Today’s release of a critical round of test scores shows two
Gilroy public schools met increasingly rigorous academic targets
set by the federal government. But on the state’s scale of success,
almost every school added at least a few points.
Today’s release of a critical round of test scores shows two Gilroy public schools met increasingly rigorous academic targets set by the federal government. But on the state’s scale of success, almost every school added at least a few points.
By moving significant numbers of its students toward proficiency in math and English and boosting their overall test scores, Brownell Middle School and Eliot Elementary stood out from the pack on state and federal measures of progress.
On the Academic Performance Index, a statewide measure of academic improvement on a 1,000-point scale, Eliot tacked an additional 56 points onto its score, making it the district’s fifth school to surpass the statewide goal of 800. Three years ago, Eliot was the lowest scoring elementary school in the district.
Eliot also showed Adequate Yearly Progress, a federally imposed goal mandating a certain percentage of students across all subgroups – including Hispanic and low-income students and those still learning English – show proficiency in math and English, a target that continues to rise every year.
This year, schools must show 57 percent proficiency in English and 58 percent in math. Though Eliot met these targets in math, it fell slightly short in English but showed enough progress to pass by an alternative method, called safe harbor.
Brownell also met AYP by safe harbor, and boosted its API score by 37 points. As a school that hasn’t made federal targets in at least five years, the progress shows that the school is on the road to recovery, school officials said. Schools that do not make federal growth targets are designated as Program Improvement, a label that comes with a list of sanctions. If Brownell meets federal goals one more year, it will be able to shed the label of PI.
“It is such wonderful news!” Superintendent Deborah Flores wrote in an e-mail. “We are so proud of both schools.”
However, the district slipped in several areas, adding two additional elementary schools – Antonio Del Buono and Las Animas – to its list of PI schools this year. Further, three more elementary schools missed federal growth targets and progressed another year into PI. On a bright note, all but two added points to their API score.
– Check back this afternoon for additional information and analysis.
