Laguna Beach : Unified School District Gets Its Report Card From Class of ’84

Most members of Laguna Beach High School’s class of 1984 say the school should place more emphasis on basic subjects and give more help to students with trouble in math and reading.

In a survey by the Laguna Beach Unified School District, 84% of the 192 graduating seniors responding agreed with the statement that more emphasis was needed on math, science and English. Also, 74% agreed that students having trouble in subjects such as math and reading should be provided with more help.

The school district has conducted the survey every year since 1977 and “that same attitude has been pretty much that way since the beginning,” said district Supt. Billy J. Barnes.

In part because of past survey results, the high school has initiated courses in fundamental math, remedial reading and English for those who need special help.

However, the definition of “basic courses” probably needs to be more narrowly defined, Barnes said. Laguna Beach High School students are oriented toward college, he said, and “to them, basic classes are those required to get them into a college or university and it does not necessarily mean remedial reading or fundamental math.”

According to the responses, 88% of the graduates intend to continue their education.

Seventy-one percent said they planned to attend a four-year college or university while 23% plan to go to a community college. Four percent had selected a trade or business college.

This spring, the class of ’84 will be sent a follow-up questionnaire, asking how the high school could have better prepared them for either college or jobs.

“Generally, they say, ‘Be harder,’ ” Barnes said. “Be more demanding. Teach us how to do a better job in writing reports. Give more writing assignments.”

However, usually only about 28% of the original respondents answer the second survey, he said, and typically they are in college.