(Aug. 31, 2007) -- LBReport.com post a links below to the 2007 Academic Performance Index (API) scores for each LB Unified School District school released today (Aug. 31) by the CA Dept. of Education (CDE).

To view the 2007 API scores for every LBUSD school (scale is 200-1,000 with 800 the statewide "goal"), click here.

[If data page text size appears too small, you can increase the size by clicking (on Internet Explorer) on the "view" link and choosing "text size" to increasing the displayed size.]

LBReport.com also posts a link to CDE-released data showing what LBUSD schools are and aren't making federally-required "Adequate Early Progress" (AYP) under the "No Child Left Behind Act." Under the No Child Left Behind act, schools receiving federal "Title I funds" that don't make their Annual Yearly Progress target for two consecutive years fall into an unwelcome "Program Improvement" (PI) status...in which they're subject to additional requirements.

Among other things, the school district must offer students in a PI school the choice and paid transportation to attend non-PI schools in the same district. And if the school doesn't exit PI status by making significant improvements for two years in a row, the district faces escalating sanctions that can end with possible loss of control over the school.

To view the 2007 list of LBUSD schools making/not making federal "No Child Left Behind" Act "Adequate Yearly Progress" (and those in "Program Improvement" status), click here.

The API is a numeric index (200-1,000) with a "growth target" for each school set at 5 percent of the difference between the school's base (2006) API and the statewide performance target of 800 with a minimum target of 5 points.

By law, numerically significant student subgroups within a school must also make improvement for a school to meet its API targets. These subgroups include ethnic subgroups, socioeconomically disadvantaged students, and since 2006, English learners, and students with disabilities.

We asked LBUSD for reaction to the latest API/AYP results...and Dr. James Gulek, Ed. D., Ass't Superintendent for Research, Planning & Evaluation offered the following comments:

• The results are basically moving in the right direction in terms of student performance and achievement. The API results are in part on STAR [standardized testing results] just released a few weeks ago which showed substantial gains for both English language arts and math subjects.

• Although secondary school scores were flat, as elementary school children move into middle schools, the district hopes to results from the higher scoring elementary grades will be reflected in middle school results. [A number of LBUSD elementary schools scored very highly, above 900, including Lowell (highest with 930), Gant, Naples and Fremont; many were in the 800 range.]

• Scores for some students (on year-round schedules) aren't reported yet (about 14,000+) but the data aren't expected to change the overall results substantially.

We noticed that a number of schools hadn't made federally required Adequate Yearly Progress and are now in Program Improvement status. Ass't Sup't Gulek acknowledged this but pointed out that several campuses working to extricate themselves from this status HAD made significant improvements:

• Cesar Chavez elementary [western gateway to downtown] -- which was in Program Improvement status last year -- showed a 62 point API increase -- the largest API increase of any school in the district -- a significant improvement as the campus works to get out of Program Improvement status.

• MacArthur Elementary in Program Improvement status showed a 39 point increase in its API. McKinley Elementary showed at 32 point gain.

• Franklin Middle School (in its fifth year of Program Improvement) is being significantly restructured to parallel the "classical middle school" formula of Hill Middle School. Hill used to be among the lowest performing in the district, now it's nationally recognized for its improvements. Franklin is now being restructured to (hopefully) show the same types of successes as Hill.

Dr. Gulek said AP test results for LBUSD high schools paralleled results statewide...and acknowledged that LBUSD needed to focus its energies now at the secondary level.

The CA Dept. of Education said in a release that the median API score (between 200-1,000) grew from 745 last year to 751 in 2007, and the percentage of schools at or above the performance target of 800 grew from 30 percent to 31 percent...but noted that the percentage of schools meeting all API targets decreased from 53 percent in 2005-06 to 45 percent in 2006-07.

"The slower progress on meeting state accountability targets was also anticipated due to an increase in accountability targets for all statistically significant subgroups that took effect for the first time this year. In addition to making the overall school growth target, all numerically significant subgroups in a school now must also make a 5 percent or 5-point gain, whichever is larger," CDE said in a release.

"As AYP targets will rise steeply for the next six years to meet the current federal requirements of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, it is anticipated that in 2008 and thereafter, districts and schools will find it increasingly difficult to meet AYP targets." CDE's release said.

Both the API and AYP are based on statewide assessment results, which LBReport.com reported earlier this month (August)...and include the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) results and CA's High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE).