08/29/2013 -
Majority of Sonoma County schools meet 800 target as scores trend lower statewide
A majority of Sonoma County schools met or surpassed the state target for academic achievement, according to the 2013 Academic Performance Index (API) Growth report released today by the California Department of Education. Almost 60 percent of local schools scored at or above the state’s benchmark score of 800. This is identical to the county’s data from last year and compares favorably to statewide results. Across California, just 51 percent of schools attained an API score of 800 or above, a drop of 2 points from last year.
At the same time that a high percentage of Sonoma County schools maintained their above-800 status, almost three-quarters posted lower API scores when compared to their 2012 base. This brought the countywide API down to 793, lower than last year but still higher than the statewide score of 789. At both state and county levels, API scores showed a downward shift.
“Our schools, like others in California, saw a drop in their testing results from last spring, so we were expecting a similar dip in the API,” says County Superintendent Steve Herrington. “The fact that so many of our schools stayed above 800 is good news, especially since every classroom was feeling the stress from years of budget cuts.”
Through its annual API reporting, California sets specific academic growth targets for schools, both on a schoolwide basis and for significant student subgroups. Two-thirds of Sonoma County schools were successful in meeting their schoolwide targets this year, but many fell short of subgroup expectations. Less than 40 percent were able to meet both schoolwide and subgroup growth targets, down from 55 percent last year.
“Even though schools are moving to full implementation of the Common Core Standards, we need to continue to focus on what this data is telling us,” says Mickey Porter, Sonoma County Office of Education assistant superintendent. “Raising the achievement of student subgroups is extremely important and I know our schools won’t lose sight of this during the transition to new standards.”
In addition to the API report, the state released the results of the federal school accountability measure known as Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). With schools expected to reach proficiency levels of nearly 90 percent in all subgroups, only a handful of Sonoma County schools were able to satisfy the federal criteria. Similar results were posted across California.
More information about the API and AYP results can be found on the California Department of Education website, www.cde.ca.gov.
Contact
Mickey Porter, Assistant Superintendent
(707) 524-2786 or mporter@scoe.org
