Huntington Beach schools score well on state and federal standards

Huntington Beach schools generally improved over last year, according to state standards and federal benchmarks released Friday.

The Huntington Beach City School District showed a 7 point increase over the 2006 base to an 858 growth score in 2007 for the state’s Academic Performance Index. The Huntington Beach Union High School District’s score increased by 2 points to 763. The Ocean View School District’s score increased 6 points to 830.

Base API scores, which range from 200 to 1000, are released in March. The API growth scores just released show schools’ progress over the past school year, playing a part both in state funding and in federal AYP scores.

The federal scores are used by the No Child Left Behind act to decide yearly progress. For Title 1 schools, which have a certain percentage of low-income students, not enough progress over enough years can mean sanctions for the school.

Only one school in Huntington Beach was in the improvement program last year, Ethel Dwyer Middle School. That school has made adequate progress this year in all areas, increasing its API score by 20 points as well. No schools in Huntington Beach were under sanctions, and none are this year.