Schools need to discover the secrets to success

At first glance, schools in Huntington Beach appear to be doing a

great job of educating students.

Compared to all of the thousands of schools in California, they

are.

When the Academic Performance Index base report was released a

couple weeks ago, nearly all schools in the Ocean View, Huntington

Beach City and Huntington Beach Union High school districts ranked

very high when compared to schools statewide.

Of the 29 schools in Huntington Beach, 23 were ranked in the top

30% statewide.

For this, educators are to be commended.

But it’s not really fair to say Surf City is doing great. Look at

the schools in Compton. That’s not a level playing field. Which is

why the Academic Performance Index offers both a statewide ranking

and one that compares a school to 100 schools with similar

characteristics, such as student ethnicity, socioeconomic factors and

the number of English language learners.

And that is where many Surf City schools came up short.

Schools are given a numerical rank between 1 and 10, with 1 being the worst and 10 being the best.

Many schools dropped from the top 30% of schools statewide -- from

8s, 9s and 10s -- to the bottom rungs -- earning 2s and 3s.

In the city school district -- Eader, Hawes, Ketler, Moffett and

Smith elementaries -- schools plummeted when compared to like

schools, as did Dwyer and Sowers middle schools.

In the Ocean View district, Hope View Elementary made the deepest

plunge.

The high school district was split, however, with Huntington Beach

and Ocean View falling off, but Edison and Marina high schools

actually gaining ground.

Those schools are to be congratulated. Perhaps the principals at

Edison and Marina should share their secrets with their fellow

principals.

All schools that experienced a drop in ranking should be checking

out the competition. It is not enough to score better than schools

with fewer advantages. Look up those similar schools that received a

rank of 10 when compared to Huntington Beach schools, and ask them

their secrets to success.