| For immediate release June 14, 2012 |
Contact:
Larry Slonaker, SCCOE Phone: (408) 453-6662 |
2011 Base API: Top 3 schools in state,
overall improvement among county schools
SAN JOSE, CA – For the second year in a row, the top three performing schools in the state in the Base Academic Performance Index are from Santa Clara County, according to results released on Thursday by the California Department of Education.
The results also show a trend of higher performance among a broad range of schools in the county. For example, 62 percent of county schools met or exceeded the statewide performance target of 800 for the 2011 Base API (compared with 45 percent statewide); almost half of county schools are in the top three deciles (compared to 29 percent statewide); and the county had 25 "10-10" schools–schools in the top 10 percent statewide that are also in the top 10 percent compared to similar schools
In addition, there is a trend of improvement in the county over last year's results.
"What a fantastic showing by our schools and students," said Dr. Charles Weis, Santa Clara County Superintendent of Schools. "Clearly, we've been doing something right–and we're getting better all the time."
The Assessment and Accountability Department of the Santa Clara County Office of Education analyzed the results of the tests, which were taken by students last spring. The analysis reveals three noteworthy trends for county schools:
1. Top-performing schools reside in Santa Clara County.
For the second year in a row, the three top-performing schools in the state are in Santa Clara County. Murdock-Portal in Cupertino Union and Faria Elementary (both from the Cupertino Union School District) tied for the top spot. Millikin Elementary (Santa Clara Unified) was third, and Hoover Elementary (Palo Alto Unified) was fifth.
In addition, Los Altos Elementary and Saratoga Union Elementary tied as the top-scoring districts statewide, and Lakeside Joint tied for fourth.
2. High performance is widespread among county schools.
Almost 30 percent of county schools ranked in the Top 10 decile, compared to 10 percent statewide; and 49 percent of county schools are in the top three deciles.
In compiling Base API, the California Department of Education ranks schools in deciles, which shows a school's relative placement in a statewide distribution of scores. The rankings range from Decile 1 (lowest) to Decile 10, with 10 percent of the state's schools in each decile.
Among Santa Clara County schools, 28 percent were in the top echelon, Decile 10.
3. County schools continue to get better at meeting the mark: The 62 percent of county schools that met or exceeded the API statewide target of 800 was up six percentage points from a year ago.
The State Board of Education has established an API score of 800 as the target to which all schools should aspire to meet or exceed. (The scale for the API ranges from 200 to 1000.)
To view the entire analysis by SCCOE staff, visit www.sccoe.org.
Date last updated: June 14, 2012
