April 5, 2005

Campbell schools API scores a mixed bag

Elementary scores rise, high schools still lag state targets

By Patti Wolf
Staff Writer

Campbell elementary schools continue to score above average on yearly statewide tests, while secondary school gains still fall below statewide performance targets.

The state’s 2004 Academic Performance Index (API) shows two Campbell elementary schools, Forest Hill and Capri, improved their overall score and exceeded the state’s target. Marshall Lane slipped slightly in the school’s overall score but still had the highest API score in the Campbell Union School District, according to the state Department of Education.

Rosemary Elementary School officials cheered when they learned they not only beat the school’s 2003 score, but scored even higher than state projections.

“We are thrilled about the results,” said Rosemary principal Geertje Bamford.

Rosemary was in the state’s improvement program based on the schools’ 2003 score of 643.The state required Rosemary to score at least 651 on the API test and the school posted a score of 657. Rosemary has a new goal for the 2005 test – a score of at least 664.

“The teachers have worked very hard to bring this about,” said Bamford, in her first year as principal at the Hamilton Avenue school. “We focused on staff development and teacher training.”

Middle Schools improve
Campbell’s middle schools showed a range of improvement. Monroe Middle School posted the highest jump, from 671 to 724. Monroe’s 53-point increase easily surpassed its 2004 API target of 677 and is only four points shy of the school’s 2005 target of 728.

Commenting on the school’s double-digit in-crease, Debbi D’Angelo, CUSD director of evaluation and testing, attributed the rise to Monroe’s adherence to standards-based curriculum.

“With the new standards-based targets, Monroe targeted instruction and focused on a content-based learning, using backwards mapping – a strategy that looks at what was learned at the conclusion of the academic year and uses that to ‘map’ the incoming year’s curriculum. It was a very successful model,” observed D’Angelo.

Rolling Hills Middle School, which inched over the 800 mark on the 2003 API, posted a 2004 API score of 813.

Campbell Middle School added two points, going from a 664 2003 API score to 666 in its 2004 API score.

High schools still under goals
Campbell area high schools fell far short of the state’s 800-score mark. Westmont High, which scored 701 on the 2003 API, increased its score slightly to 704 in the 2004 API. Del Mar High had a score of 615 in the 2003 API. No score was available for the 2004 API because not enough students were tested in at least one academic area.

District and Del Mar officials did not return phone calls.

The API test measures a school’s academic performance and sets annual growth targets for improvement. The test is the cornerstone of the Public Schools Accountability Act of 1999, a rewards and interventions program that was part of an education reform effort initiated by Gov. Gray Davis.

However, according to D’Angelo, drawing comparisons between API results from last year to this year is “statistically impossible” given the range of differences and additions in the API testing data.

“For example, the CAT6 was counted in the API for 2004 – 2005 for grades two through eight. In 2005 – 2006, only grades three through seven will be included. Other variables are the additions of the history and social studies sections and the use of more evenly balanced API calculations,” explained D’Angelo. “These variations from year to year make a straight comparison impossible.”

The new API testing areas are history for eighth grade students and science for fifth grade.

For additional information on the API test scores visit the California Department of Education Web site at www.cde.ca.gov.

*2004 Base API cannot be reported because for at least one STAR content area used in API calculations, this school failed to test a significant portion of students who were not exempt from testing in 2004. NA means not available A means the school scored at or above the statewide performance target of 800 in 2003.