Sonoma County School tests yield mixed results

Despite overall gains in the state test scores, more Sonoma County schools than ever have failed to meet federal accountability standards set out in the No Child Left Behind law.

Sonoma County now has 29 schools in “Program Improvement” status for failing to meet annual federal progress targets — two more than last year.

Schools that miss targets in any one of about 20 categories — the precise number depending on grade level — for two years in a row fall into Program Improvement status and can face a series of sanctions. Only schools that receive federal Title 1 funding, which supports programs for low-income students, are vulnerable to Program Improvement status and sanctions.

Schools must make two years of specific gains to exit the program — a feat that will become increasingly difficult because the federal standards increase dramatically every year until 2013-2014 when all students in all schools are expected to achieve scores that establish proficiency in the subject matter.

“There can be over 25 criteria that determine a school’s AYP (adequate yearly progress) standing and if just one target in one area is missed, the school doesn’t meet the federal standard for the year,” said Don Russell, assistant superintendent for the Sonoma County Office of Education. “AYP is a winner-take-all approach that doesn’t necessarily recognize the successes and shortcomings of student achievement.”

While slipping on the federal report card, Sonoma County schools still outpace the rest of the state in California’s Academic Performance Index. The county scored 758, while the state average is 742.

At Santa Rosa’s Burbank Elementary School, students and teachers bucked the tide and exited Program Improvement by meeting all 17 of the required testing goals, thus ending federal sanctions.

The school’s overall API score jumped 26 points to 781 this year.

Scores range from 200 to 1,000 and California has set its overall goal at 800.

Despite the steep incline in target scores over the next few years, Burbank Principal Patricia Turner said she isn’t concerned that the campus will fail to meet the thresholds.

“If we keep up what we are doing and polish and refine many aspects of what we are doing — we’re there,” she said. “We’ll hit it.”

News researcher Teresa Meikle contributed to this story.