(January 17, 2001) Several LB schools ranked at bottom, and some near the top, in the latest statewide Academic Performance Index (API) rankings released by the CA Department of Education.
Schools receive an Academic Performance Index (API) score between 200 and 1000, which is then ranked statewide in ten groups of equal size (deciles) ranging from decile one (lowest) to decile ten (highest). (A second decile ranking. also from one to ten, compares each school's 2000 API scores to other schools with so-called "similar characteristics," see below.)
When LB High Schools were ranked statewide, Jordan and Cabrillo ranked in decile "1" (the lowest), Lakewood and Millikan were in decile "4". Wilson ranked in "5" and Poly was in "7."
When LB High School rankings were adjusted by comparing them to what the Dept. of Education calls "similar" schools (taking into account factors listed, below), Cabrillo ranked in decile "2", Jordan in "5," Lakewood and Millikan in "6," Wilson in "7" and Poly in "10."
The CA Academy of Mathematics and Science, a regional magnet school on the CSU Dominguez Hills campus ranked in decile "10" (the highest rank) both statewide and for so-called similar schools.
The CA Dept. of Education derives its similar school ranking by comparing characteristics that include (its terms, from its web site) pupil mobility, pupil ethnicity, pupil socioeconomic status, percentage of teachers who are fully credentialed, percentage of teachers who hold emergency credentials, percentage of pupils who are English language learners, average class size per grade level, and whether the schools operate multitrack year-round educational programs.
LB middle school scores ranged from good to poor (our terms) in statewide rankings with Hughes, Rogers and Stanford in decile "8" and Washington, Lindbergh, Franklin and Constellation Community Middle School (a charter school) in decile "1".
LB elementary schools ranged from very good to poor (our terms) in statewide rankings with Twain, Lowell, Gant, Fremont ranked in decile "9" and Butler (Mary), Keller, McKinley, Tucker and Powell (Colin L.) Academy for Success in decile "1".
Each school's 2000 Base API report includes a 2000-2001 growth target and a target score for 2001; the school's target is 5 percent of the distance between the 2000 Base API and the statewide performance target of 800; targets are reset each year based on the Base API for the current year and school reports will be posted this fall showing if they meet their targets.
In October, 2000, LBReport.com posted CA Dept. of Education scores showing that no LBUSD school scored 800 or above with the exception of three elementary schools and the regional magnet CA Academy of Mathematics and Science on the CSU Dominguez Hills campus. Those scores, which also provide comparisons to the school's 1999 scores, can be viewed at: Oct. 2000 API scores.