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Sunday's Internet Edition, October 12, 2008.
Mixed results on 2008 tests for Galt elementary schools
API targets met, AYP goals missed by some
By Kymm Griffin and Rachael Ackerman
Staff Writers
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Lake Canyon and River Oaks led the district in state testing scores this year, while Marengo Ranch and Valley Oaks missed federal marks for academic progress by narrow margins.
Both Lake Canyon and River Oaks exceeded the benchmark of students who received proficient or advanced in language arts and math on the state’s Academic Performance Index (API) and, in doing so, each school also met their Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) targets under the federal academic health monitor, No Child Left Behind (NCLB).
Under NCLB, schools had to score at least 35.2 percent proficient in English-language arts, and 37 percent proficient in math among test takers in 2008.
Lake Canyon met the required proficiency percentages, both school wide and in its significant subgroups, which included Hispanic, white, socio-economically disadvantaged, and English learner students.
River Oaks also met the required proficiency percentages, both school wide and in its significant subgroups.
Marengo Ranch did meet proficiency rates school wide but failed to meet benchmark targets in its significant subgroups in both math and English/language arts.
Both white and Hispanic students met the standards, but students classified as English learners did not meet the standards in either English/language arts or math, and socio-economically disadvantaged students met the standard in math, but not in English/language arts, and although in its third year of failing to meet subgroup targets, because the district does not allocate Title 1 funds to Marengo Ranch, the school will not fall into Program Improvement status.
Only those schools that use federal Title I dollars fall subject to NCLB standards and consequences for failure to meet annual growth rate targets set by the program.
For the last three years, the benchmark for proficiency has been 24.4 percent in English/language arts and 26.5 percent proficiency in math. For 2008, schools were required to move at least 10 percent of students in each category forward toward proficiency and advanced in order to meet benchmark targets.
A 10 percent increase in proficiency is required to take place again this year. When students take the STAR tests in April, 46 percent will need to score proficient in English/language arts and 47.5 percent will need to score proficient in math for the district and schools to remain out of Program Improvement status.
Under the California’s accountability system, API scores at both Lake Canyon and Marengo Ranch far exceeded their growth rates set by the state, while River Oaks maintained its above 800 mark on the API.
Lake Canyon was given a growth rate of five points to try to improve last year’s score of 775. Lake Canyon’s actual growth was 21 points, bringing their score up to 796 – only four points short of the 800 target that California wants all of its schools to score.
Marengo Ranch made similar gains. Their assigned growth rate was also five points, but their tests scores increased by 22 points, giving them a score of 781.
River Oaks also increased their scores by five points to 883. Because they have scores over 800, the state does not assign the school growth targets. River Oaks continued to meet all of its AYP targets in 2008 as well.
At Valley Oaks, the state set a target growth of five points on the 2008 API, and while Valley Oaks made a 12-point gain and met all of their subgroup requirements on the API, it failed to meet percent proficient marks in three English/language arts subgroups and missed making the federal AYP.
It looks like district restructuring of two schools in Galt will prove to have been a wise decision as neither Fairsite Elementary School nor Greer Middle School, already both on Program Improvement status for several years, made their benchmarks for the AYP.
At Fairsite Elementary School, the API dropped by 11 points, and only 17 of 21 AYP criteria were met, due to missed subgroup benchmarks in English/language arts. As a result of closing Fairsite as a K-6 campus, the 2008 scores have no bearing on the existence of the school any longer, but did play a role in the district’s overall API scores.
Similarly, at Greer, while the school gained 16 points on the API, it failed to meet all of its AYP criteria in math, and would have remained on Program Improvement status for a fifth year. Again, closure of the Greer campus as a middle school resolved all PI issues for the school, but 2008 scores still had a bearing on the overall district standings.
At Robert L. McCaffrey Middle School, the API rank went up 11 points to a 798, just two points short of the mandated 800 goal, but trouble with one subgroup in English/language arts kept the school from making their AYP requirements for 2008. Not a Title I school, McCaffrey does not face Program Improvement status for failure to meet NCLB markers for academic improvement.
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