Briefly in Education

The staff at Sonora Elementary School in Costa Mesa is celebrating the

long-awaited release of $5,000 of state money it will receive for

itssignificant jump in Stanford 9 test scores.

The Certificated Staff Performance Award is based on scores from May

2000, but the money has been held up in a lawsuit since then. The money

will be divided among about 30 of Sonora’s certificated staff, which

includes teachers, psychologists and reading intervention teachers.

Sonora was the only school in the district to qualify for the award,

Principal Lorrie Hoggard said. The award is based on what decile the

school is ranked in and how far the school’s Academic Performance Index

exceeded its target. The API scores are based on the Stanford 9

Achievement test taken each spring.

Hoggard attributes the school’s success to the staff’s focus and

teamwork and its ability to tailor each student’s instructional program

to help the student reach and exceed grade-level reading standards.

Sonora was ranked in the fifth decile of schools statewide, which made

it eligible for the award and increased its 2000 performance index score

by 90 points while its target growth was only nine points.

The jump catapulted Sonora into the sixth decile, so it was no longer

eligible for the award.