Mixed results for school ranks: API scores see small drop, while Exit Exam passage higher

“A number of factors indicate we use caution when interpreting these results including a significant rise in the achievement targets mandated by No Child Left Behind, a system that will soon be replaced,” Gary Waddell, deputy superintendent for the San Mateo County Office of Education, said in a press release. “This continuously rising target no longer effectively distinguishes between schools that are performing well and those that are not.”

Statewide, 56 percent of elementary schools, 50 percent of middle schools and 31 percent of high schools met or exceeded the state performance target of 800 points on the API. The overall API declined by two points from last year, from 791 to 789, although a number of student subgroups saw gains.

School and student group targets are set at 5 percent of the difference between the school or student group’s Base API score (posted last May, along with school ranks) and the statewide target of 800, with a minimum target of five points. All numerically significant student groups at a school must meet their growth targets for a school to meet its API growth target.

API scores varied from district to district and school to school in San Mateo County. For example, South San Francisco Unified School District saw a seven point drop overall, with scores ranging from 769 to 913. Baden, its continuation high school, dropped from a score of 506 last year to 415 this year. Sunshine Gardens Elementary School went down 40 points from last year.

Burlingame Elementary School District’s scores ranged from 887 to 962, while the San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District’s scores ranged from 743 to 950 with Meadow Heights Elementary School seeing a drop of 48 points and North Shoreview Elementary and Albion H. Horrall Elementary seeing an increase of 31 and 38, respectively, from last year). The Belmont-Redwood Shores Elementary School District dropped six points, with scores ranging from 865 to 938 with Nesbit Elementary School seeing its score rising 20 points from last year. In the Hillsborough City Elementary School District, scores ranged from 956 to 978, down six points overall from last year. Redwood City Elementary School District’s scores went down nine points, while Millbrae Elementary School District’s scores dropped three points. Millbrae Elementary School District’s scores ranged from 852 to 928. San Bruno Park Elementary School District’s scores dropped 17 points, with El Crystal Elementary School’s scores ticking down 32 points. San Carlos Elementary School District saw a six point drop in scores, with Heather Elementary School seeing a drop of 36 points from last year’s scores.

The Sequoia Union High School District went up three points and the San Mateo Union High School District’s scores bumped up six points overall, with Capuchino High School ticking up 25 points from last year.

“Our students and teachers continue to perform well but there is room for more growth,” Scott Laurence, San Mateo Union High School District superintendent, said in a press release. “The challenge of implementing the Common Core in a rapidly changing world requires that all of us keep up with the latest learning requirements as society and the job market change.”

The new Common Core standards shift to more project-based and team collaborative learning, with less time spent on lectures and more of an emphasis on students using technology in classrooms. New Smarter Balance testing, which aligns with these new standards, will go into effect during the 2014-15 school year. Since 1998, California school districts spent a significant amount of time preparing for STAR tests, which were unpopular among some for a variety of reasons.

Students passed the California High School Exit Exam at the highest rate since the test was made a graduation requirement in 2006. About 95.5 percent of the class of 2013 met the Exit Exam requirement by the end of their senior year, representing a 0.5 percentage point increase since 2012.

County high school students showed an overall increase of two points in the percentage of students scoring proficient and above on the Exit Exam. Eighty-eight percent of local test takers passed the mathematics test, while 87 percent passed the English-language arts, each score respectively four-percentage points above the state average.

“Despite the very real challenges of deep budget cuts and the ongoing effort to shift to new, more demanding academic standards, our schools persevered and students made progress,” State Superintendent Tom Torlakson said in a press release. “These results should give us confidence as we start the new school year, and our efforts to make college- and career-readiness a goal for every student move into high gear.”

The Exit Exam is administered every year to ensure that students who graduate from public high schools demonstrate competency in reading, writing and mathematics. Students who do not pass the exam in grade 10 have two chances in grade 11 and up to five chances in grade 12 to pass the exam.

“We’re happy with the Exit Exam results,” said Nancy Magee, administrator for Board Support and Community Relations at San Mateo County Office of Education. “It’s been very intentional work at all grade levels to prepare students for proficiency for the exam.”

For more information on the Exit Exam go to cahsee.cde.ca.gov/reports.asp. To learn more about this year’s API scores visit http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ap/apireports.asp.

Exit Exam info box:

Below are the percentage of 10th graders in the class of 2015 who passed the High School Exit Exam statewide, first number, followed by in San Mateo County. The county numbers are weighted to include significant subgroups.

Math: 84 percent / 88 percent

English-language arts: 83 percent / 87 percent

angela@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 105

API scores

The scores are shown for each district as well as for the individual schools within the district. The first number is the 2013 Growth, the second is the 2012 base; the third is the 2012-13 growth target; and the fourth is the 2012-13 growth.

N/A means a number is not applicable or not available due to missing data.

* means this API is calculated for a small school or LEA, defined as having between 11 and 99 valid Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program test scores included in the API. The API is asterisked if the school or LEA was small in either 2012 or 2013. APIs based on small numbers of students are less reliable and, therefore, should be carefully interpreted.

A means the school scored at or above the statewide performance target of 800 in 2013.

B means the school did not have a valid 2012 Base API and will not have any growth or target information.

C means the school had significant demographic changes and will not have any growth or target information.

D means this is either an LEA or a special education school. Target information is not applicable to LEAs or special education schools.

BELMONT-REDWOOD SHORES ELEMENTARY 913 919 D -6

Elementary Schools

Central Elementary 935 938 A -3

Cipriani Elementary 910 903 A 7

Fox Elementary 915 922 A -7

Nesbit Elementary 865 845 A 20

Redwood Shores Elementary 928 943 A -15

Sandpiper Elementary 938 943 A -5

Middle Schools

Ralston Intermediate 907 921 A -14

BURLINGAME ELEMENTARY 912 911 D 1

Elementary Schools

Franklin Elementary 962 955 A 7

Lincoln Elementary 918 920 A -2

McKinley Elementary 887 880 A 7

Roosevelt Elementary 917 919 A -2

Washington Elementary 895 887 A 8

Middle Schools

Burlingame Intermediate 902 904 A -2

HILLSBOROUGH CITY ELEMENTARY 967 973 D -6

Elementary Schools

North Hillsborough 978 989 A -11

South Hillsborough 956 958 A -2

West Hillsborough 978 977 A 1

Middle Schools

Crocker Middle 961 969 A -8

MILLBRAE ELEMENTARY 899 902 D -3

Elementary Schools

Green Hills Elementary 898 896 A 2

Lomita Park Elementary 852 853 A -1

Meadows Elementary 928 913 A 15

Spring Valley Elementary 907 892 A 15

Middle Schools

Taylor Middle 902 916 A -14

REDWOOD CITY ELEMENTARY 782 791 D -9

Elementary Schools

Adelante Spanish Immersion 838 838 A 0

Clifford Elementary 817 819 A -2

Fair Oaks Elementary 741 746 5 -5

Garfield Elementary 662 694 5 -32

Hawes Elementary 727 734 5 -7

Henry Ford Elementary 836 831 A 5

Hoover Elementary 736 746 5 -10

John Gill Elementary 698 727 5 -29

North Star Academy 995 990 A 5

Orion Alternative 854 872 A -18

Roosevelt Elementary 801 788 5 13

Roy Cloud Elementary 861 880 A -19

Selby Lane Elementary 730 716 5 14

Taft Elementary 750 787 5 -37

Middle Schools

John F. Kennedy Middle 745 761 5 -16

McKinley Institute of Technology 741 740 5 1

SAN BRUNO PARK ELEMENTARY 818 835 D -17

Elementary Schools

Allen (Decima M.) Elementary 823 826 A -3

Belle Air Elementary 791 812 A -21

Crestmoor Elementary 842 849 A -7

El Crystal Elementary 838 870 A -32

John Muir Elementary 897 897 A 0

Portola Elementary 929 919 A 10

Rollingwood Elementary 794 807 A -13

Middle Schools

Parkside Intermediate 785 797 3 -12

SAN CARLOS ELEMENTARY 911 917 D -6

Elementary Schools

Arundel Elementary 945 955 A -10

Brittan Acres Elementary 890 879 A 11

Heather Elementary 894 930 A -36

San Carlos Charter Learning Center 918 928 A -10

White Oaks Elementary 921 934 A -13

Middle Schools

Central Middle 898 891 A 7

Tierra Linda Middle 925 939 A -14

SAN MATEO UNION HIGH 828 822 D 6

High Schools

Aragon High 849 845 A 4

Burlingame High 870 868 A 2

Capuchino High 791 766 5 25

Hillsdale High 818 809 A 9

Mills High 871 868 A 3

San Mateo High 800 793 5 7

ASAM Schools

Peninsula High (Continuation) 559* 613* 9 -54

SAN MATEO-FOSTER CITY 842 841 D 1

Elementary Schools

Albion H. Horrall Elementary 746 708 5 38

Audubon Elementary 903 907 A -4

Baywood Elementary 930 936 A -6

Beresford Elementary 830 818 A 12

Brewer Island Elementary 950 956 A -6

College Park Elementary 891 856 A 35

Fiesta Gardens International Elementary 783 767 5 16

Foster City Elementary 930 933 A -3

George Hall Elementary 821 832 A -11

Highlands Elementary 854 872 A -18

Laurel Elementary 824 829 A -5

Meadow Heights Elementary 855 903 A -48

North Shoreview Elementary 888 857 A 31

Park Elementary 761 761 5 0

Parkside Elementary 743 740 5 3

Sunnybrae Elementary 764 783 5 -19

Middle Schools

Abbott Middle 797 788 5 9

Borel Middle 827 832 A -5

Bowditch Middle 903 914 A -11

THE Bayside S.T.E.M. ACADEMY 746 721 5 25

EVEREST PUBLIC HIGH 821 826 A -5

SEQUOIA UNION HIGH 808 805 D 3

High Schools

Aspire East Palo Alto Phoenix Academy 819 780 5 39

Carlmont High 878 878 A 0

Menlo-Atherton High 819 822 A -3

Sequoia High 801 799 1 2

Sequoia Union High Independent Study

Summit Preparatory Charter High 845 859 A -14

Woodside High 758 746 5 12

ASAM Schools

Redwood High 530* 561* 12 -31

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO UNIFIED 813 820 D -7

Elementary Schools

Buri Buri Elementary 873 902 A -29

Junipero Serra Elementary 881 877 A 4

Los Cerritos Elementary 791 814 A -23

Martin Elementary 812 825 A -13

Monte Verde Elementary 913 915 A -2

Ponderosa Elementary 871 867 A 4

Skyline Elementary 866 863 A 3

Spruce Elementary 800 814 A -14

Sunshine Gardens Elementary 818 858 A -40

Middle Schools

Alta Loma Middle 844 842 A 2

Parkway Heights Middle 781 796 4 -15

Westborough Middle 851 847 A 4

High Schools

El Camino High 782 802 A -20

South San Francisco High 769 766 5 3

ASAM Schools

Baden High (Continuation) 415* 506* 15 -91

*Source: California Department of Education