Notes regarding the source and currency of data:
Data included in this School Accountability Report Card (SARC) template are consistent with State Board of Education guidelines, which are available at the California Department of Education Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/sa/definitions05.asp

Most data presented in this report were collected from the 2004-05 school year or from the two preceding years (2002-03 and 2003-04). Due to the certification timelines for graduation, dropout, and fiscal information, the data for these sections of the report were collected in 2003-04. Single-year column headings refer to the school year ending in that particular year. When no year is specified, data are from the most recent school year for which data are available.

More information about SARC requirements is available at the CDE Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/sa/, including a SARC Preparation Guide at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/sa/guide.asp and Frequently Asked Questions at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/sa/questions.asp.

I. General Information

Contact Information
Information about school and district contacts.

School Information		District Information
School Name	Kensington Elementary	District Name	West Contra Costa Unified
Principal	Jonathon Stokes	Superintendent	Dr. Cynthia LeBlanc (Interim)
Street	90 Highland Blvd.	Street	1108 Bissell Ave.
City, State, Zip	Kensington, CA 94708-1023	City, State, Zip	Richmond, CA 94801-3135
Phone Number	(510) 525-7343	Phone Number	(510) 231-1100
FAX Number	(510) 526-3189	FAX Number	(510) 236-6784
Web Site	http://www.wccusd.k12.ca.us/kensington/	Web Site	http://www.wccusd.k12.ca.us
E-mail Address	Jonathon.Stokes@gw.wccusd.k12.ca.us	E-mail Address	Michael.Jung@gw.wccusd.k12.ca.us
CDS Code	07-61796-6004808	SARC Contact	Mike Jung

School Description and Mission Statement
Information about the school, its programs, and its goals.

Kensington Hilltop School , a K-6 school, has student representation from all over the district, i.e., Kensington, El Cerrito , Richmond , Pinole, San Pablo , Berkeley , and Hercules. Over 20 different languages are reflected in our school. Kensington Elementary is a cooperative partnership of educators, principal, staff, parents and community working together to create, improve and maintain a learning environment in which: All students and educators have the freedom, right and responsibility to learn and to help others in a safe, hazard-free environment. All students are challenged within a range of difficulty that allows them to be consistently successful. All students are encouraged to celebrate their own successes and the success of those around them. All students are shown how to develop a love of learning, curiosity about the world in which they live, and how to meet life’s challenges. All students are prepared academically, socially and emotionally for middle school and beyond. All students can describe the importance of being able to connect the past, present and future by reflecting on their life experiences and applying what they have learned to the world around them. All students have the freedom to take risks in a safe and nurturing environment. Mistakes are seen as a source of knowledge, and are accepted as such. All students gain knowledge and appreciation of ethnic and cultural groups representative of the school and its larger community. All students express their individual interests and talents through artistic, musical, technological, athletic, social, dramatic and intellectual activities. All students demonstrate democratic values, ethics and principles in their daily activities and interactions. All parents are welcome in this school. Their positive involvement in their children’s education is a crucial element of success. Parents are invaluable when they share their expertise with students and assist the classroom teacher. All students have the right to prompt and appropriate attention to illness or injury as well as the responsibility to maintain their personal well-being at all times through thoughtful consideration of their actions before they are taken. All students consciously strive to develop the internal qualities of fairness, integrity, honesty, human dignity, community service, and concern for excellence. All students have equal access to all programs regardless of source of funding. No student is tracked, and all students are assumed capable of learning everything anyone can learn given time and effort as major variables determining achievement. All students experience happiness, friendship, fun, self-confidence, knowledge, skills and a deep sense of personal satisfaction as a result of the well being they enjoy during their years at Kensington Hilltop School.

Opportunities for Parental Involvement
Information about the contact person for parental involvement and a description of organized opportunities for parental involvement at the school.

Contact Person Name		Contact Person Phone Number
PARENT INVOLVEMENT PROGRAMS Kensington parents have numerous way to be involved, i.e. Royal Reader, Volunteers in classrooms, Science Fair Judges, Art Night, Book Fair, Carnival, Yard duty Supervisors/Volunteers, Field Trip Chaperones, etc. PTA: Invites speakers on timely and relevant topics. Sponsors the annual Spring Carnival, a major fund-raiser. Provides a regular forum for parents to hear from the school principal, educators and other interested parents. Kensington Education Foundation (KEF): KEF raises money to fund the academic and enrichment programs such as library, art, science, classroom supplies and other programs like Ocean Week. Dads’ Club: The Dads’ Club helps to improve the school's facilities. GATE Advisory Committee: The GATE Advisory Committee acts as a liaison between parents, educators, and the District’s GATE Advisory Committee. School Site Council (SSC): The role of the SSC is to give parents, faculty and staff more on-site decision making ability by giving individuals the opportunity to work together in planning school program improvements. Every elementary school must have a School Site Council composed of five parents or community members, the principal, three classroom teachers, and one other staff member (Education Code Section 52852).

II. Demographic Information

Student Enrollment -- Grade Level
Data reported are the number of students in each grade level as reported by the California Basic Educational Data System (CBEDS).

Grade Level	Enrollment	Grade Level	Enrollment
Kindergarten	76	Grade 9	0
Grade 1	74	Grade 10	0
Grade 2	73	Grade 11	0
Grade 3	79	Grade 12	0
Grade 4	80	Ungraded Secondary	0
Grade 5	58
Grade 6	57
Grade 7	0
Grade 8	0
Ungraded Elementary	0	Total Enrollment	497

Student Enrollment -- Racial and Ethnic Subgroups
Data reported are the number and percent of students in each racial and ethnic subgroup as reported by CBEDS.

Racial and Ethnic Subgroup	# of Students	Percent of Students	Racial and Ethnic Subgroup	# of Students	Percent of Students
African American	47	9.5	Hispanic or Latino	57	11.5
American Indian or Alaska Native	0	0.0	Pacific Islander	1	0.2
Asian	87	17.5	White (Not Hispanic)	265	53.3
Filipino	3	0.6	Multiple or No Response	37	7.4

III. School Safety and Climate for Learning

School Safety Plan
Information about the currency and contents of the school's comprehensive safety plan.

Date of Last Review/Update		Date Last Discussed with Staff
Our school safety plan is a continually evolving document. In 2005-2006 the principal and the entire staff attended the Standardized Emergency Management Systems training provided by our district. In addition to addressing all safety factors, we are presently focusing on earthquake preparedness. Each classroom has a backpack complete with emergency supplies. Parents have collaborated to provide the school with emergency supplies located in a container on campus. Each educator has a disaster preparedness brochure. Fire drills are held monthly and duck and cover drills are held twice each year. This year we participated in the Contra Costa All-School Chemical Drill. Kensington has rapid access to local law enforcement and security services. Signs are posted on the outside of classroom doors reminding visitors/volunteers to sign in at the office and wear identification stickers. Rigorous procedures addressing student arrival and departure, and before and during school assignments have been established.

School Programs and Practices That Promote a Positive Learning Environment
Information about the school's efforts to create and maintain a positive learning environment, including the use of disciplinary strategies.

ACADEMIC SUPPORT PROGRAMS The READ NATURALLY program provides a method to improve reading fluency. The Read Naturally program combines three powerful strategies for improving fluency: teacher modeling, repeated reading, and progress monitoring. Accelerated Reading : The Accelerated Reader, or AR (Advantage Learning Systems, 1993), is a learning information system that enables freestanding computer-assisted assessment of student comprehension of "real" books. The Accelerated Reader is a curriculum-based assessment tool that provides a summary and analysis of results to enable educators to monitor both the quantity and quality of reading practice engaged in by their students. Mathematics: Kensington has a mathematics support program for grades 4 - 6. Other support programs: Kensington provides support programs in science, computers, art, music, and the library. YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS Student Council: The student council meets once a month to discuss student concerns and issues as related to life on the campus. They are directly involve with campus safety are have developed two safety programs, safety patrol and bus monitors. A staff member in matters of planning and decision making advises them. Boy Scouts/Girl Scouts: Kensington's Boy Scout program meets at the KASEP buildings below the school. They are actively involved maintaining a caring school climate. The Girls Scout meet on campus and under the supervision of the school site staff. Conflict Resolution: The foundation for our students' social growth begins with The Second Step program. Creating a schoolwide culture that supports Second Step goals begins with understanding how the values of the school are reflected through everyday practices and in the physical surroundings. When pro-social strategies are used consistently throughout the school, students and adults develop a common language, a sense of safety, and a trusting acceptance of self and others, This schoolwide commitment to a clear purpose creates a foundation for successful prevention efforts. Safety Patrol: Kensington Safety Patrol made up of parent volunteers and student, monitor student activity before and after school, and during the recesses. This helps ensure that the students are practicing safe acts while in school and traveling to and from school

Suspensions and Expulsions
Data reported are the number of suspensions and expulsions (i.e., the total number of incidents that resulted in a suspension or expulsion). The rate of suspensions and expulsions is the total number of incidents divided by the school's total enrollment as reported by CBEDS for the given year.

	School			District
	2003	2004	2005	2003	2004	2005
Number of Suspensions	11	4		12903	15339
Rate of Suspensions	2%			37%	45%
Number of Expulsions	0	0	0	38	53	42
Rate of Expulsions	0	0	0	0.11%	.16%	.13%

IV. School Facilities

School Facility Conditions -- General Information
Information about the safety, cleanliness, and adequacy of school facilities, including the condition and cleanliness of the school grounds, buildings, and restrooms. Additional information about the condition of the school's facilities may be obtained by speaking with the school principal.

Kensington Hilltop School has the advantage of being located high on a hill. The original Kensington campus was built in 1949. Its infrastructure was outdated. The deficiencies included structural weaknesses, undersized data and power capabilities, accessibility problems, congestion, antiquated mechanical systems, inadequate communication systems, undersized administration, library and stage, disrepair of restrooms, asbestos tiles, inadequate lighting system, disrepair of floors, window/window coverings, interior/exterior finishes, roof, classroom furnishings, and poor on-site security and outdoor lighting and fire truck access. Kensington currently consists of one-story buildings that house the classrooms, administration, and multi-purpose building. We also have eight portable classrooms at the site (two of them are bungalows) that house the library, RSP and Periscope program, music and art classrooms, and five portables. Funded by the bond measure, Measure M, construction on Kensington Elementary was completed in January 2006. Implementing new electrical, mechanical, and technology systems will update the outdated utility infrastructure of the school. Building structures will be strengthened. All facilities will be handicapped accessible. A new wing was added to the west end of the site comprising the library/media center space, multi-use science and art classrooms, and standard classrooms. The MPR will be updated with a new stage, and new finishes, and the administration will be upsized to fit current and future needs.

V. Academic Data

Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR)
Through the California Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program, students in grades 2 through 11 are tested annually in various subject areas. Currently, the STAR program includes California Standards Tests (CST) and a norm-referenced test (NRT). The CST tests English-language arts and mathematics in grades 2 through 11, science in grades 5, 9, 10, and 11, and history-social science in grades 8, 10, and 11. Prior to 2005, the NRT tested reading/language arts and mathematics in grades 2 through 11, spelling in grades 2 through 8, and science in grades 9 through 11. Beginning in 2005, the NRT tests reading/language arts, spelling, and mathematics in grades 3 and 7 only, and no longer tests science in any grade.

California Standards Tests (CST)
The California Standards Tests (CST) show how well students are doing in relation to the state content standards. Student scores are reported as performance levels. The five performance levels are Advanced (exceeds state standards), Proficient (meets state standards), Basic (approaching state standards), Below Basic (below state standards), and Far Below Basic (well below state standards). Students scoring at the Proficient or Advanced level meet state standards in that content area. Students with significant cognitive disabilities who are unable to take the CST are tested using the California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA). Detailed information regarding CST and CAPA results for each grade and proficiency level can be found at the California Department of Education Web site at http://star.cde.ca.gov or by speaking with the school principal. Note: To protect student privacy, scores are not shown when the number of students tested is 10 or less.

CST -- All Students
Data reported are the percent of students achieving at the Proficient or Advanced level (meeting or exceeding the state standards).

Subject	School			District			State
	2003	2004	2005	2003	2004	2005	2003	2004	2005
English-Language Arts	80	77	82	24	25	30	35	36	40
Mathematics	75	76	78	23	23	28	35	34	38
Science		58	60	17	14	17	27	25	27
History-Social Science				17	17	22	28	29	32

CST -- Racial and Ethnic Subgroups
Data reported are the percent of students achieving at the Proficient or Advanced level (meeting or exceeding the state standards) for the most recent testing period.

Subject	African American	Asian	Hispanic or Latino	White (not Hispanic)
English-Language Arts	62	88	57	89
Mathematics	56	91	63	83
Science	*	*	*	69

CST -- Other Subgroups
Data reported are the percent of students achieving at the Proficient or Advanced level (meeting or exceeding the state standards) for the most recent testing period.

Subject	Male	Female	English Learners	Economically Disadvantaged	Students With Disabilities
English-Language Arts	79	85	62	88	56
Mathematics	75	81	75	88	54
Science	61	59	*	*	*

Norm-Referenced Test (NRT)
Reading and mathematics results from the California Achievement Test, Sixth Edition (CAT/6), the current norm-referenced test (NRT) adopted by the State Board of Education, are reported as the percent of tested students scoring at or above the 50th percentile (the national average). School results are compared to results at the district and state levels. Beginning in 2005, the NRT tests reading/language arts, spelling, and mathematics in grades 3 and 7 only and no longer tests science in any grade. Detailed information regarding results for each grade level can be found at the California Department of Education Web site at http://star.cde.ca.gov/ or by speaking with the school principal. Note: To protect student privacy, scores are not shown when the number of students tested is 10 or less.

NRT -- All Students
Data reported are the percent of students scoring at or above the 50th percentile.

Subject	School			District			State
	2003	2004	2005	2003	2004	2005	2003	2004	2005
Reading	80	76	68	33	32	31	43	43	41
Mathematics	82	81	78	37	38	41	50	51	52

NRT -- Racial and Ethnic Subgroups
Data reported are the percent of students scoring at or above the 50th percentile for the most recent testing period.

Subject	Asian	White (not Hispanic)
Reading	92	71
Mathematics	92	83

NRT -- Other Subgroups
Data reported are the percent of students scoring at or above the 50th percentile for the most recent testing period.

Subject	Male	Female	Economically Disadvantaged
Reading	61	73	81
Mathematics	78	78	94

California Physical Fitness Test
Data reported are the percent of students meeting fitness standards (scoring in the healthy fitness zone on all six fitness standards) for the most recent testing period. The California Physical Fitness Test is administered to students in grades 5, 7, and 9 only. Detailed information regarding the California Physical Fitness Test may be found at the CDE Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/pf/. Note: To protect student privacy, scores are not shown when the number of students tested is 10 or less.

Grade Level	School			District			State
	Total	Female	Male	Total	Female	Male	Total	Female	Male
5	0.0	0.0	0.0	13.5	14.0	13.1	24.5	26.7	22.3

Academic Performance Index (API)

The Academic Performance Index (API) is a score on a scale of 200 to 1000 that annually measures the academic performance and progress of individual schools in California. On an interim basis, the state has set 800 as the API score that schools should strive to meet.

Growth Targets: The annual growth target for a school is 5 percent of the distance between its API Base and 800. The growth target for a school at or above 800 is to remain at or above 800. Actual growth is the number of API points a school gained between its base and growth years. Schools that reach their annual targets are eligible for awards.

Subgroup APIs and Targets: In addition to a schoolwide API, schools also receive API scores for each numerically significant subgroup in the school (i.e., racial/ethnic subgroups and socioeconomically disadvantaged students). Growth targets, equal to 80 percent of the school's target, are also set for each of the subgroups. Each subgroup must also meet its target for the school to be eligible for awards.

Percent Tested: In order to be eligible for awards, elementary and middle schools must test at least 95 percent of their students in grades 2 through 8, and high schools must test at least 90 percent of their students in grades 9 through 11 on STAR assessments.

Statewide Rank: Schools receiving an API Base score are ranked in 10 categories of equal size (deciles) from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest), according to type of school (elementary, middle, or high school).

Similar Schools Rank: Schools also receive a ranking that compares that school to 100 other schools with similar demographic characteristics. Each set of 100 schools is ranked by API score from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest) to indicate how well the school performed compared to schools most like it.

API criteria are subject to change as new legislation is enacted. Detailed information about the API and the Public Schools Accountability Act (PSAA) can be found at the CDE Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ap/ or by speaking with the school principal.

API -- Schoolwide
Data reported are API Base and Growth scores, growth targets, statewide and similar schools ranks, and percent tested.

API Base Data				API Growth Data
	2002	2003	2004		From 2002 to 2003	From 2003 to 2004	From 2004 to 2005
Percent Tested	100	99	99	Percent Tested	99	99	100
API Base Score	886	900	893	API Growth Score	893	897	908
Growth Target	A	A	A	Actual Growth	7	-3	15
Statewide Rank	10	10	10
Similar Schools Rank	9	8	6

API -- Racial and Ethnic Subgroups
Data reported are API Base and Growth scores and growth targets.

API Base Data				API Growth Data
	2002	2003	2004		From 2002 to 2003	From 2003 to 2004	From 2004 to 2005
Asian				Asian
API Base Score	913	932	917	API Growth Score	921	924	952
Growth Target	A	A	A	Actual Growth	8	-8	35
Hispanic or Latino				Hispanic or Latino
White (Not Hispanic)				White (Not Hispanic)
API Base Score	911	924	918	API Growth Score	915	925	928
Growth Target	A	A	A	Actual Growth	4	1	10

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)
The federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires that all schools and districts meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirements. To comply with NCLB, California adopted AYP criteria that were approved by the U.S. Department of Education in June 2003. To make AYP, schools and districts are required each year to meet or exceed specific criteria in each of the following:

• Requirement 1: Participation rate on the state's standards-based assessments
• Requirement 2: Percent proficient on the state's standards-based assessments
• Requirement 3: API as an additional indicator
• Requirement 4: Graduation rate (for secondary schools)

Requirements 1 and 2 apply at the school, district, and subgroup levels. Requirements 3 and 4 apply only at the school and district levels, unless exception or "safe harbor" criteria are used. Detailed information about AYP can be found at the CDE Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ay/ or by speaking with the school principal.

AYP All Criteria -- Schoolwide
Data reported indicate whether all AYP criteria were met for all students in a school or a district, or that exception (safe harbor) criteria were met, or that an appeal of the school's or district's AYP status was approved.

Schoolwide	School			District
	2003	2004	2005	2003	2004	2005
All Students	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No

AYP Participation Rates and Proficiency Levels -- Schoolwide and Subgroups
Data reported indicate whether AYP criteria for both the minimum participation rates and the percent proficient or above were met in a school or a district. Note: "N/A" means that the student group is not numerically significant.

Schoolwide and Subgroups	School			District
	2003	2004	2005	2003	2004	2005
All Students	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
African American	N/A	N/A	N/A	Yes	Yes	No
Asian	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Filipino	N/A	N/A	N/A	Yes	Yes	Yes
Hispanic or Latino	N/A	N/A	N/A	Yes	Yes	No
Pacific Islander	N/A	N/A	N/A	Yes	Yes	Yes
White (not Hispanic)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged	N/A	N/A	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
English Learners	N/A	N/A	N/A	Yes	Yes	No
Students with Disabilities	N/A	N/A	N/A	No	No	No

Federal Intervention Program
Schools and districts receiving federal Title I funding enter Program Improvement (PI) if they do not make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for two consecutive years. After entering PI, schools and districts advance to the next level of intervention with each additional year that they do not make AYP. Information about PI, including a list of all PI schools and districts, can be found at the CDE Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ay/ or by contacting the district office or speaking with the school principal.

	School	District
1st Year of Program Improvement Implementation	2004-2005	2004-2005
Year in Program Improvement (Implementation Level)	Year 1	Year 1
Number of Schools Currently in Program Improvement	---	24
Percent of Schools Currently in Program Improvement	---	38.7

VII. Class Size

Average Class Size and Class Size Distribution
Data reported are the average class size and the # of Classrooms that fall into each size category (i.e., number of students), by grade level, as reported by CBEDS.</TR>

Grade	2003				2004				2005
	Avg. Class Size	# of Classrooms			Avg. Class Size	# of Classrooms			Avg. Class Size	# of Classrooms
		1-20	21-32	33+		1-20	21-32	33+		1-20	21-32	33+
K	20.0	4			18.0	4			19.2	5
1	20.0	4			17.8	4			18.5	4
2	20.0	6			17.2	6			18.3	4
3	19.8	5			16.6	5			19.8	4
4	32.0		1	1	24.7	1	2		33.0			2
5	33.0			1	12.0	1			16.0	1
6	32.0		1	1	23.5		2		33.0			2
K-3	20.0	2
4-8	32.3		2	1	31.0		2		32.0		1

Class Size Reduction Participation
Data reported are the percent of students in each grade level in the school that are in a class size reduction classroom.

Grade Level	% of Students Participating
	2003	2004	2005
K	100	100	100
1	100	100	1oo
2	100	100	100
3	100	100	100

VIII. Teacher and Staff Information

Core Academic Courses Taught by NCLB Compliant Teachers
For a school, the data reported are the percent of a school's classes in core academic subjects taught by No Child Left Behind (NCLB) compliant teachers. For a district, the data reported are the percent of all classes in core academic subjects taught by NCLB compliant teachers in all schools in the district, in high-poverty schools in the district, and in low-poverty schools in the district. More information on teacher qualifications required under NCLB can be found at the CDE Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/nclb/sr/tq/.

	% of Classes in Core Academic Subjects Taught by NCLB Compliant Teachers
This School	45.5
All Schools in District	16.0
High-Poverty Schools in District	13.1
Low-Poverty Schools in District	18.5

Teacher Credentials
Data reported are the number of teachers (full-time and part-time) as reported by CBEDS. Each teacher is counted as "1." If a teacher works at two schools, he/she is counted at one school only. Data for teachers with a full credential and teaching outside his/her subject area are provided by the LEA.

	2003	2004	2005
Total Teachers	31	25	25
Teachers with Full Credential	31	25	25
Teachers in Alternative Routes to Certification (district and university internship)	0	0	0
Pre-Internship	0	0	0
Teachers with Emergency Permits (not qualified for a credential or internship but meeting minimum requirements)	0	0	0
Teachers with Waivers (does not have credential and does not qualify for an Emergency Permit)	0	0	0

Teacher Education Level
Data reported are the percent of teachers by education level, as reported by CBEDS.

	School	District
Doctorate	0.0	2.1
Master's Degree + 30 or more semester hours	4.0	13.6
Master's Degree	28.0	15.8
Bachelor's Degree + 30 or more semester hours	64.0	45.0
Bachelor's Degree	4.0	23.4
Less than Bachelor's Degree	0.0	0.1

Teacher Evaluations
Information about the procedures and criteria for teacher evaluations.

The teacher evaluation system provides a standards-based assessment system designed to promote significant professional growth for certificated staff and success for students. The California Standards for the Teaching Profession (CSTP) is the foundation for all teachers in this evaluation process. An ideal evaluation process includes and encourages the teacher's participation in a meaningful way. The CSTP provides both the tool for self-analysis and reflection as well as the standards by which a teacher's practice may be objectively measured, thereby connecting the teacher with his or her evaluator in a process, which fosters meaningful professional growth and development. As outlined in the contract between the District and United Teachers of Richmond, temporary and probationary teachers are evaluated at least once each school year. Permanent teachers are formerly evaluated every other year. Additionally, Unit members with permanent status who have been employed at least 10 years with the school district, and are highly qualified as required by state and federal law, and whose previous evaluation rated the employee as satisfactory, shall be evaluated up to every five years if the unit member and current evaluator consent to this schedule. The teacher or evaluator may withdraw their consent and return to the two year cycle.

Substitute Teachers
Information about the availability of qualified substitute teachers and the impact of any difficulties in this area on the instructional program at the school.

Teachers and other personnel report absences using an automated phone system called SubFinder. Teachers contact the SubFinder system to locate a substitute. We are usually able to find substitute teachers when needed. Occasionally there are not enough substitutes to fill all positions, and the administrators and teachers at the school assume the responsibilities of the absent staff member.

IX. Curriculum and Instruction

School Instruction and Leadership
Information about the structure of the school's instructional program and the experience of the school leadership team.

Instructional Leadership Team (ILT): All Kensington staff members compose the Instructional Leadership Team. As a site, we determine Wednesday staff development in the areas of language arts and math. Meetings consist of whole group, grade level, and cross grade level. At least one Wednesday per month is devoted to grade level meetings. This offers grade levels the opportunity to hold "Snapshot SSTs" where discussion takes place regarding students' needs and modifications are implemented to help ensure student success. Student Study Team (SST): We have found that having an SST composed of the present educator as well as the previous year's educator, is very informative. If the student is a transfer, we request an educator from the same grade level attend. SST information is placed in a red folder in students' cums so that information can be readily accessed. It is requested that educators review students' cums at the beginning of the year. ATTENDANCE IMPROVEMENT COMMITTEE (AIC): Educators are responsible for calling parents to ascertain the reason for the absence within two days of the absence. The secretary clears absences using "authorization" calls, slips and teacher register marks. The principal reviews attendance on a monthly basis. Attendance letters are distributed as necessary. Attendance letters are also included with the trimester report cards. Letters in report cards also acknowledge those students who have not missed any days or been tardy. Parents are informed of attendance procedures through distribution of the Thursday Packet, student handbook, and the DBC. INSTRUCTIONAL FOCUS Kensington Hilltop School is committed to providing a comprehensive educational program in a safe learning environment. Our mission is to have all students know, understand, and be able to demonstrate proficiency of the grade level set forth by the state of California and adopted by the West Contra Costa Unified School District . We recognize that in order for our students to achieve exemplary performance levels, i.e., proficiency in English Language Arts (ELA), math, history-social science (HSS), and science, four components need to be addressed:(1) there needs to be a continual review and updating of our school community's vision statement based on the needs of our student population, (2) the review of assessment data needs to be an ongoing process, (3) the staff and community need to be informed and active participants in the process, (4) we need to continually monitor our school effectiveness. Each fall, Kensington staff members allocate a professional development day to the comprehensive analyzing of CST test data and district assessments in order to identify areas for improvement. We disaggregate information by student characteristics, e.g., English Learner students, gender, ethnicity, Special Education, Gifted and Talented, and socioeconomic ally disadvantaged. This fall, we broke down the data on the CSTs by grade level and strand, and noted that the following areas were subjects on which to focus: Writing Strategies, and Reading Comprehension. Math challenges vary by grade levels.

Professional Development
Information about the program for training the school's teachers and other professional staff.

Quality instruction and instructional leadership are at the heart of the district's achievement efforts. To ensure this, the Academic Support Division engages teachers, administrators and other personnel in ongoing professional development focused on improving teaching and learning. Training is provided to principals and other administrators to improve their ability to provide strong instructional leadership and guide teaching and learning at school sites. The principals, in turn, provide support to teachers through staff conferences, opportunities for collaborative study and planning, and individual coaching based on ongoing classroom observations. Teachers and other staff are provided with both on and off-site professional development in all standards based curriculum content areas. Beyond the content areas, professional development is provided in English Language Development, Gifted and Talented Education (GATE), differentiated instruction, academic language development (ALD) and educational technology. In addition, training is made available in classroom management, the effective use of assessment data and using teacher data teams to meet the needs of all students. A primary goal of the professional development program is ensuring that all students are served by skilled, highly qualified teachers and that teachers are supported by strong, knowledgeable instructional leaders.

Quality and Currency of Textbooks and Instructional Materials
Information about the standards-aligned (kindergarten through grade 12) and state-adopted (kindergarten and grades 1 through 8) or locally adopted (grades 9 through 12) textbooks and other instructional materials used in the school that are consistent with the content and cycles of the curriculum frameworks adopted by the State Board of Education in the core curriculum areas of reading/language arts, mathematics, science, and history-social science. For kindergarten and grades 1 through 8, the information also includes a description of any supplemental curriculum adopted by the local governing board. The information includes an explanation for the use of any non-adopted textbooks or instructional materials.

Core Curriculum Areas	Quality and Currency of Textbooks and Instructional Materials
Reading/Language Arts	The core program for students in grades K-5 is Open Court Reading and for all other graders, Hampton Brown and Highpoint. Every classroom will deliver the literacy program aligned to WCCUSD content standards and California State Standards. Each grade level will have a POD leader to monitor grade level consistency.
Mathematics	Harcourt School Publishers, Harcourt Math (Grades K-6)
Science	Foss Kits (Grades K-3); Harcourt Brace School Publishers, Harcourt Science (Grades 4-5)
History-Social Science	SRA, Open Court (Grades K-3); Harcourt Brace School Publishers, Harcourt Brace Social Studies (Grades K-6)

Availability of Sufficient Textbooks and Instructional Materials
Information about the availability of sufficient standards-aligned (kindergarten through grade 12) and state-adopted (kindergarten and grades 1 through 8) or locally adopted (grades 9 through 12) textbooks and other instructional materials for each pupil, including English learners, that are consistent with the content and cycles of the curriculum frameworks adopted by the State Board of Education in the core curriculum areas of reading/language arts, mathematics, science, history-social science, foreign language, and health (kindergarten through grade 12); and science laboratory equipment (grades 9 through 12), as appropriate. For kindergarten and grades 1 through 8, the information also includes a description of any supplemental curriculum adopted by the local governing board.

Core Curriculum Areas	Availability of Textbooks and Instructional Materials
Reading/Language Arts	sufficient for all students
Mathematics	sufficient for all students
Science	sufficient for all students
History-Social Science	sufficient for all students
Health	sufficient for all students

Instructional Minutes
Data reported compare the number of instructional minutes offered at the school level to the state requirement for each grade.

Grade Level	Instructional Minutes
	Offered	State Requirement
K	36,000	36,000
1	50,455	50,400
2	50,455	50,400
3	50,455	50,400
4	54,035	54,000
5	54,035	54,000
6	54,035	54,000

Minimum Days in School Year
Information about the total number of days in the most recent school year that students attended school on a shortened day schedule and the reasons for the shortened day schedule.

12

X. Postsecondary Preparation (Secondary Schools)

There are no data available for this section.

XI. Fiscal and Expenditure Data

Teacher and Administrative Salaries (Fiscal Year 2003-04)
Data reported are the district salaries for teachers, principals, and superintendents, compared to the state average salaries for districts of the same type and size, as defined by Education Code Section 41409. Data are also reported for teacher and administrative salaries as a percent of a district's budget. Detailed information regarding salaries may be found at the CDE Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/fd/cs/ and http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/sa/salaries0304.asp. Note: County offices of education are not required to report average salaries and expenditures. The CDE's School Fiscal Services Division does not calculate statewide average salary and expenditure information for county offices of education.

Category	District Amount	State Average for Districts in Same Category
Beginning Teacher Salary	$33,772	$37,061
Mid-Range Teacher Salary	$49,513	$58,294
Highest Teacher Salary	$65,019	$72,876
Average Principal Salary (Elementary)	$78,735	$94,471
Average Principal Salary (Middle)	$82,671	$98,940
Average Principal Salary (High)	$93,212	$107,418
Superintendent Salary	$191,922	$179,061
Percent of Budget for Teacher Salaries	38.1	41.4
Percent of Budget for Administrative Salaries	5.1	5.1

District Expenditures (Fiscal Year 2003-04)
Data reported are the total dollars expended in the district and the dollars expended per student at the district compared to the state average for all districts and for districts of the same type and size. Detailed information regarding expenditures may be found at the CDE Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ds/fd/ec/. Note: County offices of education are not required to report average expenditures. The CDE's School Fiscal Services Division does not calculate statewide average expenditure information for county offices of education.

District	District	State Average for Districts in Same Category	State Average, All Districts
Total Dollars Expended	Dollars Expended Per Student (ADA)	Dollars Expended Per Student (ADA)	Dollars Expended Per Student (ADA)
$234,678,271	$7,399	$6,987	$6,919

Types of Services Funded
Information about the programs and supplemental services that are provided at the school through either categorical funds or other sources.