SBCSS News and Press Releases

County Schools Continue To Show Improvement On Median API Base Scores

2009-05-21

SAN BERNARDINO - Middle schools in San Bernardino County improved by 25 points in their median Academic Performance Index (API) Base and the number of middle schools at or above the state standard of 800 more than doubled, according to data released today by the California Department of Education.

In addition, elementary and high schools both showed their 10th consecutive year of growth in median API Base scores.

"The trends for our county schools continue to move in a positive direction," County Superintendent Gary Thomas said. "Our schools and districts are to be commended for the daily work they do to promote academic achievement for all of our students, and our students and staff are to be commended for their hard work and continuous improvement. This year, middle schools showed particularly strong growth."

Compared to state median scores, county schools still trail API Bases at the elementary, middle and high school levels, although the gaps closed at the elementary and middle school levels.

Elementary schools have improved their API Base median scores from 629 points in 1999 to 777 in 2008, an increase of 148 points. County elementary schools closed the disparity to the state median to 17 points, the closest it has been in 10 years of reporting.

At the middle school level, county API Base median scores jumped 25 points from 2007. The county API Base of 718 narrowed the difference to the state median by five points. In 10 years of reporting, the county API Base has improved from 587 in 1999 to 718 in 2008, an improvement of 131 points.

At the high school level, the county API Base rose eight points to 691. In the past 10 years, the county API Base has grown 139 points from 552 in 1999.

County median figures for subgroups also showed improvement with year-to-year gains for African American, Hispanic, White, Socioeconomically Disadvantaged, English Learners and Students with Disabilities.

As for the number of county schools reaching the statewide API target of 800, 29.6 percent of elementary schools - or 92 schools - are at or above 800. For county middle schools, 20.8 percent (16 schools) have reached the 800 target. Last year, only seven county middle schools were at the state standard of 800. At the high school level, 4.2 percent (two schools) in the county have reached or exceeded the API target.

The API Base sets each school's baseline scores for academic performance and annual growth targets. Additionally, the scores establish similar school rankings, with schools ranked by size and student population served. Schools are ranked academically on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest) and compared to other schools statewide (statewide rankings) and to schools with similar characteristics (similar schools rankings). Small schools, those with student populations of less than 100 students, and alternative schools did not figure in the API Base results.

Results of the 2008 API Base are available at the California Department of Education's Web site, www.cde.ca.gov.