Steady growth in the Redondo Beach Unified School District’s Academic Performance Index test scores moved seven out of 11 schools above the 900 mark, raising the district’s overall score by seven points.
“We are proud of our district’s continual, annual overall improvement in the state’s Academic Performance Index,” said Annette Alpern, Assistant Superintendent for RBUSD. “Our district’s API score has gone up 47 points since 2006; now at a very impressive 875. As well, seven of our schools have now surpassed the 900 mark (out of 1000), putting us among the best in the state.”
While the average increased, five schools’ scores decreased, three with a drop of more than 19 points.
“We’re just learning,” said RBUSD Superintendent Steven Keller. “Test scores are only part of the picture. Seven out of 11 schools are above the 900 mark, that’s great. When you have success like that, it’s going to fluctuate. It is easier to go down than up. They are great schools, they will bounce back.”
The API is a measure of how well each school is performing in a battery of standardized tests indexed by the California Department of Education. The API measures student success in areas such as English-language arts, mathematics, science, and history. The index ranges from 200 to 1,000; the state’s goal is for every school to be above 800.
“Because the South Bay is home to some of the highest performing public schools in the state, sometimes parents and the greater public want to identify the ‘best’ school based on an individual API score differences of 20, 10, or even 5 points,” said Alpern. “In the end, we stand by all of our schools for their high academic performance and the knowledge that we provide the best whole-child centered education available anywhere.”
Keller also announced some surprisingly good news – in the face of declining enrollment in most area schools, elementary enrollment is up 240 students this year in Redondo schools.
“These are not all permit kids,” Keller said. “These are people taking their kids out of private schools. This is great, great news for us. Obviously we are doing something right, because people have choices.”
“Walk on any of our campuses and you’re in for a big treat,” Keller added. “All of our schools have a positive spirit for kids to thrive in. It’s not just about test scores — it’s about educating children.”
