While some schools in San Benito County are making gains on
standardized tests, others are lagging behind, test results
released by the Department of Education Tuesday show.
Hollister – While some schools in San Benito County are making gains on standardized tests, others are lagging behind, test results released by the Department of Education Tuesday show.
The results are based on the Academic Performance Index, a score that uses student data on the Standardized Testing and Reporting, a combination of four tests given throughout the year. It also includes results from the California High School Exit Exam, which all high school students need to pass in order to graduate starting with the class of 2006. The API results are a key component of determining Adequate Yearly Progress as required by the federal No Child Left Behind act.
Most schools in the county scored higher than last year, however some did not make sufficient progress, as required by the California Department of Education and NCLB. Each year, the state uses a formula to come up with the number of points each school is expected to increase its score by, with the intention that even the best performing school continues to have some progress. In all, eight schools met their target growth rate while seven did not. Schools with under 100 students were not included because their results are less accurate.
However, to meet their AYP requirements for NCLB schools must post an API score of at least 560 or increase at least one point over the previous year’s score. For example, a school with an API score of 700 must score at least 701 the following year.
Anzar High School made the biggest gains by far among any school in the county, scoring 33 points above the growth target, according to test results. R.O. Hardin Elementary and Marguerite Maze Middle School also had high API results, scoring 14 and 13 points respectively above the growth target. In the Hollister School District, six schools met their growth rate and two did not, but district-wide HSD increased its average score by seven points over last year. San Benito High School dropped by 1 point, making it miss its performance target by seven points.
Despite the increase in scores from last year, administrators aren’t getting caught up in the good news because they say the score is but one measure of overall achievement.
“This is a political tool used to rank schools,” said Dennis Kurtz, principal of Gabilan Hills, which scored seven points higher than the target score. “It’s not too useful in telling teachers how to teach a kid.”
Kurtz added that before a full picture of a school is drawn, many things besides tests need to be considered, such as parental education, race and levels of income.
“It’s like looking at two Grade Point Averages, you can put them down on paper, but can’t make any honest comparison,” he said. “You have to get down to the nitty gritty.”
In addition to the API scores, the report also ranks schools on a scale of one through 10 and sets new targets for tests that will be taken this spring. The highest ranking schools are Southside Elementary, which was ranked in the top 20 percent of schools with similar demographics and Tres Pinos, which scored in the top 40 percent of similar schools. Other county schools with high rankings include San Benito High School, Anzar High School, Ladd Lane and Cerra Vista elementaries, which all ranked six out of a possible 10.
Other teachers seconded Kurtz’s opinion about the relevance of API scores, saying they used other factors to figure out the direction in which to steer their teaching.
“The API scores don’t necessarily influence decisions we’ve made here in terms promoting continuos improvement and achievement of our students,” said Joe Hudson, principal of San Juan Elementary. “We’ve been interested in improvement in student achievement for years, even before the API was implemented. It’s just part of the culture.”
The academic performance and progress of schools are measured by using a numeric index that ranges from a low of 200 to a high of 1,000. Anzar, for example, scored 687 points, R. O. Hardin 627 and Marguerite Maze 686.
Charlene McKowen, principal of Anzar High School was not available for comment, but Jackie Muñoz, superintendent of Aromas-San Juan Unified School District said that the school was doing well and on the right track.
“Anzar really did a wonderful job and I see that continuing … our interventions are making a difference,” she said.
Interventions can include districts’ own assessments of reading, writing and math as well as programs such as after-school tutoring.
If a school makes its API growth target, it becomes eligible for the Governor’s Performance Award, while those who don’t are subject to intervention from the state, including sanctions. Schools that fail to meet the AYP under NCLB are also subject to sanctions which eventually includes allowing parents to pull the children from the under-performing schools if the AYP is missed for several consecutive years.
Karina Ioffee covers education and agriculture for the Free Lance. Reach her at (831)637-5566 ext. 335 or [email protected]
