Today the California Department of Education released the latest Academic Performance Index (API) for 2011. The results for Los Alamitos High School, while still far above statewide average, were lower than last year. All the other schools in the Los Alamitos School District improved significantly over 2010.
The API is a numeric index based on the state’s standardized tests (see related stories below) and ranges from a low of 200 to a high of 1,000. The API is a composite score that combines information across grade levels and content areas to yield a single accountability metric for a school site.
The API includes assessment results from the California Standards Tests (CSTs) in English-language arts (ELA), mathematics, history/social science and science, and the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) in grades ten through twelve.
The State Board of Education has established an API score of 800 points as the state target that all schools and student subgroups should achieve. In 2011, 49 percent of all schools attained this target. Based on 2011 data, 55 percent of elementary schools, 43 percent of middle schools, and 28 percent of high schools are now at or above the state target of 800.
Of course, it’s no surprise that the Los Alamitos Unified schools are miles above the statewide averages. Each school in the district is above 800. But the results are a bit more complicated than that.
Since specific demographics of a school have a direct bearing on academic success, the state goes to some considerable effort to create a comparison group of demographically similar schools, affectionately known as the 100 similar schools. Anyone who has discussed school specific student results with a teacher or principal has heard the issue of demographics. The 100 similar schools data is intended to provide a basis for comparison without the affect of dissimilar demographics.
In other words, If a school’s API is high, it could be at least partially due to the student demographics. A better comparison is against the median score for the 100 similar schools.
Los Alamitos High School
Los Al’s API for 2011 is 880, down 4 points from their 2010 number of 884. The 880 score at LAHS remains slightly above the median of the 100 similar schools which came in at 873. But, the similar schools improved their scores by 3 points, so Los Al lost ground against the comparison group. Thus, Los Alamitos High School is just slightly above average in comparison to their similar schools.
McAuliffe Middle School
McAuliffe’s API for 2011 is 931, up 12 points from the 2010 score of 919. The 2011 API median for their 100 similar schools is 924, up 9 points from 2010. Thus, McAuliffe is beating their similar schools improvement rate and is even further above the average than last year.
Oak Middle School
Oak is chasing McAuliffe. Oak improved their score by 21 points, the second best improvement in the district. Oak’s API for 2011 is 911, only 20 points behind McAuliffe, But, unlike McAuliffe, Oak is just slightly above their similar schools average. The average for the comparison group is 908, up 15 points from last year. Thus, Oak gained on the similar schools in 2011 and now is above their median.
Rossmoor Elementary School
Rossmoor achieved an API of 949, up 22 points from last year. This was the largest improvement in the district. Rossmoor is well ahead of their similar school’s median of 923, and more than doubled the comparison group’s rate of improvement, which was only 9 points.
Lee Elementary School
The 2011 API at Lee came in at 944, up 6 points from last year. Lee is far above the median for their similar schools, which was 911. Lee’s similar schools median is only one of two such scores which fell in 2011, compared to 2010. The average for Lee’s similar schools was 3 points lower than last year.
Los Alamitos Elementary School
The API for LAE is 918, up 7 points from 2010. Their similar school’s median is 886, down 1 point from 2010.
Hopkinson Elementary School
At Hopkinson the 2011 API is 957, up 13 points from 2010. The median for Hopkinson’s similar schools is 939, up 2 points from a year ago. Thus, Hopkinson is well above the average of the comparison schools and gaining ground.
McGaugh Elementary School
The 2011 API for McGaugh is 919, up 14 points from last year. McGaugh is just slightly above the average for their similar schools, which moved up 19 points to a 2011 API of 915. So, McGaugh lost a little ground against their comparison group.
Weaver Elementary School
Once again, Weaver has the highest API in the district at 984, up 13 points from 2010. The API for Weaver’s similar schools is 957, higher by only 4 points when compared to 2010.
So, how good is the Los Alamitos Unified School District?
Short answer, pretty good. But, how much of that is due to the district verses how much is due to the students, their home life, and demographics? The state tries to provide a basis to answer that question through the 100 similar schools. Thus, we offer this final comparison: The point difference between each school and the median of their similar schools. The higher the point difference between each school’s API and the median of the APIs for that school’s comparison schools, the better the school, teachers, and district are doing with the students they have to work with.
The good news for the district and teachers is that every one of Los Alamitos schools are above the average of their similar schools. Some are not up by much and some are up a lot. Here are the numbers, in order of best to least:
Lee 33
Los Alamitos Elementary 32
Weaver 27
Rossmoor 26
Hopkinson 18
Los Alamitos High 7
McAuliffe 7
McGaugh 4
Oak 3
Thus, every school in the district is above the average for their comparison schools, every school except Los Alamitos High School, and McGaugh Elementary, improved at a faster rate than their peer group, and every school in the district, except Los Alamitos High, has an API above 900.
The Los Alamitos Unified School District serves nearly 10,000 students in Seal Beach, Rossmoor, and Los Alamitos. The district includes Los Alamitos High School, a full service high school, Laurel High School, a continuation high school, McAuliffe Middle School, Oak Middle School, and six elementary schools. Mrs. Karen Russell is the current President of the Board of Education. Dr. Sherry Kropp is the Superintendant of the Los Alamitos Unified School District.
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About Dolores Barr, Publisher
Dolores Barr has lived in Rossmoor since 1992 and has created this site to provide local news for the people of Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, Rossmoor, Leisure World, Sunset Beach, and Surfside, California. My husband and I have had two students graduate from the Los Alamitos Unified School District and currently our Grandson, Ricky Apodaca, grade 3 at Weaver Elementary, is actively involved in youth baseball through LAYB and youth football through FNL.
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