PUSD Brings Home Top Marks in State Rankings

Poway Unified schools soared to some of the highest levels ever in new state rankings released Tuesday by the California Department of Education.

The most significant gains were in similar school rankings, which compares California schools with similar economic and ethnic demographics.

Every Poway Unified school but one reported gains from 2004, and the overall district average rose from 6.0 in 2004 to 9.4 in 2005 on a 10-point scale.

"We knew we had a good year, but it's really confirmed in the same school rankings," said Ray Wilson, Poway Unified's executive director of assessment and accountability. "That's where our 'win' is."

Twelve of the district's 22 elementary schools earned a similar school ranking of a perfect 10 in 2005, and Shoal Creek, which received Poway Unified's first ever similar school ranking of 1 in 2004, shot up through the ranks to a 9 in 2005. Together, those dramatic gains pushed the average elementary similar school rank from 6.0 in 2004 to 9.2 in 2005.

"Shoal Creek is an interesting success story," Wilson said. "Basically, that school has become a lot more data driven over the last couple of years and made a remarkable recovery."

Wilson said Shoal Creek staff not only collected more data to assist them in their teaching, but involved students to a greater degree by having the children set (academic) goals for themselves.

Two continuing success stories were Valley Elementary in Poway, which earned a score of 10 for the second straight year, and Los Penasquitos, which received a similar school ranking of 10 for the fourth time since 2001.

Joining them with first-ever similar school rankings of 10 were Adobe Bluffs, Canyon View, Deer Canyon, Rolling Hills, Sundance and Sunset Hills in Rancho Penasquitos; Creekside and Morning Creek in Sabre Springs; Stone Rance in 4S Ranch; and Westwood in Rancho Bernardo.

The district posted the largest overall gain in similar school rankings at the middle school level where four out of five middle schools posted similar school rankings of 10, pushing the average similar school ranking from 6.0 in 2004 to a near-perfect 9.8 in 2005. (Oak Valley was not included because it opened in August 2005).

At the high school level, Mt. Carmel and Poway each achieved a first-ever 10 in similar school rankings. Rancho Bernardo earned a 8 and Westview, the only Poway Unified School to drop in the similar school rankings, posted a 4 compared with a 5 in 2004.

To arrive at similar school rankings, schools are separated by school type (elementary, middle and high school) and each school's API (Academic Performance Index) is compared with 100 other California schools with similar demographic characteristics. "Sometimes our schools share schools, but they each have their own unique list," Wilson said. "Westview's list has schools with a higher Asian enrollment and less poverty."

Gains in Poway Unified's statewide rankings, which are based on how a school's API stacks up against all other schools in California, were less dramatic, in part because all the district's schools rank in the top 20 percent statewide on the API. Poway Unified's overall API of 849 in 2005 is its highest ever and is also the highest among San Diego County school districts.

Tests used to calculate these API scores, including the California Achievement Test and the California Standard (STAR) test, were administered in Spring 2005. API scores range from a low of 200 to a high of 1000.

What is notable is that 11 Poway Unified schools now have perfect 10/10 status (statewide ranking / similar school ranking), including Adobe Bluffs, Canyon View, Creekside, Deer Canyon, Morning Creek, Stone Ranch and Westwood elementary schools, Mesa Verde and Twin Peaks middle schools, and Mt. Carmel and Poway High Schools.

By Donna Hartings, My Local News (Pomerado Newspaper Group), March 22, 2006.