MOORPARK HIGH A PERFECT 10 SCHOOL EARNS HIGHEST ACADEMIC RANKINGS FROM STATE.Byline: Angie ANGIE Adaptive Network for Granular Information and Evidence Processing Valencia-Martinez Staff Writer MOORPARK - ``Test to Ten'' is a motto that paid off for Moorpark High School Moorpark High School, located in Moorpark, California, is a public high school in the Moorpark Unified School District and currently has an enrollment of 2,478 students.[1] after it scored a pair of 10s in annual state academic rankings, apparently the only Ventura County comprehensive high school ever to do so. The State Department of Education last week released school-by-school rankings from a low of 1 to a high of 10, derived from a school's Academic Performance Index scores on a scale of 200 to 1,000, with 800 being the state goal. Moorpark High scored 808 points - based on last year's testing results - earning a set of 10s when compared with schools statewide and schools with similar student demographics The attributes of people in a particular geographic area. Used for marketing purposes, population, ethnic origins, religion, spoken language, income and age range are examples of demographic data. . A 10 means a school is in the top 10 percentile percentile, n the number in a frequency distribution below which a certain percentage of fees will fall. E.g., the ninetieth percentile is the number that divides the distribution of fees into the lower 90% and the upper 10%, or that fee level , and 1 represents the bottom 10. ``We have reached the top of the mountain this year and we're proud of that,'' said Anna Merriman, the school district's assistant superintendent Assistant Superintendent, or Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), was a rank used by police forces in the British Empire. It was usually the lowest rank that could be held by a European officer, most of whom joined the police at this rank. of instructional services. ``We're not pointing at other school districts and saying 'Ha, ha, we're doing better than you.' But we have done some exceptional things to get our kids to close the achievement gap. ``It certainly takes effort on everyone's part to accomplish this task. It's something that's been going on for years.'' Moorpark High was the only comprehensive high school countywide coun·ty·wide adv. & adj. Throughout a whole county: found at locations countywide; a countywide search. Adj. 1. to receive the honor As a verb, to accept a bill of exchange, or to pay a note, check, or accepted bill, at maturity. To pay or to accept and pay, or, where a credit so engages, to purchase or discount a draft complying with the terms of the draft. , Ventura County Superintendent of Schools Charles Weis said. Foothill Technology High School in Ventura and Santa Susana High School Santa Susana High School is the third high school located in Simi Valley. The school campus is a middle school that was converted. The school colors are: silver, black, white, and teal. The school mascot is the Troubador. They are a school of the arts. in Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. scored 10s, but they are both magnet schools magnet school n. A public school offering a specialized curriculum, often with high academic standards, to a student body representing a cross section of the community. . It marks the first time a Ventura County comprehensive high school has accomplished the feat, Weis said. ``I can't recall another high school being 10/10,'' he said. ``It's really quite an accomplishment. It shows that a comprehensive high school can reach that elite status. I hope it's a challenge for all high schools to do the same.'' Last April, just before students engaged in another round of accountability testing, teachers posted signs with an inspiring message all over school: ``Test to Ten,'' Principal Kirk Miyashiro said. The school reached the benchmark score of 800 last year. In 2004, Moorpark High posted 777 - a 23-point gain from 2003. ``My first goal was to break 800,'' Miyashiro said. ``My second goal was that they rank 10/10. I said, 'Hey, folks, we can do this. We're close ... just knocking on the door.' We pushed last year.'' Miyashiro, who was named principal of the 2,450-student campus in 2004, succeeded Merriman. He has always said that scoring well on federal and state tests tops his priority list. Since 2003, the school ranked 9 and 10, respectively, in the statewide rank and similar schools rank. Merriman said the school's performance is the result of a districtwide effort, including teachers and administrators, students and parents. However, it is the teachers who make the effort to go the extra mile - often giving up their breaks to help struggling students. ``Our teachers have taken the attitude that whatever it takes, they're going to do,'' said Merriman, who headed the school for six years before taking the job at the district office. ``It's something they've always believed they could do.'' Miyashiro attributed the success to teachers and staffers, saying they align align (  līn),v to move the teeth into their proper positions to conform to the line of occlusion. the curriculum with the state standards. They also evaluate the test results to find out what's the next step to help each child do better. ``Teachers here have been working on things like standards before they were required by state,'' he said. ``Moorpark called them learning objectives. ``We needed to have items or benchmarks as learning objectives. That started the wheel rolling. Our teachers were already ahead of the game.'' School board member David Pollock credits the school's achievement to smaller learning communities, established by Moorpark High School in 1995 and instituting a more intimate school setting. The school created three academies - health and science, business and freshman honors. ``I frequently hold up Moorpark High School as a model for the state,'' Pollock said. Angie Valencia-Martinez, (805) 583-7604 angie.valencia(at)dailynews.com |
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