All three Hercules elementary schools — Lupine Hills, Hanna Ranch and Ohlone — have made progress this past year…

West County elementaries show gains, but district still struggling

By Kimberly S. Wetzel

They collaborated on lesson plans and brainstormed on which ideas would help students learn the material.

They used data to determine who was falling behind in certain areas, and targeted those children for extra instruction.

They incorporated different cultures into lesson plans to help students relate or learn about other ethnic groups.

Last week, the teachers and administrators at Lupine Hills Elementary School who took all those extra steps learned that their efforts had paid off: The school’s Academic Performance Index score — a number between 200 and 1,000 assigned to California schools based on student achievement — jumped 38 points to 804, putting the school above the 800 mark for the first time.

The school also made “adequate yearly progress” under the federal No Child Left Behind act.

“We’re beside ourselves, we’re so excited,” Principal Katie Brady said.

Lupine Hills in Hercules is one of a small number of West Contra Costa Unified schools that both grew their API score and made adequate yearly progress, according to data released last week by the state Department of Education.

Other elementaries that accomplished both feats are Kensington; Ford, Murphy, Peres, Sheldon, Valley View and Washington in Richmond; Castro, Harding and Madera in El Cerrito; Ellerhorst in Pinole, Hannah Ranch and Ohlone in Hercules; and Riverside in San Pablo.

Middle College High in San Pablo was the ony district middle or high school to make both state and federal progress this year.

A score of 800 is considered the ideal number by the state, and while Olinda Elementary in El Sobrante did not improve its API score, it already has an 838 and did make adequate yearly progress.

“We had a lot of good growth this year in terms of schools making big jumps,” said Nia Rashidchi, West Contra Costa assistant superintendent of educational services.

Other schools improved API by significant amounts but did not meet federal standards. Those schools include Verde Elementary in Richmond, which improved by 78 points to 674; Coronado Elementary in Richmond, which broke the 800 mark with an 802; Dover Elementary in San Pablo, which improved 48 points to 705; and Montalvin in San Pablo, which grew 47 points to 720. Kennedy High posted the biggest improvement of the district’s secondary schools with a 31-point gain for a score of 580.

All is not good news for the district, however. Several schools had lower API scores than last year, and several remain in “program improvement,” or probationary status, meaning the school has not met federal standards two straight years under No Child Left Behind.

Only schools that accept federal aid and are deemed Title One are placed in program improvement, and schools on the watch list may face sanctions such as forced restructuring. Sixteen West Contra Costa schools, as well as the district as a whole, are in program improvement.

Seeing a drop in API scores were Collins Elementary in Pinole; King, Stege, Wilson and Mira Vista elementaries in Richmond; and Lake Elementary in San Pablo.

Meeting federal standards may get more difficult in the next five years, as No Child Left Behind calls for a gradual yearly increase in the number of students who test proficient or above on state tests until 100 percent meet the mark.

“We all know that its urgent that we move faster than we are now,” Rashidchi said. “We’re just going to keep trying until we get it right. We have caring folks who want to see our kids perform well.”