September 7, 2006

Almaden Valley schools earn top marks on API tests

By Lorraine Gabbert
Staff Writer

Almaden Valley schools earned their fine reputation once again with the release of the 2006 Academic Performance Index (API) scores by the California Department of Education.

The API is the state’s primary measurement tool used to calculate the academic performance, growth and effectiveness of California’s schools in meeting state standards. While low API scores may identify problem schools, the API test is also analyzed by teachers to target students in need of assistance in specific areas as well as a reminder to focus on the standards.

Based upon a numeric range of 200 to 1,000 points, the target goal for each school is a score of 800 points. Annual growth targets are 5 percent of the difference between a school’s base API score and the state’s 800-point target.

The majority of Almaden Valley’s elementary, middle and high schools showed growth from 2005 to 2006, with Leland High School showing the least and Pioneer High School making the greatest gains. Among Santa Clara County’s most improved schools, Castillero was counted in the top 25 middle schools, and Pioneer was in the top 10 high schools. However, what is evident from all the schools’ scores is the dedication and commitment of their teachers, staff, parents and students.

All of the local elementary schools scored above 900 points. Graystone Elementary School gained an impressive 18 points, improving its API score from 921 to 939. Los Alamitos Elementary School lost 2 points in its 2006 API score, dropping from 903 to 901. However, this is a high-scoring school displaying an extremely slight drop. Simonds Elementary School excelled with a 15-point gain, raising its API score from 908 to 923. Williams Elementary School, the highest scoring school in the San Jose Unified School District, experienced a 9-point growth in 2006, turning in a score of 965.

Guadalupe Elementary School in the Union School District showed a growth of 1 point, raising their 2005 API score from 917 to 918.

Dr. Aaron Buchanan, San Jose Unified School District’s director of testing and educational accountability, is pleased with the success of Almaden Valley schools. “It’s harder to make growth when you’re near the top,” he notes, “that’s why I’m so pleased by the performance of the Almaden schools.”

SJUSD Public Information Officer Karen Fuqua agrees. “It’s amazing when schools continue to keep such a high level of scores and achievement,” she says. “To achieve growth when you’re scoring that high is very difficult. We commend those teachers, students and parents.”

Castillero and Bret Harte Middle Schools showed gains of 13 and 8 points respectively. Castillero grew from 800 in 2005 to 813 in 2006. Bret Harte’s scores increased from 891 in 2005 to 899 in 2006.

Leland and Pioneer high schools both exceeded the magic 800 mark in their 2006 API scores. Leland High School experienced a minor dip of 3 points, dropping from 862 in 2005 to 859 in 2006.

“Leland’s growth went down by 3 points, but in this case, I don’t think the API is a good representation of what happened at Leland,” says Buchanan. “When I look at the percentage of kids scoring proficient or advanced, Leland increased quite nicely.”

Pioneer High School continued its tremendous growth from 2004, when it gained 43 points, making great strides in 2005. In experiencing a gain of 24 points in 2006, increasing their score from 777 to 801, they also exceeded their goal of 800 points. Pioneer’s growth ranks it sixth out of 44 district high schools.

With an API score growth of 43 points in 2005, and 24 points in 2006, Pioneer has made great gains. According to Buchanan, at number six, Pioneer was among the top 10 of 45 of the county’s most improved regular high schools. “I give lots of points to Pioneer,” said Buchanan. “Pioneer has worked really hard using data to identify students on the verge of moving from one level to the next, and better meeting the needs of their students. They’ve been a model for other schools.”

Making sense of the API
Excited by the accomplishment of San Jose Unified schools, Superintendent Don Iglesias congratulated the efforts of the team of teachers, staff, students, parents and community partners. “By sharing best practices, using data to inform instruction, extended day [tutoring] and benchmark testing,” he says, “our schools have made great gains while facing the everyday challenges.” Iglesias believes that continually enforcing high standards and expectations creates the foundation for student success.

In 2006, the San Jose Unified School District (SJUSD) achieved an API score of 752, improving 15 points from 2005. By comparison, the state scored 720 points, with an increase of 11 points. One SJUSD school, Olinder Elementary School, ranked first in the county for its API growth of 84 points.

Buchanan feels that the district did well overall. “We look very good,” he says. “For example, our English-language learners improved by 18 points, while the state improved by 9. I always like it when our growth is more than the state’s growth.”

Although he is pleased by the progress of the district’s schools, Buchanan knows that there is still room for improvement. “There are certainly areas we’re working on,” he says.

Several factors contribute to a school’s API score. For grades two through eight, the California Achievement Test, 6th Edition (CAT/6) makes up 20 percent, and the California Standards Test (CST), used in calculating the STAR results, comprises 80 percent of the score. For grades nine through 11, the CAT/6 makes up 12 percent, the CST a hefty 73 percent, and the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) the remaining 15 percent.

Various student subgroups within a school must also make improvement for a school to meet its API targets. These subgroups include ethnic, socio-economically disadvantaged, and for the first time in 2006, English learners and students with disabilities. Introducing these two new subgroups into the API results reduced the percentage of schools meeting their API growth targets, and accounted for about one quarter of the decline between 2005 and 2006. In addition, the API scores were affected by a decrease in the improvement of students’ scores on the California Standards Test.

“The state and federal accountability systems provide important information about public school performance,” said State Superinten-dent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell. “They show that California schools are making steady progress in raising student achievement, but that we must continue to focus on closing the achievement gap.” O’Connell considers these systems essential in ensuring that schools continue to meet the individual needs of their students, preparing them for success in a rapidly changing global economy.