Gains, drops on test scores

The Newport-Mesa Unified School District surpassed the state average this year on the Academic Performance Index, posting a higher overall mark even as some schools slipped. The district also bested the state on the federal Adequate Yearly Progress report, which was released Thursday along with the state marks. School district officials expressed concern, however, as three schools — Pomona Elementary, Wilson Elementary and TeWinkle Middle School — may be forced to adjust their programs after failing to meet federal standards for five years in a row.

All three schools are identified as schools with low-income populations and flagging test scores. Schools enter the program after two years of missing the federal mark. In year three of the program, schools must replace faculty, instate new curricula or make other interventions.

The principals of the schools could not be reached for comment. Supt. Jeffrey Hubbard said he planned to enlist the teachers’ union and the school board to help find a solution.

“We were really surprised about those test scores, and so we are examining what our options are right now, identifying what people think is appropriate and giving them all the energy and support we can,” he said.

The reports released Thursday measure schools’ progress in different ways. The Academic Performance Index, compiled by the state, compares standardized test scores to those from the year before so even a low-performing school can post good marks if it shows improvement. The federal system, created under the No Child Left Behind Act, holds every campus to the same standard, meaning that fast-improving schools can still fall short.

This year, the state changed some of its criteria, tracking special-education and English-learner students for the first time. Peggy Anatol, the school district’s assessment director, credited those scores for the drop from last year, when 31 of Newport-Mesa’s 32 campuses received positive state marks.

“Last year was an exceptional year with a lot of double-digit growth,” she said. “This year, with some of the new state rulings, we knew it was going to impact us. We did not know to what extent.”

Newport-Mesa’s state scores this year were wildly uneven, with seven schools reporting declining marks while others made huge leaps. College Park Elementary saw the biggest increase, rising 93 points. Killybrooke Elementary School jumped 55 points, almost repeating its performance from a year ago. The Academic Performance Index rates schools on a scale of 200 to 1,000, with 800 the target score.

College Park Principal Pat Insley said faculty members were stunned by their school’s data. Last year, she noted, College Park hired a specialist to coach students in language and math.

“Our classroom teachers the last year and last couple of years have had such a school-wide focus,” Insley said. “Everybody was working toward the same goals.”

Rea Elementary School, the only Newport-Mesa school that recorded a declining score in 2004-05, rebounded with a 30-point gain.

Others, however, slid noticeably. The district’s alternative high schools, Back Bay and Monte Vista, recorded the biggest drops with more than 40 points each. Sonora Elementary School, which has four special-education classes, had the steepest drop among elementary schools with a 26-point decline.

On the whole, though, Newport-Mesa boosted its score from 760 to 778, nearly reaching the state target. All districts in California posted a 720 average for 2005-06, and the percentage of schools making gains on the performance index, 52%, was well below Newport-Mesa’s 77%.

Twenty-two of Newport-Mesa’s schools made adequate progress under the federal standards, which require 24.4% of students to be proficient in English and 26.5% in math.

NEWPORT-MESA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT’S API SCORES

The Academic Performance Index target score is 800, on a scale of 200 to 1,000. Several Newport-Mesa schools, including Back Bay and Monte Vista high schools, posted sharp declines from last year’s numbers. Others, such as Killybrooke Elementary, saw dramatic increases. Overall, the district gained 18 points.

Schools

2006

API Score

2005

API Score

API

Growth

AYP Growth

(English)

AYP Growth

(Math)

AYP Growth

(All)

Adams Elementary ...

738

711

27

No

Yes

No

Andersen Elementary ...

927

926

1

Yes

Yes

Yes

California Elementary ...

808

805

3

Yes

Yes

Yes

College Park Elementary ...

789

696

93

Yes

Yes

Yes

Davis Elementary ...

732

730

2

Yes

Yes

Yes

Eastbluff Elementary ...

911

890

21

Yes

Yes

Yes

Harbor View Elementary ...

924

916

8

No

No

No

Kaiser Elementary ...

823

805

18

Yes

Yes

Yes

Killybrooke Elementary ...

776

721

55

Yes

Yes

Yes

Lincoln Elementary ...

882

899

-17

Yes

Yes

Yes

Mariners Elementary ...

911

894

17

Yes

Yes

Yes

Newport Coast Elementary ...

903

890

13

Yes

Yes

Yes

Newport Elementary ...

887

854

33

Yes

Yes

Yes

Newport Heights Elementary ...

855

828

27

Yes

Yes

Yes

Paularino Elementary ...

802

771

31

Yes

Yes

Yes

Pomona Elementary ...

631

644

-13

No

Yes

No

Rea Elementary ...

668

638

30

No

Yes

No

Sonora Elementary ...

708

734

-26

Yes

Yes

Yes

Victoria Elementary ...

828

813

15

Yes

Yes

Yes

Whittier Elementary ...

708

690

18

Yes

Yes

Yes

Wilson Elementary ...

679

652

27

No

Yes

No

Woodland Elementary ...

847

825

22

Yes

Yes

Yes

Ensign Intermediate ...

771

767

4

No

No

No

Tewinkle Middle School ...

675

685

-10

No

No

No

Corona del Mar High ...

870

842

28

Yes

Yes

Yes

Costa Mesa High ...

713

712

1

Yes

Yes

Yes

Estancia High ...

709

688

21

Yes

Yes

Yes

Monte Vista High ...

542

583

-41

Yes

Yes

No

Newport Harbor High

789

766

23

Yes

Yes

Yes

Orange Coast Middle College ...

787

789

-2

Yes

Yes

Yes

Back Bay High ...

481

527

-46

Yes

Yes

No

Newport-Mesa Unified ...

778

760

18 Yes

Yes

Yes