District Continues to Improve Performance, but Challenges Remain

Congratulations to all the staff of the Berryessa Union School District on another year of stellar growth on the API test. Overall, the district showed a 20-point gain, reaching a score of 843. Twelve of our 13 schools met their API targets and 11 are now above 800, which is the state target. In addition, all of our subgroups showed gains and 11 of the schools had the subgroups meet their targets. This tremendous performance is testament to the hard work of all teachers, staff, administrators, and of course our wonderful students.

Despite the gains, the federal targets set by No Child Left Behind continue to grow at such a rapid pace, that even with the growth our district showed, more of our schools are falling into the Program Improvement category. Simply put, even though our district is meeting California standards for exemplary performance, we are receiving what amounts to a failing grade from the federal government. The chart on the right (from the Mercury News) shows the increasing statewide proficiency levels and the much steeper national targets.

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) looks not just at overall school performance, but sets targets for all subgroups, including racial minorities, socio-economically disadvantaged, and English language learners. Understanding how our schools are performing with each of these categories of students has helped staff focus on students who have traditionally struggled. As a result, strategies are being implemented to help narrow the achievement gap. This is valuable information for our schools.

However, the punitive nature of the accountability system removes school site flexibility and results in severe sanctions that are not always best for our schools. Since Congress appears unlikely to act on solving the problems with NCLB, California's Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson is seeking a waiver from the program. Here are a couple of articles discussing Torlakson's feelings:

• Torlakson Wants NCLB Waiver



• Torlakson's Letter to the Department of Education



• California Could Join NCLB Revolt

Back to Berryessa's latest scores. Four of our schools achieved API gains of 20 points or more; Laneview, Majestic Way, Sierramont, and Vinci Park. A special congratulations should go to Vinci Park, who achieved one of the highest single year gains anywhere in the state, with scores going up by 48 points! Great work to everyone in the district who work hard to educate the children of Berryessa.