-- Mary A. Castillo API scores just...

-- Mary A. Castillo

API scores just part of the picture

Although the California Dept. of Education recently released the

Academic Performance Index scores, it wasn’t news to administrators,

principals and teachers with the Laguna Beach Unified School

District.

“We had this [API calculations] in front of us almost two months

ago,” said Assistant Supt. Steven Keller. “We don’t wait for the

Department of Education.”

Between the time the district received its scores and the time it

was publicly released by the department of education, administrators

and principals were examining the highs, lows and the gaps in

between.

The API scores summarize a school’s performance on the 2002

Stanford 9 exam and the California Standards Test in English-Language

Arts of the STAR program.

The results for 2002 are as follows:

El Morro Elementary School 817

Top of the World Elementary School

870

Thurston Middle School 820

Laguna Beach High School 767

Keller acknowledged that all Laguna schools were down from last

year’s API results. However, as the district focuses on the “whole

child concept,” API results are just one of the measurements used

when assessing students.

“Last year we administered a comprehensive social and emotional

assessment for students in grades 2 through 11,” he said. “It provided powerful information on the social and emotional aspects of

our students.”

Although the district has implemented the new math curriculum this

year and plans to roll out a new English Language Arts program next

fall, Keller doesn’t expect that the API results for 2003 will

reflect their improvements.

“The game is changing because the state significantly revised 2003

baseline calculations,” he said.

The Laguna Beach Unified School District Board of Education will

hear a presentation about the API results at its meeting scheduled

for 6 p.m., Nov. 12.