| For immediate release August 31, 2010 |
Contact:
Larry Slonaker, SCCOE Phone: (408) 453-6662 |
APR results: County schools excel statewide
SAN JOSE, CA – The 2011 Accountability Progress Report, released by the state today, shows that Santa Clara County schools have solidified their reputation as top achievers in the state, according to an analysis by the Santa Clara County Office of Education. The report also reflects remarkable achievement over time in programs supporting English learners, students with disabilities and socioeconomically disadvantaged students.
Two county elementary schools–Faria and Murdock-Portal, both in the Cupertino Union School District–tied for the top statewide ranking, with Growth API scores of 998. Millikin Elementary in Santa Clara Unified (ranked third), and Hoover Elementary in Palo Alto Unified (fifth) gave the county four of the top five ranked schools in the state.
Thirteen of the top 25 elementary schools in the state were from Santa Clara County; half of the top 10 middle schools; and two of the top 10 high schools. “We have a lot of reason to be proud of our schools and students,” said Dr. Charles Weis, Santa Clara County Superintendent of Schools. “Our top schools are the envy of California. Everyone associated with those schools should be proud, because it takes an entire community–students, parents, teachers, administrators, everyone–for this kind of achievement.”
The rankings and other information about APR can be found in an analysis by the SCCOE’s Assessment and Accountability Department, at www.sccoe.org.
Another highlight of the analysis was the performance of county students in special programs. Since 2002, the number of students scoring as proficient or above in English/Language Arts has risen by more than 100 percent among English learners; 155 percent among students who are socioeconomically disadvantaged; and 207 percent among students with disabilities. Increases are comparable in math.
The APR report is made up of three components: Growth API, 2010 Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), and a list of schools in Program Improvement (PI). In addition to math and English, course material such as science and history is reflected in the results.
There also was some encouraging news about closing the achievement gap in the county. Since 2007, the gap between Hispanic and white students who score at proficient or higher has decreased by five percentage points in ELA, and six percentage points in math.
One area of the analysis evoking further study was among middle schools. Although county schools as a whole continue to outperform schools statewide–as they have since the inception of APR–the percent of schools meeting targets for API growth was lower among county middle schools than in the state (37 percent vs. 45 percent). Likewise, the percent of schools with an increased schoolwide API was lower for county middle schools than the state (64 percent vs. 68 percent).
Weis said the SCCOE would seek to pull together middle-grade educators to identify successful practices and support efforts to improve student learning, as well as continue to support efforts to close the achievement gap through the office’s SJ2020 initiative. “We’ll continue to collaborate, study best practices, and figure out how to implement successful strategies that work for all students, at all levels,” he said.
Date last updated: August 31, 2010
