As noted in earlier posts, “No Child Left Behind” requires that all students must be at grade level (”proficient”) or above. Students in grades 6-8 take a standardized test for English Language Arts. Only students in the 6th grade take a mathematics test.

To achieve the goal of all students testing at grade level, the state sets a yearly Annual Measurable Objective (AMO) for each district. The state set SFUSD’s 2005-06 Annual Measurable Objective (AMO) at 23% for English Language Arts and 23.7% for mathematics. This means that 23% of the students in the District must test at grade level/proficient or above in English Language Arts and 23.7% for mathematics.

SFUSD has 14 middle schools (as well as two more that were closed in June 2006-Luther Burbank and Enola Maxwell). There are five K-8 schools-Alice Fong Yu, SF Community School, Lawton, Lilienthial and Rooftop Elementary Schools. There are also two charter schools that served 5th-8th students-KIPP Bay and KIPP Bayview.

There were four schools that had more than 70% of their students testing at proficiency or above. It is interesting to note that they are all K-8 schools.

1. Alice Fong Yu ES-90%
2. Lawton Elementary-89%
3. Lilienthal ES-71%
4. Rooftop ES-72%

Another 13 schools also meet the Annual Measurable Objectives for all of their grades in both categories in 2005-06. The surprise is the difference between KIPP Bay and KIPP Bayview. Both of these charters are chartered by the same company-yet there is a 10 point difference between them in the percentage of students that test at proficiency or above. Another surprise is Francisco Middle School located in North Beach with the lowest average of this group. Francisco MS hasn’t been seen as struggling school in the past-and yet only 32% of its student population is at proficiency or above. Their overall average was impacted by 6th grade’s English Language score (23%) and mathematics score (27%).

1. Aptos MS-53%
2. James Denman MS-33%
2. Francisco MS-31%
3. Giannini MS-67%
4. Hoover MS-65%
5. James Lick MS-32%
6. KIPP Bay-64%
7. KIPP Bayview-54%
8. Marina MS-53%
9. MLK Jr. MS-38%
10. Presidio MS-67%
11. Roosevelt MS-59%
12. SF Community School-46%
13. Viz Valley MS-32%

But there were 6 schools that had specific grades that didn’t meet one or more of the AMOs. Horace Mann MS is the only SF public school that is on its 5th year in Program Improvement. If it fails to get out of “Program Improvement” this year, the state dictates that one of these actions needs to take place- it can be either reconstituted (i.e. all teachers are removed and new staff is hired), the principal is changed or the school is closed. The District is always obligated to offer to all students a place in a better performing school.

Another surprise is AIM High. AIM High’s staff has left the school, which is why it has been renamed as Small Middle School for Equity. AIM High’s foundation has won initial approval from the state for a charter school in 2007-08. The school with the lowest percentage of students in above and proficiency is Davis Middle School. One of the options that SFUSD is looking at with the initial three Dream Schools is closing Davis Middle School.

1. AIM High-(23%)/ (now known as Small Middle School for Equity)-(6th and 7th grade-math)
2. Luther Burbank MS (now closed)-(19%)/(6th and 8th grade-English Language Arts and 6th grade-math)
3. Davis Middle School-(12%)/(7th grade-English and math and 8th-English/Davis is 7-9th school)
4. Everett MS-(17%)/(6th grade-English and math, 7th grade-math, 8th grade-English)
5. Horace Mann MS-(17%)/(6th grade-English and math, 7th grade-math and 8th grade-English)
6. Maxwell MS-(18%)/(6th grade-math, 7th grade-English and math, and 8th grade-English and math)