MOST SCHOOLS NEAR API GOAL CAMPUSES MUST IMPROVE ONLY SLIGHTLY TO HIT STANDARD.

Byline: Sue Doyle Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - School districts learned Tuesday where they rank among other schools and what improvements the state expects on the required exams students will take this spring.

Students in second through 11th grades annually take these mandated tests and their results are averaged together to give the school's Academic Performance Index, or API.

The state's goal is for schools to achieve scores of at least 800 out of 1,000 on the week-long exams. Schools and their districts are held accountable for results, which are announced in the fall.

A significant portion of Santa Clarita schools have already achieved the state's goal, scoring at 800 or above on API exams.

The remainder of local schools hover in the 600- to 800-point range and are expected by the state Department of Education to improve scores annually. Tuesday's results showed that most Santa Clarita Valley schools need to earn fewer than 5 points on this spring's exam.

``We know what our targets are, and we know what to shoot for,'' said Jaime Castellanos, superintendent of the William S. Hart Union High School District.

Of the seven traditional high schools in the district, Golden Valley has the most improvement to make on the exam, followed by Academy of the Canyons and then West Ranch High School.

The annual exams come to the Hart District on April 17.

Throughout the year, most schools test students on reading, language arts and math to gauge their comprehension on the subjects so they're on par with the state's expectations when the annual tests come around.

In the Hart District, students who are falling behind in the tested subjects can get extra assistance with intervention programs.

This summer, Hart students headed for ninth grade can take Xtreme Math, a class to improve algebra skills.

Another program takes place five hours each day and concentrates on reading, math and study skills to get the eighth-graders ready for high school, said Vicki Engbrecht, Hart's director of curriculum.

While older students grow more familiar with the exams each year, the tests are a whole new experience to second- and third-graders, who aren't used to the Scantron-type tests.

At Sulphur Springs School District in Canyon Country, schools prepare children for the tests with activities that accustom them to filling in circles and keeping their pencil marks within the little round dot, said Superintendent Robert Nolet.

For these students, going from pages with questions on them to separate answer sheets is different from the regular tests they have in school, he said.

``We find a lot of kids who get off by one (dot) and, all of a sudden, their entire tests look like they didn't learn anything, when all they did was make a mistake,'' Nolet said.

Of all the comprehensive high schools in the area, Vasquez High School has the largest growth target to achieve in the upcoming round of exams. The Acton-Agua Dulce Unified District school is expected to grow by 8 points.

Principal Martin Young said students have prepared for the exams by taking online courses in subjects they've failed or need more assistance in.

In addition, for the first 40-minute period of each day, students head to classes they need help in. They work one-on-one with teachers and get peer tutoring, Young said.

``It's been helpful to students who are struggling,'' he said.

Of the nine elementary schools in the Newhall School District, seven scored at or above the statewide performance target in last year's exams.

McGrath Elementary is expected to grow by 4 points on the test while Newhall Elementary School needs to gain 1 point.

The district offers support programs to students who need extra help with certain subjects, and they can find that assistance in before- and after-school programs and in summer school, said Brian Skinner, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.

Newhall teachers also engage children with exercises and activities that require them to concentrate for long periods of time.

But Skinner said nothing prepares students more for the exams than good teaching.

``If they know the material, they will be successful,'' he said.

Sue Doyle, [phone]

sue.doyle(at)dailynews.com

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Source: California Department of Education