ROWLAND UNIFIED CONTINUES GROWTH ON STATE ACADEMIC ACCOUNTABILITY REPORTS
ROWLAND HEIGHTS, CA – SEPTEMBER 15, 2009 – Today the state released the 2008-09 Accountability Progress Report (APR), which includes the Academic Performance Index (API) and the federal Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) report for academic growth for schools.
For the fifth year in a row, Rowland Unified increased its API score for a total gain of 47 points. The District continues to outperform the State and County, with a 2009 Growth API score of 778. Schools across Rowland also continue to perform at high levels, with many near the state’s target score of 800, such as
Superintendent Dr. Maria Ott attributes the continued growth in API to the hard work of district staff and the strong support from parents and the community. “The No Child Left Behind accountability system has serious flaws because it does not recognize the continued year to year growth that you see in the state’s API scores,” said Ott. “We will continue our efforts to close the achievement gap so that all students realize their fullest potential.”
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell said in a prepared statement., “Under the federal system, the percentage of students who must meet proficiency has increased significantly this year. Many schools, while still making real academic gains, have fallen short on the federal measure.”
Rowland Unified’s district wide target for AYP has been made every year for the past five years, with an increase of 14.1%. However, some schools missed making their AYP targets due to the sharp increase in the federal criteria of 11 percentage points over the 2008 target. Statewide 51% of schools reached the new federal target for 2009.
Reports will be updated in November 2009, and again in February 2010. All reports and data files are available through the State APR Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ar/index.asp.
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