Schools get high marks

On Tuesday morning, staffers at College Park Elementary School walked into the office and found an unusual sight: a cake with a 710 Freeway sign on the top in frosting. Peggy Anatol, the Newport-Mesa Unified School District’s assessment director, was there to offer congratulations — and to explain what the 710 sign meant.

The state had just released its 2006 Base Academic Performance Index report, which showed how each school in California ranked in terms of standardized test scores. The report rated schools in two ways: in comparison to all other campuses in the state and in comparison to ones with similar student demographics.

College Park scored a 7 out of 10 in the first category and 10 out of 10 in the second. Together, they made 710, which was good enough to send Anatol to Stater Bros. with a unique set of instructions for the baker.

“It just took me a minute to figure out,” said College Park Principal Pat Insley. “When Peggy told me she was going to bring something, I envisioned something like doughnuts or a danish.”

College Park was one of a record five Newport-Mesa campuses to score a 10 in the Similar Schools Rank, joining Harbor View, Mariners and Victoria elementary schools, and Estancia High School. The report compared each campus to other schools with similar student ethnicities, socioeconomic status, percentage of fully credentialed teachers and other qualities.

“I think that’s exceptional,” Anatol said about the results. “Not that we can’t continue to always get better, but I think this shows good growth on the part of many of the schools.”

Twice a year, the state releases data to show the progress of schools under the Academic Performance Index. The first report in August shows the amount of progress that schools made from a year ago, while the second report in March gives schools goals for the following year and compares them to other sites around California.

Six sites in Newport-Mesa scored a 10 in the Statewide Rank, meaning that they rank in the top 10% of all schools in California. Each of the sites — Andersen, Eastbluff, Harbor View, Mariners and Newport Coast elementary schools, and Corona del Mar High School — is located in one of Newport Beach’s most affluent areas.

By contrast, some schools that ranked lower overall scored in the top decile with similar campuses. College Park, Victoria and Estancia, all located in Costa Mesa, are Title I schools with more than 40% low-income students but scored exceptionally well for campuses of their type.

Anatol said both rating systems served as good indicators of a school’s growth.

“When people call, they want to know both,” she said.