School Rankings
Rising national standards are why more schools appear to struggle
November 02, 2010
Column: Carol Veravanich, The Orange County
Register Q. My
children go to school in the district in which I live, and it is
great. I teach in a different district and we were told we are
moving close to becoming a Program Improvement district. Do you
think your readers need to hear about how many districts and
schools are now getting into this category?
CUSD Tops California Large School Districts
October 01, 2010
Column: Ken Lopez Maddox, Trabuco Canyon News
Student achievement in
Capistrano Unified School District has soared to its highest
levels. In fact, the State Superintendent of Public Education just
announced CUSD was the State’s highest achieving large school
district according to the state accountability system ... CUSD’s
ranking is important because it provides parents, taxpayers and the
state with objective proof our school district is providing a
first-rate, excellent education to our 50,000 students. This is
something we can all be proud of. CUSD’s ranking also provides
voters with confirmation their seven elected Reform Trustees have
kept their promises and successfully brought positive change and
reform to CUSD...
Watch: Waiting for Supermen" -- Work Hard to Elect Meg
September 28, 2010
Lance Izumi, The Flash Report It’s ironic that it takes a trip to the
movies to shine the light on an ugly truth that has been lurking
for years, but so far has failed to spark the necessary revolution
to fix our schools. The new movie, “Waiting for ‘Superman’”, might
just be that spark. It is a tough lesson for anyone who cares about
the future of our country and our state. We can no longer afford to
complain about our schools and then do so little to make changes.
It’s a national disgrace. In California, a state that considers
itself the world’s innovation factory, it’s a travesty. The big
screen treatment by Academy Award winner Davis Guggenheim exposes
the brutal facts: We are neglecting our children’s welfare for the
benefit of adults. Our schools are failing our children all over,
not just in less affluent neighborhoods, and many parents don’t
even know it. Our education system is strangled by an inflexible
bureaucracy that effectively smothers innovation and new
thinking…
278 O.C. students named National Merit semifinalists
September 15, 2010
Scott Martindale, The Orange County Register
Orange County is home to
278 high school students who this year have been named National
Merit semifinalists, an elite designation awarded to just 1 percent
of seniors nationwide who took the Preliminary SAT. About one out
of every seven semifinalists in California who achieved the
designation this year is from Orange County, according to data
released Wednesday by the Evanston, Ill.-based National Merit
Scholarship Corp. The O.C. group represents those who scored a
minimum of 219 out of 240 on their PSAT exam as juniors last
spring…
Fewer O.C. schools met tougher U.S. standards
September 13, 2010
Fermin Leal, The Orange County Register
Only 34 percent of Orange
County's public schools met the 2010 federal No Child Left Behind
testing targets – a marked decline from 2009 when standards were
lower, according to figures released Monday. The results show that
even though local schools are posting steadily better results on
state tests each year, the improvement isn't fast enough to meet
federal goals. … In Capistrano Unified, nearly all of the
district's 60 campuses earned an API score of 800 or higher this
year, but fewer than half made adequate yearly progress. "These
results speak to the often contradictory standards schools and
school districts are forced to meet," said Superintendent Joseph
Farley. The superintendent said whether or not educators agree with
the federal accountability system, it's their responsibility to
work to meet the tougher standards…
4 O.C. schools named best in nation
September 09, 2010
Fermin Leal, The Orange County Register
The U.S. Department of
Education on Thursday awarded four Orange County public and private
schools Blue Ribbons, the nation's top honor for individual
campuses. The local recipients of the prestigious prize are
Sunnyside Elementary in Garden Grove, Capistrano Valley Christian
School in San Juan Capistrano, Richard Henry Dana Elementary in
Dana Point, and Carl Harvey Elementary in Santa Ana. The schools
were chosen primarily for high scores on the Academic Performance
Index and on standardized tests in math, English and other core
subjects…
O.C. exit exam scores top state's
August 24, 2010
Fermin Leal, The Orange County Register
About 86 percent of Orange
County students who took the state's high school exit exam for the
first time passed at least one section of the test, figures
released Tuesday reveal. Local scores on the exam, which aims to
ensure students graduate with basic skills, remained steady from
the previous year, while county students again outperformed peers
statewide…
Test scores can be a valuable tool to improve teaching
August 24, 2010
Column: Carol Veravanich, The Orange County
Register In
regard to that the LA Times using the value-added model model, they
cannot evaluate us "expendable" kindergarten or first-grade
teachers, now can they? It is true that this model will not measure
the value that kindergarten or first-grade teachers add. In fact,
if a school has a highly effective kindergarten and first grade
staff, that can have a negative impact on the school's VAM score.
The students might be prepared to score at or above average in
second grade and their beginning scores may be too high. The model
tries to predict how high a student will continue to score each
year…
109 O.C. students named National Merit Scholars
July 19, 2010
Scott Martindale, The Orange County Register
A total of 109 students
from Orange County have been named National Merit Scholars this
year, a highly elite designation bestowed on just 0.5 percent of
seniors nationwide who took the Preliminary SAT. The honorees will
receive college scholarships ranging from $500 to $10,000; some are
renewable annually for up to four years…
O.C. district to lower grad requirements
July 16, 2010
Fermin Leal, The Orange County Register
Anaheim Union High School
District on Thursday became the third Orange County district in two
years to lower the number of credits required for graduation,
saying ongoing budget problems have hurt the ability of schools to
serve some students. Meanwhile, educators predict other
cash-strapped districts may follow the same path as they slash
programs and services, leaving students in larger class sizes, with
fewer teachers and counselors, and less overall support…
9 from O.C. named Edison Scholars
July 12, 2010
George Ma, The Orange County Register -
Nine math-, science-, and engineering-oriented students from Orange
County have been selected as Edison Scholars, and honor that will
bring each a scholarship of up to $10,000 that help to pay for
rising college costs...
Special report: O.C.'s best high schools
June 25, 2010
Fermin Leal, The Orange County Register
DATABASE: Compare your high
school...
Special report: O.C.'s best high schools
June 25, 2010
Fermin Leal, The Orange County Register
Orange County's best public
high schools are succeeding academically, preparing students for
college and careers, and providing a safe and supportive
environment for learning. That's the conclusion of The
Orange County Register's 2010 report on high school quality,
an analysis of standardized test scores, graduation data,
enrollment figures and other measures for some 65 comprehensive
high school campuses. Fullerton's Troy High School edged out Oxford
Academy in Cypress as the county's best school. Troy's top-notch
academic curriculum, and specialized programs and services lead
hundreds of students to top colleges each year…
O.C.'s top high schools take different paths, but share strengths
June 25, 2010
Fermin Leal, The Orange County Register
This year's "Orange
County's Best Public Schools: High Schools" report again shows that
Orange County's very best high schools offer a rich assortment of
programs and services leading to unique paths to success. But these
top schools also share some common themes – strong academic
achievement, high rates of college-ready graduates and a supportive
environment for learning…
Troy and Oxford: O.C.'s best
June 25, 2010
Fermin Leal and Scott Martindale, The Orange County
Register In
Orange County, finding the very best high school often boils down
to choosing between two campuses – Oxford Academy and Troy High
School. Educators, parents, local newspapers and national magazines
often regard the two as among the best schools not just in
California, but across the nation…
While Waiting Lists for Charter Schools Grow, Liberals Heap New Onerous Regulations on Them
June 16, 2010
Evelyn B. Stacey (Pacific Research Institute) Flash
Report Last
week, after the governor signed the state’s pro-charter-school
application for Federal Race to the Top funding, the Assembly
passed a bill that would hamper charter school growth. AB 1950 by
Assembly Education Chair Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica) adds
regulations that will hinder the innovative qualities that have
made charter schools successful and popular among parents … As of
last year, more than 20,000 California students are on charter
school waiting lists and the demand for good charter schools is
growing. The Obama administration has emphasized the importance of
innovation in charter schools, encouraging states to remove
obstacles impeding their success. Some California legislators seem
intent on quashing charter school achievement and further denying
families any choice in their child’s education. This will not help
California race to the top in student achievement. AB 1950 awaits a
hearing in the Senate this month...
2 O.C. high schools make Newsweek's top 100
June 14, 2010
Fermin Leal, The Orange County Register
Oxford Academy in Cypress
ranked 11th in the annual Newsweek magazine's "America's Top High
Schools" report released Monday. It's the fourth consecutive year
the school has ranked in the top 20 nationally. The school jumped
five spots from last year, when it ranked 16th. The school ranked
ninth in 2008 and eighth in 2007. Troy High School in Fullerton,
ranked 53rd, was the only other Orange County high school in the
top 100. Troy ranked 31st in 2009. Dallas' School for the Talented
and Gifted ranked as the top school in the nation…
Cheat Sheet: Under Pressure, Teachers Tamper With Tests
June 10, 2010
Trip Gabriel, The New York Times The staff of Normandy
Crossing Elementary School outside Houston eagerly awaited the
results of state achievement tests this spring. For the principal
and assistant principal, high scores could buoy their careers at a
time when success is increasingly measured by such tests. For
fifth-grade math and science teachers, the rewards were more
tangible: a bonus of $2,850. But when the results came back, some
seemed too good to be true. Indeed, after an investigation by
the Galena Park Independent School
District, the
principal, assistant principal and three teachers resigned May 24
in a scandal over test tampering…
School uses hand-held technology to improve test scores
May 28, 2010
Jaimee Lynn Fletcher, The Orange County
Register California State Test scores have
jumped 20 points with interactive teaching system, according to
officials at Oak Middle School in Los Alamitos.
Teacher: Putting faces on schools' 'failure'
May 27, 2010
Column: Christian Cushing-Murray, The Orange County
Register Public
schools are failing. Say it a few times; it rolls off the tongue
easily enough. In fact, it's been said often enough that whatever
bitterness may have once flavored it has faded, like the wads of
gum stuck on the undersides my students' desks. The condemnation
comes easy, but is it true? I teach English at Century High School
in Santa Ana, one of several Orange County schools newly labeled
"persistently low-achieving" by the state Department of Education.
Brought on in part by relatively stagnant language-arts test
scores, I suppose I'm something of an expert on the notion of
failing public schools. What, then, is the truth?
See your school's new AP, SAT scores
May 20, 2010
Fermin Leal, The Orange County Register
Orange County's high school
Class of 2009 outperformed peers statewide and nationally on the
SAT and Advanced Placement tests, according figures released
Thursday. Last year's local graduating class scored an average of
1,600 on the three-part SAT, which includes verbal, math and
writing sections. Statewide, students earned an average SAT score
of 1,502, while nationally students earned an average of 1,509.On
AP tests, about 68 percent of local test-takers scored a 3 or
higher. A score of 3 is the minimum generally accepted for college
credit. Statewide, 58 percent of students earned a 3 or higher,
while 59 percent nationally scored a 3 or higher...
22% of O.C. schools rank best in state
May 13, 2010
Fermin Leal, The Orange County Register
The API is a composite of
standardized test scores and other measures used by the state to
rate student achievement. Thursday’s rankings came from API scores
released nine months ago. State Superintendent Jack O'Connell said
the API rankings are an important accountability tool because they
let the public know how their local schools compare with others in
the state and with schools possessing similar socioeconomic
characteristics...
API DATABASE: O.C. outperforms state -- again
May 13, 2010
Fermin Leal, The Orange County Register
California's Department of
Education on Thursday released its latest Academic Performance
Index rankings -- statewide measures and comparisons with schools
of similar demographics. And once again, O.C. excels, out
performing the state on both measures...
State's 'distinguished' school honor only seems spotty in O.C.
April 13, 2010
Column: Carol Varavanich, The Orange County
Register Q. I
was taken aback by the lack of schools that were titled
Distinguished Schools. Irvine Unified has 23 elementary schools,
and only eight got it. I also noticed your district that you speak
so highly of had no Distinguished Schools and that the big
Capistrano Unified had three. Santa Ana then had six. Why do the
numbers seem random? Also my child's school has the plaque on their
wall but wasn't named on the website or the article written by the
paper. Why is that?
O.C.'s best elementary schools
March 21, 2010
Fermin Leal and Scott Martindale, The Orange County
Register Orange
County’s best public elementary schools challenge students with a
rigorous curriculum, promote parental involvement and encourage
good behavior. For the second straight year, we review test scores,
federal ratings, student data, misconduct figures and other
measures to rank the county’s 388 elementary schools – the first of
three installments in the Register's 2010 Best Public Schools
report...
California students among best on AP exams
February 10, 2010
Fermin Leal, The Orange County Register
More California high school
students than ever are taking Advanced Placement tests, and the
number of students performing well on the exams continues to
improve, figures released today reveal...
Best elementaries take different routes to success
February 04, 2010
Fermin
Leal and Scott Martindale, The Orange County Register
The Orange County Register
2010 Best Public Schools Report: Elementary Excellence – news,
profiles and a comprehensive database of 388 schools. Orange
County's best elementary schools include campuses receiving federal
subsidies for high student poverty levels and campuses with
parent-run foundations that raise hundreds of thousands of dollars
annually. They are sprawling, rural schools where cows can be seen
grazing in the hillsides and sparkling, state-of-the-art campuses
squeezed on all sides by million-dollar homes and parks and
libraries. One thing they all share, though, is a stunning ability
to innovate, to keep pace with the latest in teaching strategies
and to cultivate dynamic, multi-sensory learning
environments...
Best schools ranking methods: How we did it
February 04, 2010
Fermin Leal, The Orange County Register
The Orange County
Register's rankings are designed to show which elementary schools
in Orange County provide the richest academic experience and
strongest environment for learning – from schools with the best
test scores to those with cultural diversity and small class sizes.
The results generated a ranking system of more than a dozen
measurements for 388 public elementary schools...
STAR test results are suspect
August 21, 2009
Alan Bonsteel, The Orange COunty Register
Rising achievement fades
when testing is impartial, nationwide. The California
Department of Education
announced this week with much hoopla that "for the seventh year in
a row" test scores on the statewide STAR test had increased. What
the Education Department didn't tell us is that most of the
questions on the STAR test are repeated almost every year, security
on the test is nonexistent, most public school teachers know the
actual questions on the exam, and test-taking is "monitored" by
public school employees who have a financial interest in seeing the
test scores go up. Under those circumstances, is it any surprise
that the CDE can tout seven years of steady improvement?
Education Achievement Has Declined Radically Since World War II
April 01, 2009
Evelyn B. Stacey, The Heartland Institute
John Taylor Gatto’s Weapons
of Mass Instruction is an articulate, compelling description of the
state of U.S. education, in which the author details the
unnecessary and in fact harmful aspects of public education that
have developed since the end of World War II. Gatto notes our
nation’s literacy rate dropped from 96 percent in 1945 to 44
percent in 2003. At the same time, the number of children being
educated by “government compulsory schooling” has increased each
decade since 1945. Student enrollment peaked at 51 million in the
1970s, decreased until 1984, and now stands at 55 million children
and rising. How is it possible for more of the population to be
schooled and yet have a greater percentage of people lack basic
literacy and computing skills by adulthood than in previous
generations? That question is the premise of Gatto’s book. As
schooling became mandatory, he observes, it began stripping
children away from real-world learning experiences…
Schools Under Scrutiny Over Cheating
September 09, 2007
Ford Fessenden, The New York Times
AT a time when the pressure
to do well on standardized tests in public schools creates
incentives to cheat, states are just beginning to look for the
patterns that betray it. While there is nothing new about cheating,
in the last year state officials say teachers or administrators on
Long Island and in
New Jersey and
Westchester have tried to improve their schools’ standings using
methods that were ultimately easy to detect. But no one was looking
systematically...
Behind the curve
May 21, 2001
Keith Sharon, The Orange County Register
Special
Report: High School Overcrowding Education: Capo Valley High is doing
fine on state tests - until you take a closer look. Scores fall
short of those at
'similar' schools...
'similar' schools...
Lost in the crowd
May 20, 2001
Keith Sharon, The Orange County Register
Special
Report: High School Overcrowding Education: The volume of students at
Capo Valley has complicated the high school experience. You can get
a
good education, but you're going to have to fight for it...
good education, but you're going to have to fight for it...