High Schools Cash In on CAP Score Achievement

In the continuing rivalry between Calabasas and Agoura high schools, score it Calabasas 1, Agoura 0--at least in the “Cash for CAP” competition.

The two Las Virgenes Unified School District schools, fierce rivals in sports as well, did not win money in the statewide contest last year. The awards go to schools where students improve their annual scores on the standardized California Assessment Program test.

This year it was different. Calabasas won $23,311, but, once again, Agoura failed to capture any prize money.

“I’m delighted with the cash, not for the sake of the cash, but to show that we’re a pretty darn good school,” said Robert Ross, Calabasas principal.

“For a long time this school was looked down on as a play school or a country club. That isn’t true. Our community is very affluent and places a high value on achievement. And we have a nice bunch of kids who are highly motivated.”

Scores Released

Late last week, most of the school districts on the western edge of Los Angeles County and the eastern section of Ventura County released their CAP scores.

In the Simi Valley district, Simi Valley High School earned $57,543 for its scores and Royal High School won $8,389.

In the Oxnard Union district, Hueneme High School was awarded $57,403, Rio Mesa High School earned $25,391 and Oxnard High School won $7,771.

In the Conejo Valley district, Newbury Park High School won $34,918 and Westlake High School earned $14,837.

As with scores of the larger Burbank Unified and Los Angeles Unified school districts, which have already been reported, results were mixed.

Schools that posted large improvements in scores last year found it difficult to top those performances. That’s what happened to Moorpark High School in the Moorpark district, Channel Islands and Camarillo high schools in the Oxnard Union district and Thousand Oaks High School in the Conejo Valley district.

It was difficult for Agoura, where students have traditionally scored well on the CAP and other standardized tests, to improve their scores. That is one reason Principal Michael Botsford expressed little concern over Agoura students’ performance.

Scores ‘Consistently High’

“We’ve always had high CAP scores, so there’s not much room for growth,” Botsford said. “If I had my druthers, I’d rather have consistently high scores than the money.”

But the principal of cross-town rival Calabasas said having high scores and winning CAP money is even better.

“It’s nice to get the money,” Ross said.

Established two years ago, the Cash for CAP program gives money to any high school that tests at least 93% of its seniors and shows “overall improvement” contrasted with the previous year’s results.

The CAP test has become a cornerstone of state Supt. Bill Honig’s plan to make schools more accountable to the public through periodic publication of test scores, dropout percentages and other so-called quality indicators.

Overall Scores Higher

In addition to winning prize money, schools in the state have improved overall test scores. The state average score in math was 68.7% this year, up from 68.3%. The average score in written expression was 63.4%, up from 63.2%. The spelling average increased to 70.1% from 69%.

Only reading scores fell this year, to 62.7% from 62.9%. The numbers indicate the mean percentage of correct answers.

At Calabasas, administrators, faculty and students are making plans to establish a committee to decide how the $23,311 should be divided and spent.

Ross said he would like to see some of the money used to fund the annual senior breakfast. Other suggestions include buying a copying machine, buying electronic typewriters for business classes, completing landscaping around the school and building a demonstration dining room for the advanced home economics classes.

“One student suggested investing the money in a high-yield account,” Ross said. “By doing that, he said, we might have $27 million in 50 years.”

CAP SCORES

The 12th-grade scores of the California Assessment Program are the mean percentage of correct answers and may be compared with scores in other schools and to district and state averages. Scores for Los Angeles and Burbank unified school districts were published by The Times on April 12.

Wr. Ex.= Written Expression

State, County Averages

STATE OF CALIFORNIA

Reading Wr. Ex. Spelling Math 83-84 62.2 62.6 69.4 67.4 84-85 62.9 63.2 69.7 68.3 85-86 62.7 63.4 70.1 68.7

LOS ANGELES COUNTY AVERAGE

Reading Wr. Ex. Spelling Math 83-84 59.4 59.8 68.0 64.3 84-85 60.1 60.5 68.3 65.3 85-86 58.6 59.8 68.0 65.0

VENTURA COUNTY AVERAGE

Reading Wr. Ex. Spelling Math 83-84 62.9 63.6 69.7 68.2 84-85 64.1 64.6 70.4 68.7 85-86 63.2 64.7 70.6 69.1

School, District Averages

Conejo Valley Unified

DISTRICT AVERAGE

Reading Wr. Ex. Spelling Math 83-84 66.8 68.2 71.6 73.4 84-85 67.3 68.2 72.2 73.6 85-86 66.8 68.8 73.0 74.5

NEWBURY PARK *($34,918)

Reading Wr. Ex. Spelling Math 83-84 66.0 66.7 70.9 71.5 84-85 65.4 67.1 71.6 71.3 85-86 65.9 67.7 70.4 73.8

THOUSAND OAKS

Reading Wr. Ex. Spelling Math 83-84 68.8 69.7 73.2 74.7 84-85 68.7 68.6 73.0 74.1 85-86 67.8 68.9 73.4 75.8

Los Virgines Unified

DISTRICT AVERAGE

Reading Wr. Ex. Spelling Math 83-84 70.2 72.4 75.0 75.0 84-85 69.1 72.2 73.1 75.3 85-86 68.8 71.4 74.4 75.7

AGOURA

Reading Wr. Ex. Spelling Math 83-84 70.4 72.4 74.9 75.4 84-85 68.9 72.2 74.1 76.4 85-86 67.7 70.9 74.3 75.4

CALABASAS ($23,311)

Reading Wr. Ex. Spelling Math 83-84 70.1 72.4 75.2 74.6 84-85 69.3 72.3 72.1 74.2 85-86 69.9 71.9 74.6 75.7

Moorpark Unified

DISTRICT AVERAGE

Reading Wr. Ex. Spelling Math 83-84 57.4 60.4 67.5 63.1 84-85 61.3 62.7 69.7 63.7 85-86 62.0 63.1 66.1 65.0

MOORPARK HIGH

Reading Wr. Ex. Spelling Math 83-84 57.4 60.4 67.5 63.1 84-85 61.3 62.7 69.7 63.7 85-86 62.0 63.1 66.1 65.0

Oak Park Unified

DISTRICT AVERAGE

Reading Wr. Ex. Spelling Math 83-84 66.6 64.6 71.1 71.6 84-85 70.8 67.2 70.9 71.1 85-86 67.3 70.6 62.1 73.5

OAK PARK HIGH

Reading Wr. Ex. Spelling Math 83-84 66.6 64.6 71.1 71.6 84-85 70.8 67.2 70.9 71.1 85-86 66.9 69.0 50.0 74.4

Oxnard Unified

DISTRICT AVERAGE

Reading Wr. Ex. Spelling Math 83-84 60.7 61.2 67.9 66.0 84-85 61.2 61.8 68.9 67.0 85-86 60.0 62.4 69.4 66.3

CAMARILLO

Reading Wr. Ex. Spelling Math 83-84 67.6 67.5 69.9 74.7 84-85 67.1 68.9 70.3 74.3 85-86 64.3 67.8 71.4 73.6

CHANNEL ISLANDS HIGH

Reading Wr. Ex. Spelling Math 83-84 58.1 58.1 67.3 60.4 84-85 60.4 61.1 69.7 64.2 85-86 58.2 60.8 69.9 62.4

HUENEME ($57,403)

Reading Wr. Ex. Spelling Math 83-84 58.9 60.6 67.5 63.7 84-85 56.4 56.2 68.3 62.4 85-86 56.9 61.0 68.6 65.3

OXNARD HIGH

Reading Wr. Ex. Spelling Math 83-84 57.5 56.7 67.6 61.7 84-85 59.5 58.3 68.0 63.7 85-86 58.7 59.6 68.0 64.1

RIO MESA ($25,391)

Reading Wr. Ex. Spelling Math 83-84 59.4 62.0 66.0 67.6 84-85 60.1 61.3 67.2 67.2 85-86 61.5 62.7 68.9 66.3

Simi Valley Unified

DISTRICT AVERAGE

Reading Wr. Ex. Spelling Math 83-84 63.2 63.1 70.8 68.1 84-85 63.3 63.7 70.1 68.1 85-86 63.7 64.7 70.7 68.9

ROYAL HIGH ($8,389)

Reading Wr. Ex. Spelling Math 83-84 62.2 63.1 71.8 66.2 84-85 63.5 62.9 69.1 67.7 85-86 63.3 63.9 69.8 67.3

SIMI VALLEY HIGH ($57,543)

Reading Wr. Ex. Spelling Math 83-84 64.0 63.2 69.9 69.8 84-85 63.1 64.4 70.8 68.4 85-86 63.8 65.2 71.3 70.1

Wm. S. Hart Union

DISTRICT AVERAGE

Reading Wr. Ex. Spelling Math 83-84 66.2 68.2 72.4 70.9 84-85 67.8 68.7 72.4 74.2 85-86 65.1 67.4 73.8 71.9

CANYON HIGH

Reading Wr. Ex. Spelling Math 83-84 62.5 65.1 69.9 67.5 84-85 67.0 67.5 69.5 73.2 85-86 63.0 65.1 67.4 70.2

HART HIGH

Reading Wr. Ex. Spelling Math 83-84 70.0 72.3 73.2 73.3 84-85 70.1 71.2 74.6 78.1 85-86 69.7 71.2 77.6 74.8

SAUGUS HIGH

Reading Wr. Ex. Spelling Math 83-84 65.9 67.2 74.1 71.9 84-85 65.9 67.5 73.3 71.1 85-86 62.1 65.7 76.9 70.1

* Numbers in parenthesis indicate amount won in Cash for CAP competition.