Two Separate School Districts-Part II (edit this)
At SFUSD’s Registration Fair, the presenter for the District’s Education Placement Center gave parents instructions on filling the registration forms to choose a school for their children.
When he reached the discussion on high school, he told us about the “L” factor. Over one fourth of all incoming ninth graders choose as one of their top choices-Lincoln High School in the Sunset.
Lincoln has the second largest enrollment in the District-trailing Lowell by only 100 students. But Lincoln also has the largest achievement gap of any high school-214 points between its average API (772 points) and the API of its African-American students (554 points). This is a gap of 28% from Lincoln’s overall API scores.
Lincoln’s API scores for its African American students also lag behind the subgroup of Lincoln’s students who receive free or reducced lunches referenced by the California Dept. of Education (CDE) as “socio-economically disadvantaged) by 197 points. In comparison, the largest achievement gap between a school average and its African American students for SFUSD’s elementary schools is 145 points at El Dorado, located at Visitacion Valley.
The second largest achievement gap among SF’s public high schools is Washington High School, the third largest public high school in the City. Located in the Richmond, Wash’s achievement gap is 194 points (average API is 781 points and its African American students’ API is 587).
The District has one academic magnet high school-Lowell. Students compete academically to get into Lowell. Located near Stonestown Mall, Lowell consistently receives one of the highest API scores in the state. Its API scores for 2004-05 was 947 (again, the goal is 800).
But according to the CDE, 1935 Lowell students took the API test last year and only 62 of those students were African American (3% of Lowell’s entire testing population). So since African Americans create such a small subgroup at Lowell, CDE did not break out the API scores for African American students at Lowell. CDE reports that among Lowell’s entire population, African American comprise 5.4% of the student population.
School of the Arts’ student population is chosen by audition. Its African American student population was also too small for CDE to create a separate API score. Out of the 463 students that took the API test last year at SOTA, 12% or 55 of those students were African American.
The high school with the lowest API score for its African American students was Balboa High School, located in the Excelsior. The API for its African American students is 458 points with an achievement gap of 170 points from the school’s overall API of 628.
SFUSD’s newest high school, June Jordan for Equity had the smallest achievement gap. Named for an African American poet, June Jordan is located on the campus of Luther Burbank Middle School near Sunnydale. Its average API is 657 points and the average API score for its African American students is 590 points for a gap of 67 points.
Galileo High School had the highest API scores for African American students at 619 points. It also achieve one of the largest jumps (96 points) in its overall API this year among SFUSD’s high schools. Its 2004-05 API score was 743 points with an achievement gap of 124 points.
Overall, the achievement gap for SFUSD’s high schools is 153 points with the average API score for a school at 707 points and the average API for their African American students at 554 points.
One criteria element of success is a school’s graduation rate. CDE reports that SFUSD’s overall dropout rate is 5.4%. For African American students, it’s 8.7% and for Latino students, it’s 8.0%.
CDE reports that the four year derived dropout rate for Balboa is 18.9% and for Mission, is 20.7%. As one would expect, Lowell has the lowest dropout rate for SFUSD at .2%. But Thurgood Marshall H.S. located in the Bayview is close behind with a dropout rate of .6%.
Again, API is only one measurement of a student’s or a school’s success. But an achievement gap of 214 points (27% of Lincoln’s overall API score) shows that we, the San Francisco community, have been failing to provide an excellent education to all of our students.
January 31st, 2006 at 9:03 am e
Any suggestions for improvement? Didn’t see any.
Just more stats on how bad we are from the Queen of Negativity.
I’m curious. Just what do you think you will bring to the BOE? Do you think that being elected you will then waive a scepter and command the superintendent to make it all go away? These problems are not unique to SFUSD, or even San Francisco [witness the Chicago School article you posted on sfschools.]
Maybe you are trying to sound literate here so you cn convince others to vote for you. But really, if you don’t come with solutions in mind, you will be as useful as Eddie Chin or the other people on the board who never offer up any ideas, support or solutions.
January 31st, 2006 at 9:41 am e
It’s a technicality, but there’s no such thing as “the API test.” The Academic Performance Index (API) is a score given by the California Department of Education. It’s based on a compilation of scores on standardized tests. According to my kids’ spring 2005 STAR (Standardized Testing and Reporting) student report, last year’s tests were the California Standards Test and, for grades 3 and 7, the California Achievement Tests, Sixth Edition Survey (CAT/6). The compilation is not just an average but some mode understood only to statisticians that’s supposedly methodologically sound.
Anyway, the point is: the API is the score applied to the compiled and crunched test results.
The more important point is: WHAT’S THE SOLUTION to the achievement gap?
The leaders in the school-integration field believe that more integration is the solution. Education writer Jonathan Kozol — hailed by stalwarts of Leftinsf when he visited San Francisco some months ago — is a leading spokesperson for that point of view. He fears that inner-city schools cannot be made effective and calls for busing kids in the low-income inner city to high-income neighborhoods — preferably out of their district to adjoining, high-end suburbs. Yet there seems to be a move to do the exact opposite, coming from the left and calling for full resegregation.
What’s your position in that discussion, Kim?
We know what the problem is. What’s the solution?
January 31st, 2006 at 9:57 am e
Hey,
While I support you challenging any one of us on anything we say, comments like “Maybe you are trying to sound literate here so you cn convince others to vote for you,” are not helpful and I think detract and weaken your critique.
It is incredibly hard not to be snarky in this town and most people fail, but if you take the high road instead of the snarky road, your critique will be much stronger. (Trust me, even some of my friends fail this test and it is one that I try and challenge myself to pass because I think it is incredibly destructive to our selves and our community.)
January 31st, 2006 at 1:39 pm e
Yes Robert,
As a MEMBER of the SFUSD school COMMUNITY, I find your statement “I think it is incredibly destructive to our selves and our community” to be true.
Knox is ’snarky’ to our community - the community of people who TRYING to make things better - because she ONLY reports things in a NEGATIVE light. ONLY things that are “WRONG” get highlighted. Yet when challenged, she never proposed ideas that would help.
By you giving her a column on this blog, you are giving her support in her constant denunciation of the district and (by implication) its employees. A new parent would think (as republicans do)’shit, I’m not sending my kid THERE, they can’t do ANYTHING right.’
If you want to flag me on the play, in fairness you need to referee the player who keeps attacking the rest of the same team.
January 31st, 2006 at 10:51 pm e
Thanks, Caroline. I have dusted off my original article and have done some research on ideas of bridging the gap. Please feel free to add ideas or programs that I have overlooked. We can all learn from each other.
Bette, still waiting for those success stories that you as a district employee in adminstration can tell us that SFUSD has accomplish in helping to bridge the gap. And there are several-including Sheridan, Malcolm X, Golden Gate, McKinley and others.
February 1st, 2006 at 9:25 am e
Thanks for responding with suggestions.
I am not a district employee — I don’t know Bette personally and don’t know if she’s an administrator, or even a “she” for that matter, BTQ. But I’ll respond to the comment you addressed to Bette by mentioning that Arlene Ackerman’s STAR schools initiative, which has been in place for several years now, is an attempt to do a number of the things you mention. It targets the district’s lowest-performing schools and provides extra resources. Of course, the Dream Schools are an effort, coming from a somewhat different approach, to similarly direct extra resources and enrichments to historically struggling schools in low-income communities.
I would have to go crunching through test scores to determine which, if any, can count as success stories. Your assumption that other districts are reaping solid successes that SFUSD is missing out on is not reality-based, though (unfortunately, because it would be wonderful to have models of success to emulate). The “it’s a miracle!” stories never, ever stand up to scrutiny, sadly.
February 3rd, 2006 at 11:07 am e
Dear Ms. Page,
I have been reading your criticisms of Ms. Knox for failing to propose “solutions”.
Yet I have seen no proposed solutions from you either.
Have you any?
I have also seen you level personal criticisms of Ms. Knox for not being an educator or having children currently enrolled in SFUSD.
For the record, may I ask how many children you have enrolled in SFUSD and how long you have been involved in education in general and in SFUSD in particular?
Because, if you are a first year teacher with no children, I would like to filter your perspective through your life experience.
Thank You,
Bea Rocque
February 4th, 2006 at 5:33 pm e
Dear Bea,
My kids are all grown (public school.) I’ve been in education for over 10 years, several districts, with several credentials and advanced degrees. Hope that it enough for you.
I would reiterate Caroline’s words on STAR and Dream schools. Both have success in some areas, others, not so. I give AA credit for being willing to try a number of approaches.
I have personally been following a cohort of at risk east side kids. The intensive remedial reading and math programs started three years ago have been noted by classroom teachers. Non-readers are (generally) more fluent, fluent readers are now comprehending more. Teachers tell me that 9th graders are definately more prepared in reading than those entering 2 years ago. Math not so much.
So: my recommendation: make middle schools accountable for reading and math. We cannot promote students to high school without a certain level of compentacy, for then the NCLB Exit Exam clock starts ticking. As you may guess, that idea will not be popular. Middle school teachers do not focus on basic skill mastery for all because it’s not ‘fun’ to work with a kid who resists (especially if they have parents who scream and blame.) It would take a leader or a BOE with real guts to stand up this problem. It’s the 500 lb. gorilla in the living room of every urban district.
[Sorry this reply is late. The nature of this blog is that topics scroll off quickly and are hard to track down once they do. Thanks to those who alerted me via email to come back here and respond.]