Malibu Schools Receive High Marks in Academic Performance

The 2010-11 Academic Performance Index scores were up for two Malibu public schools and were down for the other two, according to data released late last month by the California Department of Education. The API scores are based on student performance on standardized tests. The four Malibu schools scored significantly higher than the state target and average.

The schools are scored on a scale of 200 to 1,000. The state target is 800 and the state average this past year was 778. had the greatest gain among local schools, increasing from 835 in 2009-10 to 862 this past year.  score went up from 869 to 884. The scores were down for (940 to 926) and (961 to 949).

"I don't think any of the schools are worried about the drops," said Maureen Bradford, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District's director of assessment, research and evaluation. "Just a matter of a handful of students' performances can make a dramatic impact on their API."

Webster principal Phil Cott said he wasn't deterred by his school's 12-point drop because the score was high. It was the highest in Malibu and second in the SMMUSD to Santa Monica's Franklin Elementary.

"It's almost unreasonable to think you can always maintain a score exactly that high," Cott said. "By that measure, we're doing great. We think the school is special and great for students for many more reasons than high test scores."

Malibu High principal Mark Kelly attributed the school's API growth to teachers and students preparing well for standardized tests.

"I think the teachers have really been working hard, thinking about the California standards and making sure what they do in the classroom aligns with those standards," he said.

Kelly added, "All we ask of students is that they sit down and give [the tests] their best."

The SMMUSD as a whole improved from 844 in 2009-10 to an all-time high of 855. The scores for the Santa Monica schools: Franklin Elementary (up 3 to 957), Grant Elementary (up 9 to 899), John Muir Elementary (down 18 to 812), McKinley Elementary (up 2 to 893), Roosevelt Elementary (up 10 to 944), Will Rogers Learning Community (up 10 to 944), John Adams Middle (down 1 to 813), Lincoln Middle (up 9 to 902), Olympic High (down 89 to 560) and Santa Monica High (up 18 to 805).