9 SCHOOLS KNOCKED OUT OF API AWARDS.

Byline: Erik Nelson Staff Writer

VAN NUYS - Nine Los Angeles Unified schools, including one in the Valley, are ineligible for bonuses under the state's fledgling accountability program because too many parents requested that their children sit out the Stanford 9 test, officials said Monday.

For the next two years, Fulton Middle School in Van Nuys and eight other schools will not be considered for awards, which can range up to $25,000 per teacher, under the state's Academic Performance Index. The index uses the Stanford 9 as the sole basis of comparing student achievement at schools throughout California.

``It does put us in a tough spot,'' said Rudolf Papilion, principal of Fulton Middle School, who granted 118 parent exemptions during this year's Stanford 9. ``There's no discretion allowed. Parents can request an exemption from testing for any reason whatsoever.''

State education officials invalidated the API scores of Fulton and the other schools because the distribution of ethnicity, income and English proficiency of students skewed the demographic makeup of the test-takers, and possibly the exam results.

``Their tested population was not reflective of their student population,'' said Esther Wong, director of the LAUSD's Information Center Branch.

At Fulton, too many English-language learners refused to take the test, Wong said.

Papilion said the parents at Fulton were not organized against the test, as has been the case at other schools in the past.

``It was entirely on an individual basis. It was not done as a group,'' he said.

Five of the nine schools - Eastman, Evergreen, Bridge and Main elementaries and Carver Middle in Los Angeles - would have been eligible for undetermined awards had their API score increases stood.