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Adolfo Camarillo High rose 35 points on the Academic Performance Index (API) for 2008-09 to reach 832 points—the fourth highest score among Ventura County high schools, according to data released Sept. 15 by the California Department of Education.

API scores range from 200 to 1,000 points based on results from the Standardized Testing and Reporting and other assessment tests. Results from the California High School Exit Exam are included in high school scores.

The 2,400-student Camarillo High is the first school in the Oxnard Union High School District to reach and surpass the 800-point target set by the state for all schools. The school scored 797 in the 2007-08 school year.

“We worked hard; everyone worked hard to make it all happen,” principal Glenn Lipman said last Friday before a celebration rally in the football stadium.

“We are delighted,” Oxnard Union Superintendent Bob Carter said. “We are so happy for the staff and all their good work.”

Carter added that he knows the school will be in the 900-point bracket some day.

Lipman said it’s important to note that Camarillo High has gained a total of 103 points in its API score over the past five years. He said he’s also proud that all the school’s subgroups posted gains in that same period.

A subgroup refers to the federal government’s Adequate Yearly Progress report, which categorizes students into racial groups, English learners, those who are economically disadvantaged, or those who have disabilities.

The report shows whether subgroups of 100 or more students have met criteria for growth, including graduation rates and proficiency in English and math.

For 2008-09, Camarillo High’s subgroups posted increases, from 11 points for the economically disadvantaged to 38 points for Hispanic students. But the API score for students with disabilities fell 8 points, to 567.

To celebrate the school’s 832 milestone, Camarillo High students and teachers gathered in a single rally for the first time in school history last Friday. Administrators, teachers and students sported buttons and key chains printed with the 832 API score. The rally preempted fourth period.

“It’s pretty cool,” senior Michele Vu, 17, said about the 832 score, adding, “I like the free day.”

Senior Travis Allen, also 17, said it took a lot of testing to reach this point and agreed the 832 score was cool. But it was getting out of CONT'D

government class that brought a smile to his face.

“It’s fun to get out of fourth,” he said.

High schools in Ventura County scoring higher on the API than Camarillo High are:

•Foothill Technology (Ventura), 899
•Newbury Park, 849
•Westlake, 849

Rio Mesa High scored 730 points, an 18-point gain, on the API.

Rio Mesa principal Ray Gonzales said before students take the state tests that form the basis for the API score, Rio Mesa teachers review material the tests will cover in so-called boot camps.

Also, teachers give extra attention to students who are weak in certain areas.

The school offers tutoring at lunchtime and before and after school. A late bus runs for students who seek help after school.

“We’re proud of the hard work, and it’s paying off—the effort by the kids and the teachers,” Gonzales said.

Student subgroups at Rio Mesa also posted gains. Hispanic students’ API score jumped 22 points, to 671. Economically disadvantaged students gained 14 points to reach 648, and students with disabilities scored 550 points, a 63-point increase over the year before.

Rio Mesa will celebrate the school’s 18-point growth next month at a Spartan Fest—an extended lunch period that features fun activities for students.

Frontier High’s API score rose 60 points to 624 last year. Puente High, the district’s other alternative high school, saw its API score increase 28 points to 594 from 566 in 2007-08.

As a district, Oxnard Union had a 20-point gain in the API for 2008-09, scoring 713. All but two of Oxnard Union’s six comprehensive high schools raised their score. Hueneme and Channel Islands high schools dropped one point and six points, respectively.

The API score for the newest member of the district, Camarillo Academy of Progressive Education, went up 10 points to 909, joining 22 other Ventura County schools in reaching or passing the 900-point mark. The high school district chartered the Camarillo kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school in 2007.

To view the API report in its entirety on the Internet, visit the California Department of Education website at www.cde.ca.gov and click on Accountability Progress Report.