Most schools in San Benito County showed improvement on
statewide tests given in 2004, according to recently finalized data
by the California Department of Education several weeks ago. The
results are an audited version of data released in October and
contain more demographic information, said Bill Padia, director of
the policy and evaluation at the California Department of
Education.
Hollister – Most schools in San Benito County showed improvement on statewide tests given in 2004, according to recently finalized data by the California Department of Education several weeks ago. The results are an audited version of data released in October and contain more demographic information, said Bill Padia, director of the policy and evaluation at the California Department of Education.
Approximately 74 percent of schools saw an increase in the Academic Performance Index, or API, a number, comprised of several standardized tests the state uses to evaluate schools’ growth. Anzar High School saw the biggest increase in the score, along with Southside and Willow Grove elementary schools. The finalized results reflect little change from the initial release in October, but are the permanent record schools will be judged against when this year’s test results are released next fall.
In San Benito County, only six schools did not make improvements on tests taken in spring of 2004, but county schools are still striving to find ways to continually raise their scores each year, according to administrators. Schools must continue to show improvement on the API results each year which are part of the Adequate Yearly Progress defined in the federal No Child Left Behind education plan.
At Sunnyslope Elementary, which scored 11 points lower than last year, principal Melinda Scott said teachers were working on improving student performance by making sure they mastered the needed subject standards before moving on to new material.
“We really make sure that they’ve got it,” said Scott. “If they haven’t, we teach it to them again.”
After reviewing test scores in the fall, Sunnyslope decided to add more classes to its after-school tutoring program as well as open a student book store where kids could buy books for 50 cents to a dollar. The school also motivated kids to attend class with special incentives such as popsicles, hot chocolate and pencils for students with perfect attendance each month. Their hope is that with better attendance, kids will not fall behind in class and perform better on standardized testing.
Only Southside, Cienega and Bitterwater Tully – all elementary schools – scored higher than 800, while the majority lagged behind in the mid to high 600s.
Administrators and teachers have often said the state and federal accountability system does not necessarily paint an accurate picture of what’s going on inside the classroom. The Academic Performance Index was implemented in 1999 and is the state’s attempt to make sure schools improve each year. The score ranges from 200 to 1,000, with 800 considered the state target.
Though some schools score well, they also struggle to continually improve each year. Aromas School, for example, scored a respectable 712, but it was 14 points lower than in 2003. However, Jackie Muñoz, superintendent of Aromas-San Juan Unified School District, said that the fluctuation in numbers did not mean much, especially when the overall score was high.
She also attributed the school’s drop in scores to a frequent change in principals in recent years.
“Whenever you have a transition in administration, programs aren’t consistent,” she said.
Tony Panganiban, principal at Calaveras School, which dropped 20 points in this year’s API knows what it’s like to be judged by numbers. The school received the lowest score in the entire county – 602, but Panganiban isn’t worried.
“If you look back at our scores, we’ve come a long way and made steady progress,” he said. Only several years ago, it was not unusual for Calaveras to get scores in the lows 500’s on the API, said Panganiban.
Two-thirds of students at the school know little or no English when they come to Calaveras, but are still required to take the tests, according to Panganiban. And although the school knows students barely able to say the ABC’s won’t do well on the tests, they still encourage them to take it in order to improve their participation rate.
While the API and other scores required by the state and federal government are a way to assess how and what kids are learning, they are not the only way to judge a school’s effect on students.
“Schools certainly go back and forth, even the best of them,” he said. “What we are looking at is the trend and (what we are seeing is) that it’s pretty good.”
Karina Ioffee covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at (831)637-5566 ext. 335 or ki*****@fr***********.com
