-- 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.
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