Most local schools top state, county scores

Most Petaluma City Schools scored above state and county medians on one of the key reports used to measure student achievement on Calif-ornia standardized tests in 2007, but several schools had low rankings when compared with similar schools throughout the state, according to results released last week.

PCS had a base score of 761 on the Academic Perform-ance Index, which is based on the previous year’s API scores and marks a starting point for measuring annual academic growth.

Petaluma High School had a score of 756, eight points above the median for Sonoma County high schools and 67 points higher than the statewide median. Casa Grande High School’s score of 748 matched the median for county high schools, and is 59 points higher than the statewide median.

Both schools had an 8 ranking on a graduating scale of 1 to 10 when their scores were compared with those of other high schools throughout the state, and when compared with schools with common characteristics — such as the socioeconomic status of students’ families, average class size and percentage of English-language learners — PHS’ ranking was 5 and Casa Grande’s was 6.

“The similar schools ranking is a bit of a snapshot,” said Sue Olds, PCS’ assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction. “This year, due to the new way that scores were calculated, the similar schools ranking is less reliable.”

Olds said that schools designated as “similar” often are alike in some respects, but not in other ways, and that this can influence the rankings of individual schools.

“For instance, we feel that the average class size in our schools is quite good, but this could cause us to get compared with some schools in other areas that aren’t like us in other ways,” she said.

Petaluma Junior High School had a score of 797 and Kenilworth Junior High School’s score was 782. Both scores surpassed the county median of 768 and the statewide median of 720 for junior high schools. The scores gave both schools an 8 ranking, but when compared to similar schools, PJHS had a 5 rating and Kenilworth had a 3 ranking.

Four of the seven PCS elementary schools scored higher than the county median of 794, and five of them scored above the state median of 763. Five PCS elementary schools had rankings over 5, with Grant achieving a 10. But when compared with similar schools, five PCS schools had ratings below 4, and none of them was over 6.

Olds says that these low rankings can partially be attributed to the wide array of offerings in the schools.

“In our elementary schools, we continue to provide both math and reading, but unlike some elementary schools elsewhere, we still provide instruction in subjects such as music, art, social studies and physical education,” Olds said. “We provide a more balanced education.”

The Old Adobe Union School District, consisting of five elementary schools, had a score of 802. Sonoma Mountain had the highest score, 845, while Bernard Eldredge had the lowest, 720.

Four of the schools had a statewide ranking of 7 or 8, although four schools had a ranking below 5 when compared with similar schools.

“The similar schools ranking is a good idea, but it is problematic,” said Diane Zimmerman, superintendent of the district, adding that some school districts heavily target their instruction specifically at test material.

“We’re happy that we’re doing so well. Sometimes, our schools’ scores look a little dicey if they’re compared from year to year, but we’ve made general progress over the years,” she added.

In the two-school Waugh Elementary School District, Meadow scored 897 and Corona Creek tallied 888. Meadow had a statewide ranking of 10 and Corona Creek had a rating of 9, and both schools had an 8 ranking when compared with similar schools in the state.

Other high-achieving elementary schools were Liberty, which had a score of 925 and had both a statewide ranking and similar schools ranking of 10; Two Rock, which scored 874 and had a statewide ranking of 9 and a similar schools ranking of 10; and Dunham, which scored 857, and had a statewide ranking of 9 and a similar schools ranking of 7.

(Contact Dan Johnson at dan.johnson@arguscourier.com)