Most Livermore Schools Lost Ground on Test Performance in 2013

Marilyn Avenue Elementary School was one of the few schools in Livermore to post gains on student test performance last year, according to numbers released Thursday by state school chief Tom Torlakson. 

Marilyn Avenue Elementary increased 26 points from the 2012 Base Academic Performance Index of 807 to a 2013 Growth API of 833. Junction Avenue K-8 gained nine points. Every other school lost points.

The API is a score ranging from 200 to 1,000 that measures how well students do on a variety of tests, including the California Standards Test and the state’s high school exit exam. The state has set 800 as the API target for all schools to meet. Here’s a detailed summary of the API from the California Department of Education.

At Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District, all but two schools have met the state's 800-point benchmark. Junction Avenue K-8 did have the highest jump in 2013 but is still 26 points shy of the benchmark at 774. Livermore High School had surpassed the state benchmark in 2012 but backslid in 2013, leaving it one point shy of the 800 mark.

The largest drops occurred at Jackson Avenue Elementary, with a 25-point drop in 2013, leaving it at 864.

Statewide, the number of California schools meeting the state target for student performance on standardized tests dropped by 2 percent.

In 2013, 51 percent of the state’s schools earned an Academic Performance Index score of 800 or above, compared to 53 percent the previous year.

Based on 2013 test scores, 56 percent of elementary schools, 50 percent of middle schools, and 31 percent of high schools are now at or above the 800 mark.

In the last decade, the number of schools meeting the target of an 800 API has increased by 30 percent.

The state’s overall API dropped two points to 789 from 791, but Torlakson was quick to note that the statewide API for poor students and students learning English increased five points and one point, respectively.