All schools in ranked among the top 20 percent of schools statewide, according to public school test-score-based rankings released last week by the state Department of Education.
The state ranks schools academically on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 representing the top 10 percent, to determine a school's standing compared to other schools statewide. The rankings are based on the school's base Academic Performance Index, which is calculated for elementary, middle and high schools based on results of the Standardized Testing and Reporting Program and California High School Exit Exam.
The base API is determined based on the previous year's performance on the standardized tests.
Because of the nature of the system, 10 percent of schools statewide will always be in each decile. Where a school falls, according to score, changes over the years as schools improve their scores.
In RBUSD, , and elementary schools, as well as , received the highest rank of 10. The rest of the district's schools received a rank of nine.
Nevertheless, when compared with schools of similar demographics, RBUSD did not fare as well. Only and (both ranked ninth statewide) received a rank of 10 when compared with similar schools. Beryl Heights Elementary, and schools ranked ninth when compared with similar schools; ranked eighth; Alta Vista, Jefferson, and Parras ranked seventh; and ranked fifth. (For complete rank data, click here.)
The state also released base API scores for districts. The target API score set by the state Department of Education is 800. RBUSD's base API—based on 2011 standardized testing—was 873.
The API score, which shows how each school is performing academically in comparison to other schools, ranges from a low of 200 to a high of 1,000.
The statewide base API was 778, according to the state. The base for elementary schools was 808, while it was 778 for middle schools and 741 for high schools.
Statewide, the base API was 845 for white students, 859 for Filipinos and 898 for Asian students. The API was 696 for black students, 729 for Hispanics, 706 for English-learners and 726 for financially disadvantaged students.
The release of the base API marks the beginning of the 2011-12 test-score reporting cycle, according to the state, representing each school's baseline score.
See the table below for RBUSD's API score growth between 2010 and 2011:
2011 Growth 2010 Base 2010-11 Growth Target 2010-11 Growth REDONDO BEACH UNIFIED 875 868 D 7 Elementary Schools Alta Vista Elementary 918 937 A -19 Beryl Heights Elementary 928 948 A -20 Birney Elementary 905 879 A 26 Jefferson Elementary 945 949 A -4 Lincoln Elementary 909 888 A 21 Madison Elementary 876 896 A -20 Tulita Elementary 916 910 A 6 Washington Elementary 892 835 A 57 Middle Schools Adams Middle 860 859 A 1 Parras (Nick G.) Middle 905 911 A -6 High Schools Redondo Union High 840 826 A 14 ASAM Schools (Continuation) 570* 595* 10 -25"N/A" means a number is not applicable or not available due to missing data. " * " means this API is calculated for a small school, defined as having between 11 and 99 valid Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program test scores included in the API. APIs based on small numbers of students are less reliable and therefore should be carefully interpreted. Similar schools ranks are not calculated for small schools. "A" means the school scored at or above the statewide performance target of 800 in 2011. "B" means this is either an LEA or an Alternative Schools Accountability Model (ASAM) school. Schools with an approved ASAM application do not receive statewide or similar schools rankings. Growth, target, and rank information are not applicable to LEAs. "C" means this is a special education school. Statewide and similar schools ranks and API growth targets are not applicable to special education schools. "I" means the school has some invalid data, and the California Department of Education cannot calculate a valid similar schools rank for this school.
—City News Service contributed to this report.
