Upfront
Local news, information and analysis
Council set to adopt new vision for California Avenue Proposed ‘concept plan’ includes smaller housing units, technology corridor, zone change at Fry’s site by Gennady Sheyner s jackhammers and exca- than the former, but its effects vators roar forth with an could be as long lasting. The city ambitious and expensive has spent more than five years beautification of California Av- putting together the California enue, Palo Alto officials are put- Avenue Concept Plan, a process ting the finishing touches on a that included four community new vision for the rapidly chang- meetings and five public hearing neighborhood considered the ings in front of the Planning and city’s “other downtown.” Transportation Commission, The latter effort is less visible which signed off on the plan last
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month. According to a new report from the Department of Planning and Community Environment, the concept plan will offer a “unifying vision to guide future development and redevelopment, while preserving and enhancing the quality of life.” It would ultimately be included in the city’s Comprehensive Plan, the city’s land-use bible that is now in the midst of a revision. So what is this “unifying vision?” According to the document,
which the City Council will discuss on Monday night, it includes more mixed-use developments in the commercial core; a “technology corridor” on Park Boulevard; preservation of residential neighborhoods just outside California Avenue and and traffic-calming measures and bike amenities on all major arteries in the area. The plan splits the California Avenue area into three sections: the business district on and around California Avenue; the job-rich
and residential area around Park Boulevard; and the sprawling site that includes Fry’s Electronics, which is the only area that would see a zone change. Under the proposal, the 26.9acre Fry’s site that is currently zoned “service commercial” would be split into two zones. An 11.7-acre portion would remain “service commercial” while the remaining 15.2 acres would be V Ì Õi`Ê Ê«>}iÊ£Ó®
EDUCATION
Palo Alto students help ‘pilot-test the test’ In April testing period, local students try new ‘Smarter Balanced’ assessment by Chris t’s out with No. 2 pencils and in with “click and drag” as students take on this spring’s standardized tests in Palo Alto and across the state. Embarking on a new era of testing, California has replaced the decade-old STAR program with a new assessment that differs from the old both in substance and delivery. The Smarter Balanced Assessment is still in the pilot-testing phase — thus, this year’s results don’t count and will not be reported to parents or to schools. Unlike the old test, which was geared to California State Standards, the content of Smarter Balanced is aligned with the new Common Core State Standards, which have been adopted by 44 states including California, as well as by the District of Columbia. And all kids are taking the test by computer, not by the old fill-inthe-bubble method. Between March 28 and May 16, about 6,500 Palo Alto students in grades three through eight — as well as high school juniors — are taking the Smarter Balanced Assessment. In elementary and middle school, students are typically taking it over two mornings. For 11th graders, it’s been given in a single stretch of two to three hours, said statistician Diana Wilmot, director of research and evaluation for the Palo Alto Unified School District. Even as the Common Core standards are attacked by critics from both the left and the right, Gov. Jerry Brown last fall signed legislation tossing the old test and ordering a trial run of Smarter Balanced in California schools this year.
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No wiggling out of this UC Master Gardener and Master Composter Terry Andre holds up a handful of decomposed organic waste full of earthworms as Claire Cho, left, Sean Taeyang and Bella Castaneda take a close look. The demonstration was part of a “Going Green: Worm Composting for Kids” workshop at the Palo Alto Children’s Library on April 16, which was hosted by Zero Waste Palo Alto.
COMMUNITY
Abilities United announces plan to redevelop all facilities Organization for people with disabilities to replace aging structures
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ix months after Abilities United announced the closure of its Betty Wright Aquatic Center, the organization’s board of directors voted to redevelop all of its aging facilities, a spokesperson has told the Weekly. The board of directors voted at its March meeting to begin the planning necessary for the largescale redevelopment of the organization’s facilities for persons with disabilities, including the warmwater aquatics center, which closed in October 2013. Abilities United facilities include three 1960s-era
by Sue Dremann buildings at its main site at 3864 Middlefield Road, including the aquatics center, and a 1980s administrative facility at 525 E. Charleston Road in Palo Alto. Karen Moore, board president, said a complete redevelopment has been in the back of everyone’s mind since the board began to consider the organization’s future and direction during a 2011 retreat. “The pool just made it (a) reality,” she said. A broader redevelopment plan “just seemed totally logical,” Moore said. “We know it has to
happen. We would hate to be in a situation where we put all of our eggs in one basket. It just gave us an opportunity to look at this in totality. We don’t want to be in a situation in the future where we have to cease services.” The Middlefield Road facilities house Milestones Preschool, childdevelopment services, early intervention, adult day activities, afterschool socialization programs and computer education. Employment services, independent-living skills V Ì Õi`Ê Ê«>}iÊn®
Kenrick Once it’s past the pilot phase, the new test will be predictive of a student’s college and career readiness, Wilmot said. “It will give students feedback as early as third grade about their trajectory toward that mark,” she said. It also will enable teachers to measure students’ progress during the year through unofficial, online “interim assessments.” Content of the test goes beyond multiple-choice questions to integrate a classroom activity, Wilmot said. For example, a teacher will moderate a 30-minute class discussion on a topic such as all the factors a person needs to consider before building a garden. Following the discussion, students log into Smarter Balanced to take a “performance task” related to the classroom activity. On the technical side, the new online test adapts to the test-taker’s level, meaning the questions it generates will differ for students, depending on their answers to previous questions. “It modifies the test for every student, which is a quicker and more efficient way to narrow down a student’s ability,” Wilmot said. Calculators and glossaries will appear on the screen if they are needed to work out a problem. The new test also builds in accommodations for special education students, such as larger print size or a “text-to-speech” feature for students who need questions read to them. It also incorporates American Sign Language. Previously, schools had to administer a separate test, the California ModV Ì Õi`Ê Ê«>}iʣή
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