2009 API Scores

kcmkane_IHB

New member
The 2009 academic performance scores were released to the public today --- with scoring by school, district....plus all kinds of other fun stuff like demographics and scoring by sub group. Interested to hear all of your thoughts on the results of your favorite school.



<a href="http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ap/apireports.asp">2009 California API Scores</a>
 
I'm very proud of my son's school, El Sol Academy. The demographics are primarily low income Hispanics. Their API is now 843 (granted, nowhere near an Irvine school), students are bilingual and bi-literate, their math scores are excellent and they also made their AYP, which is really the tough one, this means that their low income, English Language Learners made huge leaps, most schools just can't make progress (or enough progress to meet the much tougher AYP) with this group. After 3 weeks of Kindergarten and 45 minutes a day of homework Tues.-Sun., I'm kind of understanding why they are having such success. It's nice to see a different model that is working. If you guys are really interested, check out your school's AYP (annual yearly progress), this one is ridiculous and will eventually catch just about every school in the state in this crazy web unless something is changed in regards to No Child Left Behind, it is designed to make all schools labeled "failures" eventually. Progress in each subgroup is not enough under these rules, 100% proficiency for all is the only thing that is acceptable.
 
I don't have much experience with these test scores-- but the Irvine growth numbers are pretty amazing..... 15 pts?, 30 pts?, etc. I had heard that once a school is over 900- the grow slows down, apparently this is not the case. TR at 980? Wow! Quickly scanning the numbers-- looks like TR is top in OC.



We've been impressed with all of my daughters teachers in the IUSD- they really seem to care and connect with the kids (at least the ones we have met). If there are any teachers reading this blog- I send you all a BIG thank you (regardless of the school district you teach in). I appreciate all that you do.
 
Does anyone know how the sample size is selected? I noticed quite a great deal of discrepancy in the number of students included in the API score. Some schools have a good percentage of their student body included while others have tiny sample sizes.
 
[quote author="Mcdonna1980" date=1253157787]Does anyone know how the sample size is selected? I noticed quite a great deal of discrepancy in the number of students included in the API score. Some schools have a good percentage of their student body included while others have tiny sample sizes.</blockquote>


I truly don't know what is up with that, but I'm going to find out tomorrow.
 
[quote author="tmare" date=1253174830][quote author="Mcdonna1980" date=1253157787]Does anyone know how the sample size is selected? I noticed quite a great deal of discrepancy in the number of students included in the API score. Some schools have a good percentage of their student body included while others have tiny sample sizes.</blockquote>


I truly don't know what is up with that, but I'm going to find out tomorrow.</blockquote>


Partial answer here. More info to come later. It's really interesting because this seems fairly mysterious to even the most knowledgeable person that I've found. She says that there are 77 pages of "inclusion/exclusion" rules that the state follows to decide which tests will be used in the "sample". This seems to be a sample in some cases, but not in all. For example, my own school site (where I teach) had 100% of tests that were taken included in the API. My sons school seems to have about 60% included in the sample for the API score. This still doesn't make any sense to me as to why it would be this way, but this is the answer I received. Our testing person is going to check it out a bit more and get back to me.
 
[quote author="tmare" date=1253247121]Partial answer here. More info to come later. It's really interesting because this seems fairly mysterious to even the most knowledgeable person that I've found. She says that there are 77 pages of "inclusion/exclusion" rules that the state follows to decide which tests will be used in the "sample". This seems to be a sample in some cases, but not in all. For example, my own school site (where I teach) had 100% of tests that were taken included in the API. My sons school seems to have about 60% included in the sample for the API score. This still doesn't make any sense to me as to why it would be this way, but this is the answer I received. Our testing person is going to check it out a bit more and get back to me.</blockquote>


The simplest answer is they are cherry-picking results to manipulate the data they publish. I'm sure there is another convoluted explanation that sounds better than my version, but in the end they are not comparing apples to apples.
 
Ok, I have the answer and it thankfully makes sense. While I guess there are some complicated reasons why a few (very small number) of tests won't be included, overall all tests are counted. The reason for the different sample sizes is that K-2 students are not tested at all so they are not included in the sample size. This is why you will find that 100% of the tests are counted at intermediate schools where all students are tested, yet at my son's school, for example, only 60% were included, this is because students in grades 3-8 makeup 60% of the school's population and K-2 students are 40% of the population. Ok, I feel better now.
 
Tmare, but I found the smaller sample sizes in High Schools too. Interesting enough the High Schools with big gains in the API had real small sample sizes.
 
[quote author="Mcdonna1980" date=1253253072]Tmare, but I found the smaller sample sizes in High Schools too. Interesting enough the High Schools with big gains in the API had real small sample sizes.</blockquote>


Our testing coordinator is still checking up on this, could you give me the names of a few of these schools? I'll look them up and then I can be more specific with my questions.
 
[quote author="tmare" date=1253253249][quote author="Mcdonna1980" date=1253253072]Tmare, but I found the smaller sample sizes in High Schools too. Interesting enough the High Schools with big gains in the API had real small sample sizes.</blockquote>


Our testing coordinator is still checking up on this, could you give me the names of a few of these schools? I'll look them up and then I can be more specific with my questions.</blockquote>


All of Irvine's High Schools only included 67 to 74% of the student body in the API scores. Fullerton High is really weird as they only included 11 students and had a 177 point gain in their API.
 
May be Skipper works at the California School API department. I do not understand the motive behind submitting only a handful of high score samples and dropping the less desirable low scores.



If this is the case then the API score is not an accurate representation of the student body.
 
[quote author="Mcdonna1980" date=1253254788][quote author="tmare" date=1253253249][quote author="Mcdonna1980" date=1253253072]Tmare, but I found the smaller sample sizes in High Schools too. Interesting enough the High Schools with big gains in the API had real small sample sizes.</blockquote>


Our testing coordinator is still checking up on this, could you give me the names of a few of these schools? I'll look them up and then I can be more specific with my questions.</blockquote>


All of Irvine's High Schools only included 67 to 74% of the student body in the API scores. Fullerton High is really weird as they only included 11 students and had a 177 point gain in their API.</blockquote>


I don't know much about high school testing. I think I remember the test being 9th-11th grade though. If that's the case, then it would make sense for approximately 25% of the population to not have scores. I don't understand the Fullerton scores, I'll ask. What percentage of the population is that for Fullerton High?
 
The test scores for students who were not continuously enrolled in a school since October of the school year are not counted in the school's API. Special Education students who are exempted and students whose parents requested that they not be tested are also not counted. Small schools with 11 to 99 students have an API score; however, a score calculated from such a low number of students is considered statistically less reliable.
 
[quote author="tmare" date=1253255286][quote author="Mcdonna1980" date=1253254788][quote author="tmare" date=1253253249][quote author="Mcdonna1980" date=1253253072]Tmare, but I found the smaller sample sizes in High Schools too. Interesting enough the High Schools with big gains in the API had real small sample sizes.</blockquote>


Our testing coordinator is still checking up on this, could you give me the names of a few of these schools? I'll look them up and then I can be more specific with my questions.</blockquote>


All of Irvine's High Schools only included 67 to 74% of the student body in the API scores. Fullerton High is really weird as they only included 11 students and had a 177 point gain in their API.</blockquote>


I don't know much about high school testing. I think I remember the test being 9th-11th grade though. If that's the case, then it would make sense for approximately 25% of the population to not have scores. I don't understand the Fullerton scores, I'll ask. What percentage of the population is that for Fullerton High?</blockquote>


Fullerton High has 2071 students so less than 1% were included in the API.
 
It is basically a beauty contest among schools. Obviously the under achievers schools selected the best scores to submit. Since the API testing is not a mandatory test for all students then the results are artificially higher than the reality. The school board or sponsor congratulates themselves for doing a good job that they have not left any child behind.
 
[quote author="bkshopr" date=1253265572]It is basically a beauty contest among schools. Obviously the under achievers schools selected the best scores to submit. Since the API testing is not a mandatory test for all students then the results are artificially higher than the reality. The school board or sponsor congratulates themselves for doing a good job that they have not left any child behind.</blockquote>


I know for a fact that this is not occurring at the lowest performing schools. It's really hard for me to believe it's happening at all, there's no way we could get away with it at my school. We're banging our heads against the wall with our low income, English Language Learners trying to get them to make some gains. They do make gains, but it is never enough.
 
[quote author="tmare" date=1253266608][quote author="bkshopr" date=1253265572]It is basically a beauty contest among schools. Obviously the under achievers schools selected the best scores to submit. Since the API testing is not a mandatory test for all students then the results are artificially higher than the reality. The school board or sponsor congratulates themselves for doing a good job that they have not left any child behind.</blockquote>


I know for a fact that this is not occurring at the lowest performing schools. It's really hard for me to believe it's happening at all, there's no way we could get away with it at my school. We're banging our heads against the wall with our low income, English Language Learners trying to get them to make some gains. They do make gains, but it is never enough.</blockquote>


tmare, are the ELL kids financially benefiting the school or district in any way?
 
Tmare, try this visual for the students:



Option A:

<img src="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:mI-laQ9Uw4LwMM:http://www.leostestlab.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/lawnmower.png" alt="" />



Option B:

<img src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:1cuqOobL_aMFmM:http://images.sytner.co.uk/w3images/used_stock/-43240/new_image_1.jpg" alt="" />
 
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