SCHOOL SCORES MIXED IN SIMI ELEMENTARY PUPILS SHINE, BUT OLDER STUDENTS LAG.

Byline: Angie Valencia-Martinez Staff Writer

SIMI VALLEY - More elementary schools are reaching the statewide goal on standardized tests, while middle and high school students continue to fall short of reaching the academic benchmark.

The California Department of Education last week released the 2004 Academic Performance Index base scores with more than 85 percent of all Simi Valley schools ranking in the top half of the state index.

While no high school or middle school met the desired target, 12 elementary schools have scores over 800 - that's two more than in 2003.

``Our overall API at the elementary level are going up - they have been going up for a number of years,'' said Bob Rizzardi, testing coordinator for the district. ``Many of our schools are getting closer and closer at the secondary level.

``I would describe the results as fairly positive.''

In all, five schools climbed up in state rankings; five dropped. The rest remained unchanged.

The index measures how schools perform on statewide tests. Scores range from 200 points to 1,000 points, representing a measurement of overall academic performance and progress. Schools are required to grow by 5 percent every year, upon reaching the state-set target score of 800.

A school's score determines its ranking. In Simi Valley, 11 schools have a statewide decile rank of 9 or 10, including eight elementaries.

Overall, the district averaged a score of 776, a six-point gain over 2003.

Most schools in Simi Valley finished in the top half by ranking 6 or higher on rankings from a low of 1 to to a high of 10. One ranking indicates how a school compares with schools statewide, while another compares schools with similar demographics.

The performance of middle and high school students are a concern statewide, Rizzardi said. Still, while no middle or high school has yet to reach the benchmark, virtually all the schools are within range of scoring 800.

Arleigh Kidd, president of the Simi Educators Association, said the middle schools need reform. Once that happens, scores will improve and that will boost high school performance later on, he said.

Last year, district officials, teachers and administrators formed a task force to examine guidelines for retention of middle schoolers here. A proposed policy will require seventh- and eight-graders to pass 75 percent of their courses to go on to high school or face retention. Currently, a student need only show proficiency in state achievement tests to be promoted to the next level.

That means a number of middle school students are promoted to high schools despite failing their classes.

``This isn't right,'' said Kidd, who sits on the task force. ``Grades in middle school don't mean anything right now. If the bar is laying on the ground, where's the motivation?''

The good news is that the district's three high schools achieved a ranking of 9, putting them in the top 20 percent of schools statewide. Hillside, Sinaloa and Valley View middle schools are in the top 40 percent of schools.

``I think the most important thing parents and educators look at are whether APIs are increasing for a particular school and school district. In this case, they are,'' Rizzardi said. ``The higher you get, the more difficult it gets to improve.''

At the elementary level, 12 of 21 schools have already met the target. In fact, Vista Elementary is pushing close to 910. Still, there are four elementary schools in the lower half of the state decile ranking - compared with one last year.

And while Simi schools rank high when compared statewide, many suffer in the similar-schools ranking - also known as the apples-to-apples comparison.

A total of four elementary schools received a 1 ranking, meaning they are among schools in the bottom 10 percentile.

In this comparison, more than three-fourths of Simi schools ranked in the bottom half of the ranking, which looks at pupil mobility, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and the number of English language learners - among other factors.

District officials have said in the past the reason for the poor scores is omissions in the district's reporting. The district does not report parent education level, one of the variables in the similar-schools equation.

Berylwood Elementary on Heywood Street is a Title I school, in which half of the school is classified as socioeconomically disadvantaged with nearly 300 English-language learners and a handful of special needs children.

The school's API score in 2003 was 707. With a score of 687 in the latest batch of scores, the school prepares for another round in a series of tests in April.

``The goals keep going up,'' said Principal Nancy Mason. ``My incoming kids are not changing.''

In fact, the concentration of English learners at the school is the highest in the district - more so than Royal High School. Furthermore, of the 800 students enrolled at the school, 285 at-risk students take part in intervention programs.

The school has hired a group of 10 intervention teachers. Among the programs enacted, the school now offers Saturday school, READ 180, a reading intervention program, and has even paired with Costco employees who tutor second-graders.

``We're trying to, as federal law says, have no child left behind,'' Mason said. ``We're doing everything we can to identify the need, fill the need and move on.''

Angie Valencia-Martinez, [phone]

angie.valencia(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

(color) Teachers Yanet Lopez, foreground, and Kathy Clancy, background, each tutors a group of students at Berylwood Elementary School.

Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News