More than half the students at Rancho San Justo Middle School
got their names in the paper last week for achieving a 3.0 or
better grade point average and being named to the school’s honor
roll.
More than half the students at Rancho San Justo Middle School got their names in the paper last week for achieving a 3.0 or better grade point average and being named to the school’s honor roll.
A school-record 572 students – 52 percent of Rancho’s student population of 1,086 – made the honor roll for the first grading period.
“The kids are doing a very good job,” said Rancho San Justo counselor Bill Jacinto. “The teachers support them, but the kids are doing the work and making progress.”
For the first time, the school recognized students who achieved a perfect 4.0 grade point average by naming them to the principal’s list. In that elite group were 91 students, while 482 others earned a GPA between a 3.0 and 3.99.
The recent Academic Performance Index results for the school, based on the STAR test, revealed that Rancho San Justo has increased its API scores 27 points from last year.
“We’ve been trying to hit it really hard and I think it’s really paying off,” Jacinto said. “Our test scores have been steadily climbing over the year, but this is by far the biggest climb.”
Jacinto said one of the reasons for the academic success is a recent accelerated reading program and after-school tutoring by teachers.
Rancho San Justo Principal Cindy Cordova is pleased with the high number of students on the honor roll, but said that API test scores and the number of students on the honor rolls are not directly related.
“There are a lot of factors of students getting on to honor roll – achievement of standards, homework, handing in assignments,” Cordova said. “It’s a different assessment (than the API scores). We’re thrilled many are successful with the honor roll.”
