Subtle signs of a turnaround on a troubled L.A. campus

"What kind of person does Lady MacBeth want her husband to be?" she asked her class a few days after the test.

"A murderer," said Deon, appearing more focused that day.

"What does Lady Macbeth want her husband to seem to be?" Bridger continued.

"A hero, a leader," said Daniel, who was awake that day. He works 35 hours a week at Subway, for $8.25 an hour, to support his girlfriend and their two children.

The test Bridger had given was one of a series of benchmark exams that Green Dot uses to measure progress. When the results came, they showed gains: The average score for Bridger's fifth-period class, roughly converted to the state's norms, would be in the low range of "basic," one level below the state's goal of "proficiency." That's not spectacular, but as 11th graders, 63% of Locke students had tested as "below basic" or worse.

Tough conditions

Locke's student body includes many who are far behind in credits, others with severe to moderate disabilities, and a small but steady flow of teens returning to school after serving time for criminal activity.

Academic growth over the last year has been uneven, according to Green Dot data. And that has prompted concern. "My nightmare is that the state test scores come in and you're judged by that," said Green Dot founder Steve Barr.

Leaders of traditional schools frequently complain about being evaluated mainly by test results; such concerns are often dismissed by charter school operators, including Green Dot.

"We have not unlocked all the mysteries," said Marco Petruzzi, Green Dot's chief executive. "We're very humble about that."

Daniel and Deon are among about 307 seniors who completed their course work for graduation. Several dozen others will participate in today's ceremony because they are close enough to finish in summer school. More than 100 seniors didn't make it.

Byron was kicked out of a Pomona high school two years ago for fighting. He moved in with his father near Locke in part, he said, to escape bad influences, including some in his family. Last year, he got Bs and Cs and he flunked a class.

"Last year it didn't matter," said Byron, who earned A's and Bs this year. "I never had nobody on me like I do now. This year, any class I decide to mess in, I will get in trouble with the teacher. They don't expect me to mess up."