SCHOOLS SCORE VICTORY IN FEDERAL PROGRAM.

Byline: Beth Barrett Staff Writer

Nearly 100 percent of San Fernando Valley public schools passed a second set of federal scholastic benchmarks, outpacing an 87 percent success rate statewide, according to figures released Friday.

While state and local educators cheered the improving Adequate Yearly Progress results, the performance did little to affect the overall standing of schools statewide because many did not meet the first phase of requirements earlier this year.

Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, aimed at making every student proficient in math and English by 2014, schools must pass both phases one and two of the benchmarks.

Los Angeles Unified School District officials said they had not completed a breakdown of the results. They said the results don't alter most schools' annual standing for the federal program and noted that schools can appeal the results before the state finalizes the figures in January.

``When you look at all the phases and you see you're making progress on a phase, that's a good thing,'' said Barbara Lockert, director of specially funded programs for the LAUSD.

All elementary and middle schools passed phase two benchmarks, as did 89 percent of the Valley's high schools, according to an analysis of figures released by the California Department of Education.

Phase one benchmarks, released over the summer, were based on High School Exit Examination rates and standardized test results. Phase two was made up of the Academic Performance Index, the state's own barometer of success measured by standardized tests, and the graduation rate for high schools.

Sixty-nine percent of San Fernando Valley elementary schools and 26 percent of high schools passed both phases of the benchmarks. Not one of the Valley's middle schools passed both phases.

Meeting the federal standards is a matter of prestige for most schools because failing to do so does not bring any penalties. But for low-income schools receiving federal Title 1 funding, a failure to make progress two years in a row means administrators have to provide additional tutoring or allow students to enroll in other schools.

Most affected by the latest results were 31 schools statewide that met phase one benchmarks but failed to meet phase two - thereby failing to achieve their annual federal requirements.

Birmingham High School in Van Nuys was among those 31 schools, because its graduation rate - one of the phase two high school benchmarks - slipped slightly, LAUSD officials said. Birmingham is a low-income school and faces instructional intervention if it fails to meet federal benchmarks two years in a row.

Also in that group were two special-education centers: West Valley School in Van Nuys, and Alfonso B. Perez School in East L.A., which have fluctuating populations of handicapped students.

Some schools, like Cleveland High School in Reseda, stood out among the crowd. Cleveland, which had been identified for ``program improvement'' under a pre-existing state program, passed both federal phases this year. If it does so again next year, it will be out of the program altogether.

``We're excited to get out from underneath that cloud,'' said Cleveland Principal Allan Weiner, saying the school two years ago missed making adequate progress by a single point.

Since then, he said, Cleveland has instituted a series of academic programs, focusing students on core learning principles, clarifying expectations and elevating standards. The grade D has been eliminated, for example, which means students have to get at least a C in a course to advance.

Statewide, 87.3 percent of schools with 100 or more students met the objectives of the second phase, or nearly double the 45 percent of schools of similar size that met the phase one benchmarks.

``We're gratified to see the really positive results of the overwhelming number of schools that have passed,'' said Bill Padia, director of the California Department of Education's policy and evaluation division.

In the Glendale Unified School District, all elementary schools except College View Center, which focuses on special-education programs, passed both phases of the test.

``We're teaching smarter and the kids are learning,'' said Mary McKee, assistant superintendent for education services. ``We know we can do better, and we're keeping a tight focus on the areas we need to improve.''

In the Burbank Unified School District, all elementary schools passed both phases. Only Burroughs and Burbank high schools passed both phases.

In the Las Virgenes Unified School District, all of the middle and elementary schools passed both phases. None of the district's high schools did. Agoura Hills and Calabasas high schools both rebounded, passing the second part after failing the first, but Indian Hills High School failed both phases of the test.

In the Moorpark Unified School District, all but one elementary school passed both phases of the exam and all middle schools made the grade. However, just one high school, The High School at Moorpark College, passed both phases of the exam.

In the Simi Valley Unified School District, two elementary schools, Park View Center and Berylwood, failed the first part of the exam and passed the second. Just one middle school fell short, while both Apollo and Royal high schools failed just the first phase.

In the Conejo Valley Unified School District, all elementary schools and all but one middle school passed both phases, while both Conejo Valley and Century high schools did not.

Staff Writer Heather MacDonald contributed to this report.

Beth Barrett, [phone]

beth.barrett(at)dailynews.com

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