Schools

Test Scores: Mid-County Schools Have Strong Showing

All of the Soquel Union Elementary School District elementary schools met their API growth goals.

The California Academic Performance Index base report was released Thursday morning and overall, Pajaro Valley Unified School District schools did well.

The API is a tool that the state uses in order to rate a school's performance on scale of 200 to 1,000. California's benchmark, or expected average is 800.

Statewide, some 53 percent of schools scored at or above the state target of 800, an increase of 4 percentage points over last year, marking a decade of steady growth. Ten years ago, only 20 percent of schools met or surpassed the API target.

Find out what's happening in Capitola-Soquelwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"We’ve set a high bar for schools and they have more than met the challenge, despite the enormous obstacles that years of budget cuts have put in their way,” Torlakson said. “The incredible efforts of teachers, administrators, school employees, parents, and students should serve as an inspiration to us all. While there’s still more work to do, California’s schools have earned a vote of confidence.”

Results released by the state show that 59 percent of elementary schools, 49 percent of middle schools, and 30 percent of high schools are now meeting the state benchmark.

Find out what's happening in Capitola-Soquelwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In Mid-County, both Soquel and Aptos High schools experienced positive improvements in their test scores.

School 2010 2011 2012 =/- Aptos High 782 802 809 +7 Soquel High
740
764 776 +12

Middle schools also saw modest gains in their test scores as well.

School 2010 2011 2012 +/- Aptos Junior 816 806 818 +12 New Brighton Middle
836
836
853
+17

Elementary schools also had strong performances, and all of the schools in the Soquel Union Elementary School District met their growth goal, even though some had declines in their test scores.

School 2010 2011 2012 +/- Main Street Elementary
830
848
863
15
Mar Vista Elementary 845 852 862 +10 Rio del Mar Elementary 904 905 907 +2 Santa Cruz Gardens Elementary
868
844
806
-38
Soquel Elementary
798
807
804
-3

 

*All API score information gathered from the California Department of Education's website.


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