New Haven Schools Show Mixed Results in Latest API Scores

The New Haven Unified School District’s Academic Performance Index (API) scores have dipped slightly, according to a report released by the state Department of Education Wednesday.

While several schools have shown considerable growth, the majority failed to meet their targeted goals, with many remaining relatively flat.

The API is a gauge used by the state to determine how districts and individual schools are performing in English-language arts and mathematics. Scores are determined by results from the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) test and the California High School Exit Exam.

The statewide API target is a score of 800.

New Haven now stands at 775, down from 778 in the 2009-2010 school year. scored 773, up 10 points. Fremont Unified School District scored the highest of the Tri-Cities, exceeding both Newark and New Haven with an overall API score of 877.

Among those New Haven schools that have grown are Alvarado, Emanuele and Kitayama elementary schools. All three exhibited double-digit growth, with Emanuele Elementary jumping 19 points to hit the 800 mark.

Alvarado Elementary grew 17 points to 852 and Kitayama by 13 to 841.

Eastin Elementary leads the district with a score of 911, exceeding the state’s goal by more than 100 points.

Schools that also exceeded the state’s goal, but fell in scores, were Pioneer Elementary with 839.and Alvarado Middle School at 815.

Of those that fell short of their goals, Hillview Crest Elementary School showed the greatest decline. The school dropped 35 points from 794 in the 2009-2010 school year to 759.

Cesar Chavez Middle School fell 10 points to 732, James Logan High dropped just one point to 734 and Searles Elementary remained flat at 761.

The school that showed the greatest improvement was Conley-Caraballo High School, New Haven’s continuation high school. The school raised its score 126 points to 705, though calculations vary for continuation schools, district officials said in a press release issued Wednesday.

Despite several of its schools being higher than the state’s goal, New Haven is still is in federal “Program Improvement” status due to its Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) results. Emanuele, Kitayama and Searles elementary schools, along with Cesar Chavez Middle, enter Program Improvement for the first time and join Alvarado Elementary and Hillview Crest.

AYP scores dropped slightly, with 57.7 percent of students scoring proficient in English-language arts and 53.5 percent scoring proficient in math. Those are only slight dips from 57.8 and 56.4 percent in 2009-2010.

“It’s clear from the state results that our district can be very proud of the improvement that’s been made over the past several years,” Superintendent Kari McVeigh said in a statement issued Wednesday. “But the federal requirements simply continue to accelerate at an unrealistic rate, which is why so many districts are being labeled Program Improvement.”

The drop in AYP and API math numbers may be attributable to increased access to advanced math courses, according to district officials. As a result, high-performing students were placed in algebra and geometry, offsetting the scores.

“Advancing these students to higher levels of math may initially result in some lower scores in the general math courses,” said Director of Assessment and Evaluation Craig Boyan. “That should improve as adjustments are made in the future.”

Statewide, 49 percent of California schools exceeded or met their API target — a record for California.

API scores showed continued improvement across the board, with a statewide growth of 11 points, propelled by a 14-point gain among English learners and Hispanic students and a 10-point gain among African American students. Asian and white students posted gains of 8 and 7 points.

But, much like in New Haven, the API scores tend to go down at the higher grade levels.

Fifty-five percent of elementary schools, 43 percent of middle schools and 28 percent of high schools met or surpassed the state API target of 800.

Clayton Patch Editor Patrick Creaven contributed to this report.