SLV celebrates strides in academic test scores

It was high-fives, ice cream parties and pat-on-the-back celebrations all around in the San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District last month, as every school in the district saw an increase in its Academic Performance Index scores, surpassing the state’s target of 800.
Scotts Valley Unified School District also met its growth targets, though scores dropped by a few points at each school except Scotts Valley High, which improved 30 points from 2008. The district’s scores are among the highest in Santa Cruz County.
The API is a measure of scholastic progress of schools in California. It is a main component of the Public Schools Accountability Act passed by state Legislature in 1999. Scores range from 200 to 1,000 for the test, which is completed during a three-week window in the spring.
The most recent scores were released Sept. 15, to the delight of San Lorenzo Valley Superintendent Julie Haff. But it wasn’t the numbers that pleased her most, she said.
“The test results are the culmination of how well we’re doing as staff to support our students,” Haff said. “It’s not so much the scores, because we focus on names, not numbers.”
Boulder Creek Elementary leads the district with an API of 894, also one of the highest scores in the county. San Lorenzo Valley High School recorded an API of 804 and was the top-performing comprehensive high school in the county.
San Lorenzo Valley charter schools, which are not required to participate in the API scoring, also saw strides in scores. Ocean Grove achieved a 62-point gain for an API of 776, and SLV Charter increased its API by 28 points to 764.
In 2008, the district average increased by 10 API points overall, and this year the district achieved a 26-point growth, reflecting an increase in the number of students performing at grade level.
Haff attributes the higher scores to keeping class sizes low and continuing programs like music and sports. She also gives credit to the bimonthly meeting time set aside for staff collaboration, when teachers can share ways to support their students.
SLV Assistant Superintendent Laurie Marcellin, who coordinates the teacher collaborations, said the district has celebrated but is now looking ahead.
“We are coming up with a plan of action on how to support the students that didn’t score well on the test,” Marcellin said. “We don’t leave it to hope — we leave it to how we’re supporting our students.”
Local API scores
• Bonny Doon Elementary: 903
• Boulder Creek Elementary: 894
• Brook Knoll Elementary: 893
• Vine Hill Elementary: 888
• San Lorenzo Valley Elementary: 860
• Scotts Valley Middle School: 854
• SLV Middle School: 815
• SLV High School: 804
• Scotts Valley High School: 803