State school chief looking to raise students achievement
With more schools narrowing the achievement gap, state education leaders are thinking of raising the bar even further.
With 46 percent of all schools in California being proficient in reading and math, state Superintendent of Instruction Jack O'Connell suggested Monday that it was time to have a "serious discussion" about raising target goals for student proficiency.
"California schools are made great by hardworking students, teachers, administrators, educators, school board members, and parents," O'Connell said. "I know that they could meet this challenge by keeping up the momentum and helping even more students reach higher levels of success."
With 46 percent of all schools in California being proficient in reading and math, state Superintendent of Instruction Jack O'Connell suggested Monday that it was time to have a "serious discussion" about raising target goals for student proficiency.
"California schools are made great by hardworking students, teachers, administrators, educators, school board members, and parents," O'Connell said. "I know that they could meet this challenge by keeping up the momentum and helping even more students reach higher levels of success."
O'Connell's comment came on the heels of the 2010 Accountability Progress Report released by the state Department of Education on Monday, with local educators expressing concerns about the proposal.
The annual report provides results from the Academic Performance Index, as well as the federal accountability system, Adequate Yearly Progress and Program Improvement.
"There are lot of bigger issues in education rather than moving toward a higher API score," said Jill Hammond, Ontario-Montclair School District's assistant superintendent of learning support services.
Both the API, an index that ranges from a low of 200 to a high of 1,000, and AYP are based upon statewide test results.
The state's target goal of 800 on the API was set 10 years ago. O'Connell called the goal "ambitious," challenging most state schools that had never been held accountable for improving academic achievement.
O'Connell said now that nearly half of state public schools are at 800 or above, it's time to have a "serious conversation about raising target goals."
O'Connell said he did not have a particular number in mind, but that he thinks it's the "right time to talk about raising the bar," expectations and standards.
With OMSD's API score at 740, up 19 points from the previous year, and with about half of the district's students being English language learners, Hammond said the district needs more resources if the state is thinking of raising the API score.
"You always want to set the bar higher every time you set a milestone, that's what we do as people, but let's also be realistic and realize and look at the resources in order to make this happen," Hammond said.
Rigoberto Vasquez, principal of Buena Vista Continuation High School at Chino Valley Unified, saw a 49-point jump from last year's score of 526. Vasquez hopes all points of view are analyzed before any further jump in the target goal.
"I don't think they should do this without the input of teachers, students and parents," Vasquez said. "It's good to raise the bar, but is the funding going to be the same? I'm hoping the state makes that commitment for funding."
The Chino Valley district saw a 13-point gain in its API score.
"The target moving doesn't concern us as much as the progress that all of our students are making," said Beverly Beemer, CVUSD's director of assessment and evaluation. "We will continue toward the goal of all of our subgroups at all of our schools showing proportional annual growth and all schools meeting the federal AYP targets in all subgroups."
Statewide, when all subgroups are combined, California students increased their API to 767, up 13 points. The subgroup of students who are Hispanic or Latino increased their API this year by 17 points. Similarly, the socioeconomically disadvantaged student subgroup increased 17 points.
Before the state's target can be increased, the superintendent has to recommend the idea to the state Board of Education, which he has not done, said Rachel Perry, director of assessment, accountability and awards with the Department of Education.
Even though this is just a proposal, Fontana Unified officials welcomed the challenge.
"Just like in most competitive arenas, the target is always being raised. Just tell us what the target is and we will continue to reach for it," said Kim MacKinney, Fontana's director of assessment and evaluation for the district.
"Ideally, the target should be 1,000 because then we can say every student is at or above grade level."
The annual report provides results from the Academic Performance Index, as well as the federal accountability system, Adequate Yearly Progress and Program Improvement.
"There are lot of bigger issues in education rather than moving toward a higher API score," said Jill Hammond, Ontario-Montclair School District's assistant superintendent of learning support services.
Both the API, an index that ranges from a low of 200 to a high of 1,000, and AYP are based upon statewide test results.
The state's target goal of 800 on the API was set 10 years ago. O'Connell called the goal "ambitious," challenging most state schools that had never been held accountable for improving academic achievement.
O'Connell said now that nearly half of state public schools are at 800 or above, it's time to have a "serious conversation about raising target goals."
O'Connell said he did not have a particular number in mind, but that he thinks it's the "right time to talk about raising the bar," expectations and standards.
With OMSD's API score at 740, up 19 points from the previous year, and with about half of the district's students being English language learners, Hammond said the district needs more resources if the state is thinking of raising the API score.
"You always want to set the bar higher every time you set a milestone, that's what we do as people, but let's also be realistic and realize and look at the resources in order to make this happen," Hammond said.
Rigoberto Vasquez, principal of Buena Vista Continuation High School at Chino Valley Unified, saw a 49-point jump from last year's score of 526. Vasquez hopes all points of view are analyzed before any further jump in the target goal.
"I don't think they should do this without the input of teachers, students and parents," Vasquez said. "It's good to raise the bar, but is the funding going to be the same? I'm hoping the state makes that commitment for funding."
The Chino Valley district saw a 13-point gain in its API score.
"The target moving doesn't concern us as much as the progress that all of our students are making," said Beverly Beemer, CVUSD's director of assessment and evaluation. "We will continue toward the goal of all of our subgroups at all of our schools showing proportional annual growth and all schools meeting the federal AYP targets in all subgroups."
Statewide, when all subgroups are combined, California students increased their API to 767, up 13 points. The subgroup of students who are Hispanic or Latino increased their API this year by 17 points. Similarly, the socioeconomically disadvantaged student subgroup increased 17 points.
Before the state's target can be increased, the superintendent has to recommend the idea to the state Board of Education, which he has not done, said Rachel Perry, director of assessment, accountability and awards with the Department of Education.
Even though this is just a proposal, Fontana Unified officials welcomed the challenge.
"Just like in most competitive arenas, the target is always being raised. Just tell us what the target is and we will continue to reach for it," said Kim MacKinney, Fontana's director of assessment and evaluation for the district.
"Ideally, the target should be 1,000 because then we can say every student is at or above grade level."
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