Most Benicia Schools Lose Ground on Test Performance in 2013

Mary Farmar Elementary and Benicia High School both posted gains in student test performance last year, according to numbers released Thursday by state schools chief Tom Torlakson.  Farmar students increased 12 points on their Academic Performance Index while Benicia High students racked up a 13-point gain.

All Benicia schools scored above the statewide target of 800.  Matthew Turner Elementary School remains the highest scoring school in the district with an API of 925, this despite a drop of 13 points from last year.

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.

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.

Overall, Benicia Unified earned a Growth API Score of 852, which is five points less than its 2012 Base API of 857.  

For more information about how other schools in Benicia Unified School District performed, look at the table embedded in this post.