The embargo on 2012 API scores due to a cheating scandal has been lifted. As a school, we scored 865, a two point increase from last year.
However, we were beaten by both Westview and Poway, with scores of 872 and 868, respectively. This marks a loss of position from our standing last year, when we ranked first of all high schools in the district.
Mt. Carmel and Rancho Bernardo scored 821 and 848, respectively.
Academic Performance Index scores, created by the Public Schools Accountability Act of 1999, are published each year for every public school in California. They’re measured on a scale from 200 to 1000, and are calculated from standardized testing (CST and CAHSEE) reports. CST performance in English-Language Arts is weighted most heavily.
Good API scores can lead to monetary rewards, and are used to determine Adequate Yearly Progress as part of the No Child Left Behind Act.
Poway Unified itself tends to score very high on standardized tests. This year marks the 10th consecutive annual increase in the district’s API score, which went from 887 to 892. All elementary, middle, and high schools cleared the state’s goal of 800, and some even exceeded 900, like Stone Ranch Elementary at 960.
“Our students work hard and the score reflects it,” said Mrs. Jennifer Mitchell, one of our counselors, “but our curriculum is getting better every year and we will only continue to improve.”