Castro Valley Schools Continue to Exceed State API Target

Out of the Castro Valley Unified School District’s 13 schools, only one saw gains on their student test performance last year, according to numbers released Thursday by state school chief Tom Torlakson. 

Vannoy Elementary School had an increase of 14 points from the 2012 Base Academic Performance Index of 917 to a 2013 Growth APT of 931. Even though there was no increase or decrease in points, Jensen Ranch Elementary School remains as the best performing school in the district with a score of 982.

As a whole, the district declined by 4 points to 866.

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

The number of California schools that were able to meet the state target of 800 dropped by 2 percent. In 2013, 51 percent of the state’s school’s earned an API score of 800 or above, compared to 53 percent in 2012.

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.