Many Southwest County schools top academic charts

By: JENNIFER KABBANY - Staff Writer | Wednesday, March 28, 2007 7:16 AM PDT ∞

Southwest County schools posted a mixed bag of results in annual statewide academic rankings released Tuesday by the state Department of Education.

View the Scores

While many local schools were in the state's upper echelon, several campuses posted surprisingly mediocre, even dismal, results.

The rankings were based on standardized tests given last spring and are designed to offer parents and taxpayers a way to compare how schools throughout the state are doing.

Each school gets two scores from 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest. One score ranks a school compared to all others statewide, and the other compares a school with 100 other campuses with similar student populations, based on criteria such as ethnicity, socioeconomics and class sizes.

In both the statewide and similar school comparisons, nearly every campus in the Temecula Valley Unified School District received an 8, 9 or 10.

In the Murrieta Valley Unified School District, all but two of its schools received an 8, 9 or 10 on statewide rankings. While several schools received high marks on similar schools scores, five of its campuses received scores ranging from 4 to 6 ---- a poorer showing than last year's results.

The Lake Elsinore Unified School District's results were all over the map, with some schools posting very high scores, a few campuses in the bottom tiers, and many in the middle.

The Menifee Union School District posted decent rankings. When considering both scales, four schools received 7s and four schools received 8s, and the rest ranked 6 or lower. Paloma Valley High School in Menifee received a 7 on its statewide rank and an 8 on its similar schools rank.

In addition to the rankings, state education officials Tuesday released Academic Performance Index goals for each school to meet when standardized tests are administered this spring.

API scores range from 200 to 1000, with 800 set as the target. Each school gets its own goal for the year, based on the difference between last year's score and the 800 benchmark.

Nearly all the schools in the Temecula and Murrieta districts scored at or above the 800 target and, hence, were not given a new target. Most of the schools in the Lake Elsinore, Menifee and Perris school districts were given new API targets.

Southwest County school district officials said Tuesday they all saw room for improvement at their respective districts, and are in the process of making changes and addressing students' needs.

For school districts already performing well, their officials said they are under the gun more than ever to show improvements among students with disabilities and those from non-English backgrounds who are learning the language.

Temecula Superintendent Carol Leighty said that while her employees are thrilled with the results, they are not going to become complacent.

"When we look at all our schools, so many are scoring considerably better than schools just like them," she said. "It's a clear indicator that we are doing the right thing."

She said that, at the level the district is at, becoming better is not about "throwing another program at a school."

She said educators are involved in analyzing and discussing piles of data to fine-tune their strategies and determine what other supplemental materials they need to address areas of concern.

Murrieta's assistant superintendent of educational services, Guy Romero, said his department is going to study further why some of his district's similar school rankings dropped.

"We are looking at everything," he said. "Everything matters."

Despite Murrieta's stellar statewide rankings, he said the district must improve its scores for its students with disabilities and those still learning English. Some new intervention programs established districtwide this year are helping with that, he said.

"We are still cranking away and doing it one kid at a time," Romero said.

The Menifee district also has many students still learning English, especially its students who are native Spanish speakers. Its officials said a new districtwide program that started last month could help improve their scores. They have also hired another English language development teacher.

Meanwhile, several campuses improved their rankings compared with last year, said Katey Hoehn, the district's director of categorical programs. District efforts that include an emphasis on student writing skills and teacher collaborations should help maintain the upward trend, she said.

As for Lake Elsinore, Director of Secondary Curriculum and Instruction Alain Guevara said Tuesday's results showed room for improvement as well as some high notes.

He said many of the schools had strong similar school rankings, which means they are performing as well, if not better, than campuses with similar demographics. He also said his day-to-day interactions with schools illustrate that there are improvements under way.

"That doesn't show in scores, but we see it," he said.

He also noted that the district received an "excellent" rating from education department officials recently after its officials conducted a routine check of the district's efforts to improve test scores.

"We are doing good things," he said.

Tuesday's report is available on the Education Department's Web site, www.cde.ca.gov.

-- Contact staff writer Jennifer Kabbany at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2625, or jkabbany@californian.com.

TEMECULA

API Statewide Similar API 2007 Score Ranking Schools Target Ranking

TEMECULA

Elementary schools

Alamos 876 9 10 A

Barnett (Ysabel) 849 9 8 A

Crowne Hill 888 9 9 A

French Valley 855 9 9 A

Jackson (Helen Hunt) 833 8 4 A

Lavorgna (Susan) 828 8 8 A

Nicolas Valley 872 9 10 A

Paloma 878 9 5 A

Pauba Valley 882 9 9 A

Rancho 888 9 6 A

Red Hawk 878 9 9 A

Reinke (Abby) 897 10 8 A

Sparkman (Joan F.) 837 8 7 A

Temecula 814 8 10 A

Temecula Learning Center 852 9 10 A

Temecula Preparatory 858 9 10 A

Tobin (Tony) 894 10 10 A

Vail 818 8 9 A

Vintage Hills 884 9 5 A

Middle schools

Bella Vista 797 8 8 800

Day (James L.) 806 8 8 A

Erle Stanley Gardner 826 9 10 A

Margarita 828 9 10 A

Temecula 842 9 9 A

Vail Ranch 829 9 10 A

High schools

Chaparral 767 8 9 772

Great Oak 792 9 9 797

Temecula Valley 755 8 8 760

Small schools

Rancho Santa Rosa High 674* 4* N/A 680

Alternative schools

Rancho Vista High 552* B B B

Murrieta

Elementary schools

Alta Murrieta 805 7 6 A

Antelope Hills 847 8 7 A

Avaxat 823 8 8 A

Buchanan (Daniel) 840 8 9 A

Cole Canyon 898 10 8 A

Curran (E. Hale) 811 7 4 A

Monte Vista 820 8 5 A

Murrieta 861 9 9 A

Rail Ranch 851 9 8 A

Tovashal 847 8 7 A

Middle schools

Shivela 805 8 8 A

Thompson 828 9 6 A

Warm Springs 797 8 9 800

High schools

Murrieta Valley 770 8 6 775

Vista Murrieta 765 8 9 770

Small schools

Tenaja Canyon Acad. 748* 8* N/A 753

Alternative schools

Creekside High 653* B B B

LAKE ELSINORE

Elementary

Butterfield 716 4 3 721

Collier (William) 737 5 3 742

Cottonwood Canyon 808 7 3 A

Elsinore 682 2 5 688

Graham (Donald) 821 8 8 A

Hayman (Jean) 724 4 5 729

Luiseno 821 8 5 A

Machado 685 2 4 691

Railroad Canyon 694 3 2 699

Reagan (Ronald) 759 6 1 764

Rice Canyon 847 8 10 A

Tuscany Hills 852 9 8 A

Wildomar 769 6 8 774

Withrow 791 7 8 796

Middle schools

Brown (David A.) 699 4 4 704

Canyon Lake 729 6 2 734

Elsinore 653 3 3 7 660

Terra Cotta 745 6 5 750

High schools

Elsinore 715 6 8 720

Lakeside High 685 5 6 691

Temescal Canyon 704 6 3 709

Small schools

Gordon Keifer Ind. 752* 8* N/A 757

Alternative schools

Ortega High 498* B B B

Tri-Valley Community 469* B B B

MENIFEE

Elementary schools

Freedom Crest 784 6 8 789

Kirkpatrick (Callie) 796 7 3 800

Menifee 743 5 7 748

Morrison (Chester W.) 792 7 6 797

Oak Meadows 821 8 8 A

Ridgemoor 803 7 7 A

Middle schools

Bell Mountain 753 7 8 758

Menifee 717 5 4 722

Small schools

Santa Rosa Academy 758* 6* N/A 763

PERRIS UNION

Middle school

California Military Institute 675 3 1 681

High schools

Paloma Valley 736 7 8 741

Small schools

Choice 2000 On-Line 606* 2* N/A 616

* = The API is calculated for a small school and scores based on small numbers of students are less reliable and therefore should be carefully interpreted. Similar schools ranks are not calculated for small schools

A = The school scored at or above the statewide performance target of 800 in 2005

B = This school does not receive growth, target information or statewide or similar schools rankings in recognition of their markedly different educational missions and populations served.

I = The school has some invalid data and the state cannot calculate a valid similar schools rank for this school