APR: Some Local Schools Make Big Gains

SAN JOSE, CA— The staff of the Santa Clara County Office of Education has analyzed the California 2009 “Accountability Progress Report,” released by the state on Sept. 15. Some highlights of the analysis:

• Several Santa Clara County schools showed significant gains in Growth Academic Performance Index. For example, Anderson Elementary School in Moreland School District in San Jose improved by 136 points.
• The two top schools statewide in API were from Santa Clara County: Murdock-Portal Elementary and Faria Elementary, both in the Cupertino Union School District.
• The results reflect a significant and persistent problem—the achievement gap. For example, 80 percent of white students in the county scored at “proficient” or better in English/Language Arts; but the figure for Hispanic students was only 39 percent. The gap in math was only slightly smaller.

“That disparity is just too great to ignore,” said Dr. Charles Weis, County Superintendent of Schools. “We need to marshal all our resources to address this gap. It’s going to take the whole community to fix this—or ultimately, it’s the community that will suffer.”

The APR report is made up of three components: Growth API, 2009 AYP and a list of schools in Program Improvement (PI). The SCCOE staff analysis summarizes the performance of county students, and compares their performance with their statewide counterparts.

In general, county schools continue to outpace counterparts statewide. For example, 53 percent of county schools met the state’s target score of 800 or better on Growth API; statewide, the figure was 38 percent.

Along with Anderson School at the elementary level, county schools showing the greatest gain at their level from 2008 Base API to 2009 Growth API were Campbell Middle School in Campbell Union Elementary School District, with a 47-point gain; and Middle College High in San Jose Unified School District, with a gain of 160 points. The district with the greatest gain was Loma Prieta Joint Union Elementary School District, with a gain of 35 points.

The gain at Campbell Middle School, however, belies a troubling trend among middle schools. The state’s requirements to meet AYP criteria are becoming increasingly difficult to meet, and only 24 percent of county middle schools were able to meet the standard in 2009--a drop from 39 percent the previous year. There was a similar drop statewide, though not as steep.

SCCOE Staff Analysis

Date last updated: September 15, 2009