District starts program to assist underachieving students
Focus on pupils with low academic scores

Ten freshmen with low academic scores are receiving special attention in a pilot program at Moorpark High School that began about three weeks ago.

"More than 2,400 kids come through here, and there's always some who will fall through the cracks," said Principal Kirk Miyashiro at a school board meeting last week during which he introduced Project AIM (Advancing Into Mainstream).

Some pupils miss out on education not because of ability or academic potential, Miyashiro said, but because of behavior problems. Moorpark Unified School District created the pilot program to help the underperforming students regain ground in a controlled environment, he said.

Students enrolled in Project AIM aren't integrated with the rest of the student body. They eat lunch together and study together under the constant supervision of two teachers, Miyashiro said.

The program also addresses character building, behavior modification and the development of study skills. If it's successful, Project AIM it will be expanded to serve eighth-graders as well, the principal said.

"This is a possible stop gap to get students on a better path early. Socially, the kids hate to be isolated, but if we don't do anything they'll end up having 10 to 15 credits at the end of their freshman year instead of the required 60."

The effectiveness of the program, which currently serves only boys, will be evaluated at the end of the school year, said school officials.

- Sylvie Belmond