Pleasant Hill Schools Out-Perform District on Test Performance in 2013

Despite losing seven points, Pleasant Hill Elementary School still boasts the highest score of public schools in Pleasant Hill.  See the 2013 Growth API for all Pleasant Hill and Mount Diablo Unified schools.

Gregory Gardens Elementary and College Park High both posted gains in student test performance last year, according to numbers released Thursday by state schools chief Tom Torlakson.  Gregory Gardens Elementary students notched a 23-point gain on their Academic Performance Index while College Park High students ticked up 2 points.

The increase at Gregory Gardens Elementary means the school’s API for 2013 is 820, above the statewide target of 800.

The results were encouraging for Pleasant Hill residents who can boast that all the schools in the town achieved API's above the state target of 800.

All the public schools in Pleasant Hill are part of the Mount Diablo Unified School District which had an overall score of 791, three points lower than last year. 

Adding to the district loss were Pleasant Hill Elementary and Sequoia Middle School which lost seven and eight points respectively though both schools scored well above the statewide target of 800.  Pleasant Hill Elementary had and API of 886 and Sequoia’s is 868.

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.

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