In a recent editorial, we commented on Gilroy High’s Academic Performance Index and, unfairly, used some outdated numbers.
The API base score at the high school last year stood at 655, that’s up slightly from the previous year. Gilroy High’s API ranking is a 5, and against similar schools it’s a 4.
According to the state Department of Education’s Web site, the statewide rank is defined thus:
Most schools that receive APIs are ranked in deciles by school type: elementary, middle and high. A rank of 10 is the highest and 1 is the lowest. Each decile in each school type contains 10 percent of all schools of that type. School districts and schools in the Alternative Schools Accountability Model (ASAM) and special education schools do not receive statewide ranks.
A similar schools ranking is calculated this way: Most schools with at least 100 students with test results included in the API are also ranked in deciles by school type when compared to schools with similar characteristics. Some characteristics to include are:
Pupil mobility
Pupil ethnicity
Pupil socioeconomic status
Percentage of teachers who are fully credentialed
Percentage of teachers who hold emergency credentials
Percentage of pupils who are English-language learners
Average class size per grade level.
More information: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ap/ and www.greatschools.net
