Today's final rundown/script

CTNS SCRIPTS

CAPITOL TELEVISION NEWS SERVICE

SACRAMENTO, CA

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2008

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1. GOVERNOR CHAMBER HOST BREAKFAST....VO/SOT

2. NO MONEY, NO RAISES!...........................UNSCRIPTED

3. SCHOOL SCORES RELEASED...........................VO/SOT

4. SENATE REPUBLICANS GET CREATIVE..........VO/SOT

5. GOVERNOR PHYSICAL FITNESS AWARDS..............VO

3. SCHOOL SCORES RELEASED VO/SOT

LIVE: THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION SAYS RISING SCORES ON STANDARDIZED TESTS INDICATES CALIFORNIA STUDENTS ARE BETTER PREPARED FOR THE JOB MARKET. BUT THE CO-CHAIRMAN OF AN EDUCATION REFORM GROUP SAYS RISING STUDENT DROP OUT RATES INDICATE PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE FAILING TO PREPARE MOST STUDENTS FOR THE WORKPLACE.

SUPER: TODAY/JOHN F. KENNEDY HIGH SCHOOL/SACRAMENTO

VO: (:30) STATE SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT JACK O'CONNELL TODAY RELEASED THE 2007 BASE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE INDEX REPORT, WHICH COMPARES INDIVIDUAL SCHOOLS STATEWIDE, BASED ON STUDENT TESTING, INCLUDING RESULTS OF THE STANDARDIZED TESTING AND REPORTING PROGRAM, AND THE HIGH SCHOOL EXIT EXAM. O'CONNELL SAYS SINCE 1999, WHEN THE A-P-I PROGRAM BEGAN, TEST SCORES HAVE RISEN AMONG THE STATE'S SCHOOLS, WITH THE WORST PERFORMING SCHOOLS SHOWING THE MOST IMPROVEMENT.

SUPER: SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION JACK O'CONNELL/ D-SAN LUIS OBISPO

SOT: (:39)

SAYS: "THESE SCORES REFLECT THE FACT TODAY THAT WE HAVE MORE STUDENTS PREPARED TO BECOME PRODUCTIVE, CONTRIBUTING CITIZENS IN OUR NEW, HYPER-COMPETITIVE GLOBAL ECONOMY. WE HAVE MORE AND MORE STUDENTS REACHING OUR BENCHMARKS OF PROFICIENCY, AND WE HAVE A HIGH STANDARD FOR THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA THAT WE'RE GOING TO MAINTAIN. AND SO THESE TEST RESULTS WE'RE NOW PUTTING IN PLACE, FROM 2007, FOR OUR CONTENT STANDARDS TEST, AND FOR OUR HIGH SCHOOL EXIT EXAM TESTS INDICATE THAT MORE STUDENTS ARE SCORING PROFICIENT OR ABOVE. MORE STUDENTS WILL BE PREPARED TO BECOME PRODUCTIVE CONTRIBUTING MEMBERS IN OUR HYPER-COMPETITIVE GLOBAL ECONOMY."

CONT. VO: (0:10) BUT THE CO-CHAIRMAN OF THE GROUP "GET REAL," WHICH SUPPORTS ADDING MORE VOCATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS AT PUBLIC SCHOOLS, SAYS THE INCREASED FOCUS ON ACADEMIC TESTING AND COLLEGE PREP COURSES IS PROMPTING MANY STUDENTS TO QUIT SCHOOL.

SUPER: JACK STEWART/ SUPPORTS TECHNICAL EDUCATION

SOT: (:22)

SAYS: "I THINK 81 PERCENT I THINK SAID THEY LEFT BECAUSE THEY FOUND NO RELEVANCE IN WHAT THEY WERE LEARNING, AND WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH THE A.P.I.'S, IS WE'RE PUTTING SO MUCH FOCUS ON MATH AND ENGLISH, AND IF A STUDENT IS NOT PASSING MATH AND ENGLISH, THEN WE ARE PUTTING THEM ITO REMEDIAL MATH AND ENGLISH, AND FORCING OUT THE ABILITY FOR THAT STUDENT TO TAKE COURSES HE MAY FIND RELEVANT, OR SHE MAY FIND RELEVANT IN THE CAREER TECHNICAL EDUCATION AREA."

VO TAG: JACK STEWART, WHO IS ALSO PRESIDENT OF THE CALIFORNIA MANUFACTURERS AND TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION, SAYS A-P-I SCORES DON'T PREDICT STUDENTS' SUCCESS IN THE JOB MARKET. STEWART SAYS CALIFORNIA'S PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM FORCES ALL STUDENTS TO TAKE COLLEGE PREP COURSES, EVEN THOUGH FIVE OUT OF SEVEN JOBS NATIONWIDE DON'T REQUIRE A FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE DEGREE.

EXTRA BITES:

SUPER: JACK STEWART/ SUPPORTS CAREER TECHNICAL EDUCATION

SOT: (:27)

SAYS: "WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT DUMBING DOWN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MAKING IT MORE RELEVANT. BUT YOU KNOW THE CHALLENGE WE FACE IS THAT COURSES LIKE MATH AND ENGLISH AND SCIENCE AND HISTORY THEY'RE ALL REQUIRED AS PART OF K-12 OR 9-12 HIGH SCHOOL CURRICULUM C-T-E IS NOT, AND WE CONTINUE TO RAISE THE BAR AND REQUIRE MORE AND MORE COURSES, UH, THEN C-T-WE CONTINUES TO GET SQUEEZED OUT."

SOT: (:12)

SAYS: "I THINK THE C-S-U GRAD-UH, DROP OUT RATE IS ABOUT 40 PERCENT, THE U-C DROP OUT RATE IS ABOUT 20 PERCENT. SO WE'RE FINDING KIDS WHO WE'RE FORCING INTO THE UNIVERSITIES, THEY GET THERE, AND THEY FIND OUT IT'S NOT FOR THEM."