School District Gains in State, But Not Enough for Fed

The Mountain View Whisman School District (MVWSD) gained a modest nine points in Academic Performance Index (API) in the 2009-2010 school year but remained on the federal list of schools identified as needing Program Improvement (PI) for the second year in a row.

The district scored 826, up from 817 from the previous 2008-2009 school year. The district exceeded the state's target of 800 and the statewide average of 767 for all grades. The API measures the academic performance and growth of schools through standardized testing and ranks schools based on those scores.

Despite its improved API, MVWSD still did not do well enough to get off PI status, meeting only 33 of the 39 Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) criteria. PI status means that the district's seven elementary and two middle schools will be required to implement corrective measures to improve their English-Language Arts and Math proficiency rates.

The English-Language Arts and Math proficiency targets for elementary and middle schools in 2009-2010 were 56.8 and 58.0, respectively. These targets increased by about 11 percent from the previous year and will continue to grow by that rate every year.

"This is an unrealistic goal," said Mary Lairon, associate superintendent of the district. "But it doesn't mean we're not trying."

"We can't control the amount of money we get," Lairon said, adding that MVWSD district is working to ensure that the right instructional strategies are used and that the quality of staff is high. "But we can control what kids do in school."

Allison White, first grade teacher and acting principal at Frank L. Huff Elementary, echoed this sentiment.

"We attribute [Huff's] growth to a continued focus on state standards, the use of ongoing assessment results that guide our instructional decisions, and a highly professional and collaborative teaching staff that is committed to the success of every child," White said.

A parent of a third grader at Benjamin Bubb Elementary agreed and said the school's improved API is a result of the principal and staff's implementation of "small group, short term and focused teaching of many of the basics skills appropriate to each grade level" as well as of "more parent involvement."

Lairon said the district considered its nine-point gain in API as "significant" but noted that there was certainly room for improvement.

The district will face its challenges, including a diverse student population of which "40 to 50 percent are low income," said Lairon.

White added that these challenges included "drastic budget cuts [and] increasing demands placed upon teachers, students, and families." White noted that support from parents and institutions such as the Mountain View Educational Foundation, which has helped raise money for some of the district's programs, help the schools meet these challenges.

A Bubb Elementary parent sees these challenges as a call for greater parent involvement because "parent volunteer time is a critical component of school success."  

Within MVWSD, Frank L. Huff Elementary topped the list with an API of 929, up 11 points from its previous year's 918. Benjamin Bubb Elementary posted the most impressive gain of 31 points from its API of 873 the previous year, bringing its new API to 904. Crittenden Middle School fell to the bottom of the list after losing 17 points from its previous score of 781.

MVWSD's API score ranked it right in the middle of Santa Clara County's 32 districts, with Los Altos Elementary and Saratoga Union Elementary districts tied for the top spot with an API of 965. The Santa Clara County Office of Education district ranked lowest with an API of 523.

A bright spot in the district was Edith Landels Elementary, which made it to the list of 2010 California Distinguished Schools, an award given to schools that have met certain criteria, including meeting API and AYP targets and not being on PI status.

The MVWSD mission is to "demonstrate, daily, a relentless commitment to the success of every child" and its website states "continuous improvement as an organizational methodology" in which collaboration and results-oriented learning are applied in the classrooms.

The district's strategies include establishing ground rules in the classrooms, holding student-led conferences, and following SMART goals. "SMART" stands for "specific, strategic; measurable; attainable; results-oriented; time-bound."