The trouble with assessing California schools
Recently, the California Department of Education released a list of the state's 188 lowest achieving schools. Five of the schools listed were in Oakland, and they could face dramatic consequences - like losing their principals and administrative staff. To determine where a school stands, California uses the Academic Performance Index, or the API. This number, which ranges between 200 and 1,000, measures the performance and growth of schools based on student test scores from grades 2 through 12.But Tony Smith, Oakland Unified School District's Superintendent, says he disagrees with the state's assessment and is going to tell the community why tomorrow morning at a town hall meeting.
In advance of that gathering, KALW's Education Reporter, Nancy Mullane sat down with Jamie Marantz, an Executive Officer with the Oakland Unified School District overseeing middle schools. Marantz is a former teacher and principal of a low-performing school that was turned into one of the most desired middle schools in the district. And she says, the state got it all wrong.