INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Info Mountain View community resource guide SEPTEMBER 18, 2015 VOLUME 23, NO. 34
www.MountainViewOnline.com
650.964.6300
MOVIES | 27
Common Core test scores reveal bigger achievement gap LOCAL DISTRICTS OUTPERFORM STATE, BUT DISPARITIES REMAIN IN MOUNTAIN VIEW SCHOOLS By Kevin Forestieri
English and Language Arts
T
he Ca lifornia Department of Education released the long-awaited results of the first standardized tests aligned to new Common Core curriculum on Sept. 9, showing that by and large, Mountain View schools are outperforming the state average, in some cases by a wide margin. And while state and local school officials have cautioned the community to take the results with a grain of salt, the performance gulf between students in different ethnic and socioeconomic groups remains a serious concern. The test results, referred to as California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress See TEST SCORES, page 6
MOUNTAIN VIEW-LOS ALTOS HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT
71 23%
%
32% 22%
35%
10% 3%
70%
Asian Latino
53%
30%
13%
Economically disadvantaged
25%
25% 22%
16%
14%
8% 5%
47%
58%
White English Learner 5% 2%
32%
14%
17%
14%
8%
76%
13%
24%
48%
Test scores for African-American students in the Mountain View-Los Altos district were ommitted for privacy reasons, due to fewer than 10 students participating in the test. *1%
English and Language Arts 54%
MOUNTAIN VIEW WHISMAN SCHOOL DISTRICT
11% 8%
30%
27%
36%
26%
31% 57%
3% 11% 7%
Mathematics 8% 8%
Asian
27%
Black
7%
20%
Latino
9%
19%
35% 28%
30%
11% 4%
57%
24%
32%
Standards exceeded
60%
Economically disadvantaged
Standards met
8%
Standards nearly met
13%
41% 32%
39% 25%
31% 18%
7%
32%
56%
White English Learner 5% 12%
37%
20%
12% 6%
53% 34%
41%
Standards not met
Test results reveal significantly lower performance among minority students, English learners and students in low-income families.
Council faces tough decisions on rent control requests By Mark Noack
P
22%
64%
13%
10 *
%
23%
2% 10%
Mathematics
18
%
ressure is mounting to address Mountain View’s rising rents, with city officials facing a delicate balancing act as they search for an effective solution. For the second week in a row, the City Council’s regular Tuesday meeting was dominated by a crowd of hundreds calling for immediate action to staunch rising rents. The crowd — includ-
ing housing advocates, religious groups and many families — pledged to continue gathering at city meetings to hammer home the message that rising rental costs in Mountain View are threatening to displace a large swath of the community. “We’re begging you to lower our rents, otherwise we’ll have to go to Mexico,” said Melvin, a 13-year-old student at Crittenden See RENT CONTROL, page 11
University withholds Mountain View earthquake safety data CITY TO STUDY POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS ‘SOFT-STORY’ BUILDINGS By Kevin Forestieri
T
he city of Mountain View is poised to begin a $350,000 study to identify residential buildings that are prone to collapse in a powerful earthquake. But there’s the question of whether the city would be retreading work that has already been done. San Jose State Uni-
INSIDE
versity released a study in 2006 surveying Santa Clara County’s “soft-story” buildings, so called because they have a structurally weak ground floor, typically open on one long side for parking, with apartment units above. Mountain View officials don’t know exactly how many of these buildings in the city could be at risk. Soft-story buildings can be
retrofitted to make them safer in an earthquake, and a number of Bay Area communities have already taken steps to require or encourage such remedial work. Soft-story buildings are typically of wood-frame construction, and the large, open space on the ground floor, normally See SOFT STORY, page 15
Burgers with an identity crisis WEEKEND | 24
VIEWPOINT 16 | GOINGS ON 28 | MARKETPLACE 29 | REAL ESTATE 31 September 18, 2015 Q Mountain View Voice Q MountainViewOnline.com Q
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