Local schools making the grade, state statistics show

More schools in the northern San Joaquin Valley meet state performance goals, while fewer make the grade on federal standards, according to data released this morning by the state Department of Education.

The annual snapshots gauge student success on California’s standardized tests taken each spring. Schools that don’t reach federal targets must offer more services for students and face takeover by state officials.

In Stanislaus County, nearly three in four county schools are improving their scores each year on the state report card, the Academic Performance Index. Schools earn a number from 200 to 1,000 with the goal set at 800.

Also, 39 of 181 county schools — about 21.5 percent — have reached 800 or higher on the API. That’s up from 31 schools in 2007.

Neighboring schools in Tuolumne County and the southern San Joaquin County cities of Escalon, Ripon and Manteca are scoring just as well — 11 of 51 schools came in at or above 800.

On the flip side, schools are having difficulty meeting federal goals, known as Adequate Yearly Progress.

Only 73 of 181 Stanislaus County schools — 40 percent — made their AYP. Several of those campuses are in danger of being placed or remaining on a federal watch list, called Program Improvement.

AYP tracks whether or not schools and their subgroups are meeting federal benchmarks under the No Child Left Behind Act. All students and subgroups — minorities and English Language Learners, as well as special education and poor students — must meet the minimum goals in English and math for the school to make AYP.

Also, 50 Stanislaus County schools landed on the Program Improvement list, a watch list for underperforming schools based on AYP.

In evaluating the quality of a school, how much merit do you put in state tests? To answer our poll question, go to the home page at modbee.com.

This story was originally published September 4, 2008 at 10:59 AM with the headline "Local schools making the grade, state statistics show."