Gary Thomas, Ed.D. County Superintendent

Superintendent's Message

Record Number Of County Schools Reach State Academic Benchmark

Our San Bernardino County schools and districts continue to make record progress under the state's benchmark for academic success, according to data released by the California Department of Education in its Accountability Progress Report.

In the report, county schools raised its scores on the Academic Performance Index or API to a record high of 767 for the 2011-12 academic year, which is a 10-point increase from the previous year. This marks the fifth consecutive year that county schools have shown double-digit growth on the API.

In addition, there were 24 more schools from the county that reached the state standard of 800 on the API, giving San Bernardino County a record 195 schools at or above 800. These are terrific results for our schools and districts, but there are aspects of the state report that cloud the momentum of academic achievement that we are seeing.

More than one-third of our highest achieving schools on the API - those above the state's 800 benchmark - are now in Program Improvement, a status for schools that receive Title I funding and do not make federal standards in the same category for two consecutive year under Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).

Right now, there are 283 county schools - or 77 percent of those that receive Title I funding - that have fallen into Program Improvement. Statewide, more than 71 percent of school or more than 4,400 are now in Program Improvement.

Combined with the successes seen from the state's API scores, these federal numbers and percentages come across as confusing and frustrating for those trying to assess the progress our schools are making.

It just does not make sense that so many of our schools are celebrating the success of growing and achieving under the state accountability model, while a ridiculously high number of the same schools are "failing," according to the contrasting federal model.

The California Department of Education is attempting to garner some relief for Program Improvement schools by applying for a waiver from the U.S. Department of Education. The department already has provided waivers to 32 states and Washington, D.C., from the flawed system set up under the No Child Left Behind legislation.

While there has been discussion about reforms for the landmark education legislation that expired in 2007, the reality is that Congress has not be able to finalize any replacement legislation, so schools and districts are left to deal with the punitive outcomes.

Meanwhile, three county schools defied the odds and exited from Program Improvement this year. Those schools are Cypress Elementary and Hillside Elementary from San Bernardino City Unified School District and Sycamore Elementary from Upland Unified.

Given the increasing percentages of all California schools falling into Program Improvement, these are outstanding results for Cypress, Hillside and Sycamore elementary schools.

While these accountability reports do provide a snapshot of the progress schools are making, be mindful that they are only one measurement. When I share information to parents and community members, I remind them that the most important educational outcomes are those made by individual students with their classroom teachers on a daily basis. Fostering a strong relationship between teacher and student with the support of a student's family provides the best opportunity for academic achievement at our schools and within our districts.