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Tri-City Area Schools Earn Good Grades

Posted on: Wednesday, 22 March 2006, 15:00 CST

By Linh Tat and Jill Tucker, STAFF WRITERS

The vast majority of schools in the Tri-City area are ranked among the top half of public schools statewide, according to a list released Tuesday by the California Department of Education.

At the same time, some of the schools -- among the top 20 percent statewide -- also are in the bottom 20 percent when compared only with campuses with similar student demographics.

That news brought mixed reviews from local educators.

A school in the bottom quartile when compared with similar schools is not necessarily performing poorly, especially when it is still among the top schools in the state, said Jim Fuller, testing coordinator for the Newark school district.

Two schools in Newark -- Bunker and Kennedy elementaries -- scored higher than 800 on the 2005 Academic Performance Index, which uses a bevy of state tests and other data to come up with a score between 200 and 1,000 points. A score of 800 is considered excellent by state standards. Bunker and Kennedy also scored 8 -- on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best -- for schools statewide. But when they were compared only with similar schools, their rank plummeted to 1 for Bunker and 2 for Kennedy.

"The statewide rank really is the teller of where that school is in relation to what is expected of a school," Fuller said.

The second rank system helps a school identify similar institutions that are performing better and learn what those campuses are doing to improve student learning, he said. The comparison includes socioeconomic status, ethnicity and other factors.

But that approach does not satisfy everyone.

Carnell Edwards, the New Haven school district's associate superintendent for education services, said the district will not be pleased until its schools score in the top half of the state and similar school rankings.

Like Newark, two New Haven schools -- Eastin and Pioneer elementaries -- scored higher than 800 on the API and are ranked 9 statewide, yet they dropped to 2 in the similar schools rank.

No school in the district posted a score better than 4 in the similar school rankings, except for Emanuele Elementary, which earned a 5.

"New Haven is a good school district, but there are many things that we have to do here. ... None of us are proud of where we are, and it doesn't mean that people have not been working hard," Edwards said.

In comparison, more than half the schools in Fremont are listed in the top half of the similar schools rank. Furthermore, 61.5 percent of Fremont schools posted API scores of 800 or higher.

Mission San Jose High School and Hopkins Junior High School posted the highest API scores for schools in their grade levels in Alameda County, and Gomes Elementary School had the top score of any school in the county, the district reported.

Statewide, schools continued to show improvement overall this year, as more crept closer to the targeted score of 800 on the API.

Thirty-two percent of elementary schools reached the coveted mark, up from 24 percent last year.

High schools saw the greatest API gains, with 12 percent reaching 800 points, up from 7 percent last year.

State education officials attributed the high school gains to a focus on helping students pass the high school exit exam.

"By any measurement, schools in California are moving in the right direction," state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell said in a teleconference Tuesday.

For the first time this year, state education officials included statewide API scores for all racial subgroups as well as for English learners.

African-American students scored lower than any other ethnic subgroup, posting a 626 API score, falling behind English learners, who posted a 631. Students with disabilities were further behind, with an API score of 508.

Asian students had the highest API score at 831, with Filipino students next at 797 and white students at 790.

To view API scores and school rankings, visit http:// www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ap.

Staff writer Linh Tat covers education for The Argus. She can be reached at (510) 353-7010 or ltat@angnewspapers.com.

Source: Oakland Tribune

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