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Local students do well on academic performance tests
This year's Moorpark Unified School District Academic Performance Index score rose from 811 to 818, with 800 being a passing score. But even more important, said school board member David Pollock, the results show continued progress toward the goal of bridging the gap between students of different socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. "The real story here is that Moorpark subgroups are closing the achievement gap," Pollock said. The subgroups Pollock is speaking of include ethnic subgroups, socioeconomically disadvantaged students and, since 2006, English learners and students with disabilities. While state school officials have long voiced concerns over the significantly higher scores of Caucasian and Asian students compared to their Latino and African American counterparts, local subgroups are consistently narrowing that margin.
Socioeconomically disadvantaged students- or those who participate in the federal government's reduced or free lunch programs- raised the bar by 22 points, from 672 to 694. The scores in the English learner subgroup showed the greatest increase of all, with 27 points gained over last year, bringing the district API for those who speak English as a second language to 679. Students with learning disabilities also showed significant improvement. Scores went from 603 to 628, a 25-point gain over last year. Caucasians students in Moorpark scored 871, up from 864 last year. And, although Asian students continued to score higher than all other groups- 929 this year- that number represented a drop of 7 points from last year. As school officials explained, however, when scores are above the 800 or 900 mark, it's much more difficult to show improvement. Scores for African American students were not tallied as a subgroup in Moorpark because few black children attend local schools. The Academic Performance Index is a numeric index that ranges from a low of 200 to a high of 1000. The report is based on statewide assessments that include the Standardized Testing and Reporting program and the California High School Exit Exam. District students performed well above the state of California levels overall and in subpopulations on the 2007 state and federal accountability assessments, said Superintendent Ellen Smith. "Our high-performing students and their parents, who are essential partners in the education process, deserve to be very proud," Smith said. API testing became mandatory as part of the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act. According to Pollock, although the statewide API tests provide valuable overall data about school performance by allowing teachers to set numerical goals, they place undue focus on a single test. "We should be using multiple measures, not just one status indicator," said Pollock, a member of the California School Board Association. The No Child Left Behind Act requires all students to be proficient according to state standards by 2014. It includes sanctions for schools and districts that fail to make "adequate yearly progress" toward that goal. The California School Board Association supports standards, assessment and accountability for the state's public schools, Pollock said, but it is concerned that schools are doomed to fail because the federal government set the bar too high. "It's a statistical impossibility," Pollock said, for all students to be proficient by 2014. No Child Left Behind, he said, places an emphasis on reading, writing and math but doesn't include art or physical education, which are also important components of education. "The concept of a well-rounded education seems to be lost in the No Child Left Behind Act," Pollock said. The California School Board Association and school advocates hope some rules will be changed when the act is reauthorized by Congress next year. Reports are available online at www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ar/index.asp. |
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