SANTA MONICA-MALIBU UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

PRESS RELEASE

 

CONTACT:  Maureen Bradford                         FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

310.450.8338, ext. 333                                      04 SEPT 2008

 

 

Continuing Gains on API for Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District

 

SMMUSD Superintendent of Schools, Tim Cuneo, today announced the release of 2008 API (Academic Performance Index) and AYP (Annual Yearly Progress) data.  The 2008 data show remarkable gains, with the overall district index growing another 12 points, reaching a new high of 831. 

 

Superintendent Cuneo attributes this increase in achievement to the tremendous dedication and hard work of teachers, principals, and support staff, as well as to the strong parent and community support.  “After surpassing the state’s high water mark of 800 in 2005, Santa Monica-Malibu teachers, administrators, and staff have continued to work diligently for continuous improvement of all students,” he enthusiastically declared.

 

The API is the cornerstone of California’s Public Schools Accountability Act.  Its purpose is to measure the academic performance and growth of schools.  The numeric index ranges from a minimum of 200 to a high of 1000.  The statewide target for all schools is 800.  The API score summarizes the results of various indicators including the California Standards Tests (CSTs), the CAT/6 norm-referenced test, and the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE). 

 

The API is reported for the district as a whole, as well as for numerically significant groups of students.  In Santa Monica-Malibu, these groups are identified as follows: African American, Asian, Latino, and White students, as well as economically disadvantaged students, English learners, and students with disabilities.  Evidence from the 2008 API reveals a narrowing of the achievement gap over the past five years, specifically for Latinos and economically disadvantaged students.

 

Chief Academic Officer Dr. Sally Chou commented on the district’s efforts in closing the achievement gap, “Much of our work continues to focus on all of our students, in particular the students with the greatest needs.  This includes professional development for our teachers and principals, as well as academic intervention and support services to students who have yet to reach proficiency.  We continue to implement our districtwide benchmark assessments to help us with timely evaluation of our work.”

 

 SMMUSD API for Numerically Significant Groups

 

2004 API

2005 API

2006

API

2007

API

2008

API

Growth 04 - 08

African American

661

678

691

695

702

+41

Asian

869

893

904

904

913

+44

Latino

682

698

715

723

745

+63

White

845

867

874

869

878

+33

Economically Disadvantaged

679

697

708

708

729

+50

English Learners

 

713

730

738

755

+42

Students with Disabilities

 

592

613

615

*

*

                                                                                                                                                                                               

*An error in SMMUSD’s data file resulted in no 2008 API for this group.  A follow up report with the corrected  information will be posted by the state later in the school year. 

 

Eleven of the fourteen school sites with APIs in SMMUSD demonstrated growth in 2008, with seven sites making double-digit gains from 2007.  Most notably, Rogers and JAMS grew by thirty-five and thirty-six points, respectively.  

 

“This impressive growth is the result of our highly qualified teachers, our tireless effort to recruit the best for our students, our focus on aligning curriculum and instruction to state standards and the implementation of instructional strategies to meet the needs of all learners,” commented Dr. Mike Matthews, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources.

 

All of the district’s K-5 elementary schools have now surpassed the state’s target of 800, with four SMMUSD schools – Franklin, Point Dume, Roosevelt, and Webster – scoring above an amazing 900.   Further, all schools demonstrate long-term growth over the past five years.

 

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School Site API Results 2004 - 2008

 

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Growth 04 - 08

Cabrillo Elementary

844

843

853

845

870

+26

Edison Elementary

751

762

778

814

841

+89

Franklin Elementary

887

924

927

930

936

+49

Grant Elementary

844

852

867

868

886

+42

McKinley Elementary

813

855

862

845

834

+21

Muir Elementary

758

782

784

835

836

+78

Point Dume Elementary

907

921

926

911

916

+9

Rogers Elementary

754

772

768

799

834

+80

Roosevelt Elementary

870

908

917

931

929

+59

Webster Elementary

863

901

917

915

933

+70

Adams Middle School

765

767

761

756

792

+27

Lincoln Middle School

834

864

869

867

880

+46

Malibu High School

810

831

834

818

824

+14

Santa Monica High School

720

742

767

771

771

+51

 

In addition to the continued growth in API, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District has met its AYP (Annual Yearly Progress) targets for the federal accountability system of No Child Left Behind (NCLB).  The federal requirements measure the academic success of a school or district according to how well it meets common performance targets.  This measure of success is reported in terms of AYP criteria.  A school or district must meet criteria in four areas in order to make AYP.  The following criteria must be met, not only for the school as a whole, but also for numerically significant groups of students, including ethnic groups, economically disadvantaged students, English learners, and students with disabilities.

 

SMASH, the district’s small alternative K – 8 school campus, continues to receive a relatively large number of parent requests to opt their children out of the testing program, thus resulting in lower participation rates than required by NCLB guidelines for AYP.  John Adams Middle School missed their AYP in mathematics for two groups of students: African American students and English learners.   

 

Due to an error in the data file uploaded to the state prior to testing, students’ disability status was not coded properly for all students.  Though individual students received accurate scores, this particular group’s aggregate report will be re-released after the data correction is submitted to the state.

 

District and School Site 2008 AYP Accountability Reports

School Site

ELA Participation

ELA % Proficient

Math Participation

Math % Proficient

API

Graduation Rate

SMMUSD Overall

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Cabrillo Elementary

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

N/A

Edison Elementary

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

N/A

Franklin Elementary

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

N/A

Grant Elementary

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

N/A

McKinley Elementary

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

N/A

Muir Elementary

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

N/A

Point Dume Elementary

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

N/A

Rogers Elementary

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

N/A

Roosevelt Elementary

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

N/A

SMASH

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

N/A

Webster Elementary

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

N/A

Adams Middle School

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

N/A

Lincoln Middle School

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

N/A

Malibu High

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Santa Monica High

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Olympic High

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

 

The SMMUSD Educational Services department will continue to use the newly released API and AYP information along with local assessment data throughout the fall as we plan for staff development, curriculum alignment, and additional support to school sites in order to continue and accelerate this remarkable trajectory of achievement.

 

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SANTA MONICA-MALIBU UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

1651 16TH Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404

ph: 310.450.8338; fax: 310.581.1138

www.smmusd.org