade-Level Focus (GLF). For example, fifth graders designed games based on their library and on-line research in which they incorporated historical figures and events from the Revolutionary War Period. One game was called "Amish Quilts of Life," another was "Weaponopoly". A fourth-fifth grade class will produce a performance of the play," 1776." Parents come into the schools to tutor and teach, and they are the bulwark of the arts program. The Art Cadre, composed of parent volunteers, has grown from three to thirty participants in three years. Parents work in partnership with classroom teachers to provide an in-depth visual arts program for all students. The teachers have just completed a timeline for language arts that is aligned with the new standards and standardized tests such as the Stanford 9. To do this, each teacher was assigned a language arts standard and asked to research developmentally appropriate activities that could be used to help students understand the skills they need to learn. Their goal is to have activities that meet the needs of all students, regardless of ability or learning style. The teachers work to constantly add to their arsenal of instruction strategies so that the skills they need to teach are not just learned, but understood, internalized, personalized and useful to students.