Vast Majority of State’s Schools Lag in New Index

Eighty-eight percent of California’s public schools fell below the state target for achievement, according to the state’s first-ever ranking of elementary, middle and high schools, released Tuesday.

Pockets of excellence emerged in predictable areas, notably the affluent, high-tech mecca of Santa Clara County in the Bay Area. In Los Angeles County, the best-performing districts included those in Manhattan Beach and San Marino and on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

The state’s top-scoring high school was Whitney in Cerritos’ ABC Unified School District. Entry into the magnet school is highly competitive.

The giant Los Angeles Unified School District fared dismally, dominating the bottom ranks. Thirty-four percent of the district’s 435 elementary schools and the same percentage of its 136 secondary schools ranked 1 on a scale of 1 to 10, and overall, more than two-thirds landed at 3 or below.

Many Los Angeles schools, however, were able to take consolation in having done well in comparison to similar schools. Nearly a third of the elementary schools that were ranked last, for example, rose into the top half when compared to 100 other schools of similar characteristics in socioeconomic status, teacher qualifications and number of students who are not fluent in English.

Indicating the extraordinary level of public interest in the unprecedented ranking of 6,700 schools, the California Department of Education’s Web site was nearly paralyzed by 4,000 hits soon after the data were posted Tuesday morning. At one point, the department had to shut down its system so that data could be e-mailed to news organizations.

“We’re thrilled that the public has such a high interest in examining the data,” said Doug Stone, a departmental spokesman.

He added that the agency was attempting to put into place additional phone lines to ensure that the public would be able to access the material online, as promised. (It is available at http//:www.cde.ca.gov/psaa.)

The Academic Performance Index, as the ranking is known, is the cornerstone of the state’s $242-million push to make schools accountable for students’ learning. It is designed to measure academic performance and to establish a base from which school progress can be gauged.

The API, which makes California one of 26 states that publicly rank schools or districts, is for now based solely on results of the Stanford 9 basic skills test, which was given last spring to nearly 4.3 million public school students. Every school is given a score from 200 to 1,000, calculated according to a seven-step formula.

Those scores are then ranked statewide in 10 groups of equal size from 1 to 10. Schools are separated by type--elementary, middle and high schools--and ranked within those categories.

Every school that scores below 800, the state’s academic target, is told how much it must improve its score before the second API is released next fall. Only 12% of the schools met the target of 800 in this first go-round.

Across the state, many districts took issue with the index for one reason or another. Several with high proportions of students who are not fluent in English complained that the index unfairly penalized them by lumping in scores of pupils who could not yet comprehend the Stanford 9. Others said they want to know more about the formulas used before they will trust some of the data.

California schools that make the prescribed amount of progress will be eligible for financial rewards. Schools that fail to meet improvement targets could have remedies forced on them and, in extreme cases, face takeover by the state.

A second ranking of 1 to 10 compares each school’s 1999 API score to the scores of 100 schools with similar socioeconomic and ethnic characteristics.

In coming years, the index is expected to include several other components, including attendance and graduation rates, results of a forthcoming high school exit exam and scores on additional Stanford 9 questions designed to assess students’ mastery of the state’s rigorous new standards.

Although the API falls well short of that now, many educators hailed it as a starting point.

“It’s the crawling stages of an adequate statewide accountability system,” said Charles Weis, Ventura County schools superintendent, who serves on the state’s API advisory panel.

Gov. Gray Davis heralded the inauguration of the ranking system, which was mandated by legislation that he signed last spring.

“Starting today, the era of accountability has finally begun in public education,” he said. “It matters less to me where a school ranks today; what really matters is whether it shows improvement a year from today.”

Many schools welcomed the index, even as they said it is somewhat flimsy.

“We get calls every day from parents shopping for schools, from Realtors and from relocation firms asking the same question: ‘How do your schools rank?’ and wanting a magic answer,” said Vic Pallos, a spokesman for the Glendale Unified School District. “Up to now, we’ve not been able to provide a definitive answer.” Here’s Glendale’s answer now: Of 28 schools, 18 attained a 6 or higher. The four high schools had rankings of 4, 5, 9 and 10.

Delaine Eastin, California superintendent of public instruction, acknowledged that many of the state’s lowest-ranked schools are in urban areas. But she said additional information that compares individual schools against others with similar students will help parents gain perspective on the data.

Eastin singled out Pasadena schools as doing particularly well compared to similar campuses, even though schools there generally were not ranked high overall. For example, Blair High School received a statewide ranking of 3 but a “similar schools ranking” of 10.

“At least that should give parents some comfort,” she said.

By contrast, South Pasadena’s five schools had stellar statewide rankings of 9 and 10 but, against similar schools, two were rated as 3s, one as a 4 and one as a 6.

William L. Padia, director of the state Education Department’s office of policy and evaluation, said those data merely indicated that among higher-performing schools the competition was much fiercer.

The rankings comparing schools with campuses having similar demographics raised questions across the state Tuesday.

In Orange County, many schools that educate poor immigrant children appeared to shine when compared to schools elsewhere in the state that face similar educational challenges.

Yet Beverly Huff, Irvine assessment coordinator, said she won’t rely on the similar-schools rankings--which she supports as a concept--until she can see the formula used to create them.

“I’m not yet convinced that that data is accurate,” she said. “I don’t know if it’s accurate enough to take pride in.”

Fair Avenue Elementary School in North Hollywood also offered an extreme case, with a statewide ranking of 2 and a 10 in its group of similar schools.

Principal Maxine Elise Matlen said the comparative ranking helped teachers balance their disappointment. “This is the first thing that really validates the hard work my teachers and staff are doing--and parents,” she said.

Most of Fair’s 1,800 students are Latino; all qualify for free or reduced-price lunches, a measure of poverty. The school has a high percentage of teachers with emergency credentials and is on a year-round calendar.

Despite these disadvantages, Matlen said she can’t take too much consolation from the campus’ high ranking among similar schools. A better measure of success, she said, would be matching other San Fernando Valley campuses such as Carpenter Avenue Elementary School in Studio City and Woodland Hills Elementary School, which had much higher rankings.

“The 10 validates what we are doing. The 2 brings us back to reality,” Matlen said. “The main thing is: We’re not doing well enough. We need to move into the state 3s. Then I’ll feel good.”

But Los Angeles interim Supt. Ramon C. Cortines said his board should consider the similar-school scores for “motivational purposes” only.

“I encourage the board not to get caught up in . . . comparing schools,” he said. “We want our diplomas to mean something, so we’ve got to develop the support that will move our schools up in the [overall score].”

Santa Clara County stole the overall score show by taking 14 of the top 30 spots among elementary schools and seven of the top middle school slots. Los Angeles County schools had their strongest showing at the high school level, with eight of the 30 top schools. After Whitney, Long Beach’s California Academy of Mathematics came in third, San Marino High placed eighth and La Canada High was 12th.

Although no single factor appeared to account for low test scores, a combination of three characteristics was evident in many poorly performing schools, according to a Times analysis: a high percentage of disadvantaged students, students who were not fluent in English and uncredentialed teachers.

Contributing to this story were Times education writer Doug Smith in Los Angeles and Times staff writers Kate Folmar and Lisa Richardson in Orange County, Daryl Kelley in Ventura and Dan Morain in Sacramento. Richard O’Reilly, Times director of computer analysis, and Sandra Poindexter, data analyst, also contributed.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Best and Worst in L.A. County

Here are the highest- and lowest-ranked elementary, middle and high schools in Los Angeles County, according to the Academic Performance Index.

HIGHEST RANKED

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ELEMENTARY / DISTRICT API 1. Balboa Gifted-High Ability 952 Magnet, Los Angeles Unified 2. Cornerstone at Pedregal 942 Palos Verdes Peninsula 3. Warner Avenue 914 Los Angeles Unified 4. Silver Spur 914 Palos Verdes Peninsula 5. Valentine 904 San Marino Unified 6. Marquez Avenue 902 Los Angeles Unified 7. Montemalaga 896 Palos Verdes Peninsula 8. Carver 894 San Marino Unified 9. Roscomare Road 893 Los Angeles Unified 10. Wonderland Avenue 891 Los Angeles Unified

*--*

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MIDDLE SCHOOL/DISTRICT API 1. Huntington Intermediate 901 San Marino Unified 2. Manhattan Beach 894 Manhattan Beach Unified 3. Palos Verdes Intermediate 885 Palos Verdes Unified 4. Foothills 869 Arcadia Unified 5. Lindero Canyon 857 Las Virgenes Unified 6. Wright 846 Las Virgenes Unified 7. Miraleste Intermediate 843 Palos Verdes Peninsula 8. Lincoln 830 Santa Monica-Malibu 9. Carmenita 829 ABC Unified 10. Suzanne 826 Walnut Valley Unified

*--*

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HIGH SCHOOL/DISTRICT API 1. Whitney 966 ABC Unified 2. California Academy of 909 Mathematics, Long Beach Unif. 3. San Marino 868 San Marino Unified 4. La Canada 858 La Canada Unified 5. Palos Verdes Peninsula 840 Palos Verdes Unified 6. Agoura 825 Las Virgenes Unified 7. Beverly Hills 820 Beverly Hills Unified 8. Calabasas 818 Las Virgenes Unified 9. Arcadia 795 Arcadia Unified 10. Malibu 793 Santa Monica-Malibu

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LOWEST RANKED

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ELEMENTARY/DISTRICT API 1. Holmes Avenue 311 Los Angeles Unified 2. Hooper Avenue 322 Los Angeles Unified 3. West Vernon Avenue 332 Los Angeles Unified 4. Esperanza 333 Los Angeles Unified 5. 28th Street 333 Los Angeles Unified 6. Pacoima 338 Los Angeles Unified 7. Sixth Avenue 344 Los Angeles Unified 8. Broadous 347 Los Angeles Unified 9. Gratts 349 Los Angeles Unified 10. Hyde Park Boulevard 349 Los Angeles Unified

*--*

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MIDDLE SCHOOL/DISTRICT API 1. Bethune 345 Los Angeles Unified 2. Jefferson New No. 1 351 Los Angeles Unified 3. Drew 357 Los Angeles Unified 4. Gompers 361 Los Angeles Unified 5. Carver 364 Los Angeles Unified 6. Edison 378 Los Angeles Unified 7. Davis 380 Compton Unified 8. Willowbrook 384 Compton Unified 9. Markham 385 Los Angeles Unified 10. Clay 392 Los Angeles Unified

*--*

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HIGH SCHOOL/DISTRICT API 1. Locke 380 Los Angeles Unified 2. Dominguez 383 Compton Unified 3. Fremont 399 Los Angeles Unified 4. Centennial 400 Compton Unified 5. Compton 410 Compton Unified 6. Jordan 410 Los Angeles Unified 7. Jefferson 413 Los Angeles Unified 8. Manual Arts 414 Los Angeles Unified 9. Washington 426 Los Angeles Unified 10. Cabrillo 429 Los Angeles Unified

*--*

Compiled by Sandra Poindexter, data analyst

Source: California Dept. of Education

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

How Did They Score?

Here is the percentage of schools in Los Angeles County that fell into each ranking of the Academic Performance Index.

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L.A. County L.A. (minus Rank Unified LAUSD) 10 BEST 2.5% 10.5% 9 3.2 8.9 8 3.4 7.5 7 4.1 7.7 6 5.2 8.9 5 8.7 10.0 4 6.6 11.9 3 13.0 12.7 2 19.1 11.6 1 WORST 34.2 10.2

*--*

Note: Figures may not total 100 because of rounding.

Compiled by Richard O’Reilly, Times director of computer analysis

Source: California Department of Education