CARLSBAD -- All but one Carlsbad school scored in the top 30 percent of schools statewide when it came to student scores on standardized tests, according to a report released Tuesday by the state Department of Education.
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The report is based on the Academic Performance Index, or API, a state-assigned three-digit number between 200 and 1,000 that is based on standardized test scores from the 2004-05 school year.
Using a school's index score, which was released last fall, the state ranks schools on a scale of 1 to 10 in order to compare those scores with schools statewide and with schools with similar demographics.
A score of 10 means that a school scored in the top 10 percent of either category, for example, and a score of 1 means the school scored in the lowest 10 percent.
Suzanne O'Connell, assistant superintendent of instructional services for Carlsbad Unified School District, described the rankings as a tool for helping state officials compare schools and as a "snapshot" of student performance on testing days.
"This is a snapshot of a school at a particular point in time, and it doesn't reflect performance over time," O'Connell said Tuesday of the district's 10,000 students. "This is an end product, and we're more interested in all of the ingredients that go into education over time. We're focused on what we do day to day."
O'Connell said the 13-school district examines various other assessments such as class tests, teacher observations and report cards to get a clearer picture of how students are doing over time.
"(The API) is another way of evaluating district performance across the state, but I think you have to give thought to the many factors that play into assessing student performance," she said.
Five Carlsbad schools -- Carlsbad Seaside Academy and Aviara Oaks Elementary, Kelly Elementary, Pacific Rim Elementary and Aviara Oaks Middle schools -- achieved a score of 10. Four of the five schools maintained last year's status as top-scoring schools.
The 2004 score for Carlsbad Seaside Academy, an independent study high school program for motivated students, was not available.
Three elementary schools -- Calavera Hills, Hope and Magnolia -- earned a 9, as did Calavera Hills Middle School. Buena Vista Elementary School and Valley Middle Schools received an 8. Magnolia scored a 9, down a point from the previous year.
Only Jefferson Elementary scored lower than an 8 with its score of 6. Even as Carlsbad's lowest-scoring school, Jefferson still performed better on the standardized tests than six out of 10 schools statewide. Carol Van Vooren said she was pleased with the ranking, given her school's high percentage of English-language learners.
"We've got a 49 percent English-language learner population taking a test in English, which means that many (English-language learners) tested proficient or advanced," Van Vooren said.
In fact, Jefferson ranked in the top 10 percent when compared to 100 schools across California with similar demographic profiles, according to Tuesday's report. Jefferson was among seven Carlsbad schools that scored in the top 10 percent when compared to schools with similar demographics.
"We are extremely pleased with the similar schools ranking for most of the schools in Carlsbad," Superintendent John Roach said. "We'll work to improve the fives and sixes so that all our schools are eights, nines and tens in the similar schools ranking."
Contact staff writer Philip K. Ireland at (760) 901-4043 or pireland@nctimes.com.
Related links
California Department of Education
Carlsbad Unified School District
http://www.carlsbadusd.k12.ca.us/
California Department of Education API Report
