05/24/2013 -
Fifty-three percent of Sonoma County schools are now in the top half of the state’s similar school ranking system according to the testing data released today by the California Department of Education. This is an increase over last year, when 50 percent of local schools were in the top half. Twelve schools earned a score of 10, the highest similar school ranking, up from 11 schools last year.
Similar school ranks are part of the state’s 2012 Base API report, which also includes statewide ranks and academic growth targets for every school in California. This data is based on Spring 2012 testing. It will be compared to the results of Spring 2013 testing to measure the annual academic progress of public schools. That comparison data, known as the Growth API report, will be available in the fall.
Similar school ranks use a 1 to 10 scale to compare elementary, middle, and high schools with common demographic characteristics. Rank 10 means the school performed above at least 90 of its 100 similar schools. Rank 1 means the school performed below at least 90 of its 100 similar schools. Many schools experience annual shifts in their similar school rank due to variances in their API score and the rise and fall of performance among schools in their comparison group. However, similar school ranking is considered an important measure of how well schools are performing.
In Sonoma County, 66 percent of schools maintained or increased their similar school rank this year, while 34 percent shifted to a lower rank. This compares favorably to last year, when 62 percent maintained or increased their rank. For schools that experienced a change, most moved up or down by a single rank.
In addition to the similar school rank, all schools received a statewide rank that compares their API score to all other schools of the same type (elementary, middle, or high). Statewide ranks also use a 1 to 10 scale, with 10 being the highest. Sonoma County’s overall results on the statewide ranks are similar to results from prior years. Fifty-seven percent of local schools are now in the top half of the statewide ranking system, compared to 58 percent last year. About half of the county’s schools maintained the same statewide rank as last year, 25 percent moved to a higher rank, and 25 percent moved to a lower rank. Five schools earned the top statewide rank of 10, two more than last year.
Rank 10 Schools
Three Sonoma County schools earned top scores in both the similar school and statewide ranking systems: Corona Creek School in Petaluma’s Waugh School District, Hillcrest Middle School in Gravenstein Union School District, and Technology High School in Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District. Top schools in each ranking system are listed below.
Rank 10 Schools | Similar School Rank
Corona Creek School
Guerneville School
Hillcrest Middle School
Mark West Charter School
Salmon Creek School
Santa Rosa Charter School
R.L. Stevens School
Technology High School
Two Rock Union School
Village School
Douglas L. Whited School
J.X. Wilson School
Rank 10 Schools | Statewide Rank
Austin Creek School
Corona Creek School
Hillcrest Middle School
Santa Rosa Accelerated Charter School
Technology High School
Schools with Multiple Years of High Similar School Ranks
A number of Sonoma County schools have been consistently high-scoring in the similar schools ranking system, indicating that they are top performers when compared to schools that have like characteristics and similar student populations. Schools currently in ranks 10 and 9 that have earned top scores for two or more years are listed below.
Current Rank 10 Schools | Consecutive Years in Rank 10
J.X. Wilson School | 8 years
Two Rock Union School | 7 years
Douglas L. Whited School | 7 years
Robert L. Stevens School | 6 years
Guerneville School | 4 years
Technology High School | 4 years
Hillcrest Middle School | 2 years
Village School | 2 years
Current Rank 9 Schools | Consecutive Years in Rank 9 or Better
Luther Burbank School | 7 years
Salmon Creek School | 3 years
Petaluma High School | 2 years
Piner-Olivet Charter School | 2 years
Santa Rosa Charter School | 2 years
Santa Rosa Middle School | 2 years
Additional Resources
The Sonoma County Office of Education provides additional resources to assist schools and the community interested in learning more about the rankings and other aspects of school accountability. Listings of all Sonoma County schools grouped by rank and an online Data Dashboard that provides five years of demographic and performance data searchable by school are available online at www.scoe.org/dashboard.
Data reports from the California Department of Education can be accessed at www.cde.ca.gov/api.
Contacts
- Rick Phelan, Program Director, Technology for Learning
(707) 524-2847, rphelan@scoe.org
- Mickey Porter, Assistant Superintendent
(707) 524-2786, mporter@scoe.org
