As the California Department of Education releases yet another
calculation of Academic Performance Index (API) scores, Morgan Hill
School District officials will have a new set of numbers to look
at, but they are numbers that cannot be compared to last year
’s scores.
As the California Department of Education releases yet another calculation of Academic Performance Index (API) scores, Morgan Hill School District officials will have a new set of numbers to look at, but they are numbers that cannot be compared to last year’s scores.
Pat Blanar, director of curriculum and assessment, said because the state has added new components to the calculation of the scores, districts cannot make comparisons between the two years.
“This time, they added the California science test for grades 9-11, plus the CAPA (California Alternative Performance Assessments),” she said. “They’re saying, ‘Here’s your new base.’ We can look at the recalibration, but we will never see a trend until they finally hold it (the base) constant.
“We know that it’s trend data that will be the most useful to us. This (the current scores) is only a snapshot. To make sound decisions, we need trend data.”
This is the third year the state has added another component to the API mix.
One useful piece, Blanar said, is a district base API. Morgan Hill School District’s base is 736, with 800 being the state target.
“This is one of the requirements of the No Child Left Behind act,” she said. “Of the six unified school districts in Santa Clara County, we came in third, with Palo Alto and Milpitas ahead of us. Behind us were Santa Clara Unified, San Jose Unified and then Gilroy.”
The ranking, Blanar said, is no surprise.
“This is about where I would have expected us to be,” she said. “We are just 30 points behind Milpitas, and they are very similar to us. Palo Alto is obviously outscores us on a socioeconomic level.”
The three districts below Morgan Hill, she said, have a much more diverse base, more languages spoken within the district, more ELL, or English language learners and a higher level of poverty, all of which can contribute to lower scores.
The testing which will be a part of the 2004 API scores will begin soon. Morgan Hill students in grades 4 and 7 begin taking a writing exam this week, and the CAT-6 testing for grades 2-12 is April 24 to May 14.
One of the changes being considered for next year, Blanar said, is not testing every grade level on every subject next year, in order to relieve budgets that are stretched to the limit.
