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MAYOR VILLARAIGOSA LAYS OUT AMBITIOUS GOALS FOR FIRST YEAR OF PARTNERSHIP SCHOOLS

Schools in Mayor’s Partnership for LA Schools will be expected to raise API and state standardized test scores by twice the rate of LAUSD’s growth

September 2, 2008

LOS ANGELES - Setting the tone of accountability and results for the new school-year, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa today laid out ambitious goals for the 10 schools in his Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, including expectations that schools will raise API and standardized test scores by twice the pace seen at the Los Angeles Unified District.

“From the moment the school doors open, we will create a new culture of responsibility and accountability at our Partnership schools,” Mayor Villaraigosa said. “It’s no longer enough to tell parents we believe every child has the potential to succeed. We must show parents that they can believe in our schools.”

While each of the 10 schools will work with Partnership staff to develop individual targets, on average the schools will be expected to meet the following goals for the 2008-2009 school-year:

* Improve academic performance at double the rate of LAUSD: Partnership schools will be expected to increase their Academic Performance Index (API) scores by 30 points on average - an approximately 5 percent increase in raw API score. This is two to three times greater than the historical average API growth rates at the District and at comparable LAUSD schools over the last four years.

* Increase students test scores in English by twice LAUSD rates: Partnership schools will be expected to increase the percentage of their students scoring “proficient” or “advanced” on the English California Standards Tests by 5 percent in the 2008-2009 school-year. This percentage increase represents approximately 1.5 to two times the average rates of increases made by the district and comparable LAUSD schools on the English CST over the last four years.

* Increase students test scores in math by twice LAUSD rates: Partnership schools will be expected to increase their percentage of students at proficient and advanced on the Math California Standards Tests on average by 4 percent in the 2008-2009 school-year. This percentage increase represents as much as twice the average rates of increases made by the district and comparable LAUSD schools on the Math CST over the last four years.

* Decreasing the Dropout Rates: As reported by the State of California, 47 percent of students at the Partnership’s high schools - Santee Educational Complex and Roosevelt High School - drop out of school. The Partnership expects to decrease these figures to 44 percent in the 2008-2009 school-year, with continued decreases in each subsequent year.

In addition, the Partnership will track each school’s attendance rates, college-going rates, school-safety numbers and parent satisfaction, reporting each school’s progress to parents, teachers and the community.

On July 1, the Partnership for LA Schools took responsibility for over 18,000 students at 10 of the lowest-performing public schools in Los Angeles: Santee and Roosevelt high schools; Hollenbeck, Gompers, Markham and Stevenson middle schools; and Sunrise, Figueroa, 99th Street and Ritter elementary schools.

The first day of school for all Partnership middle and elementary schools is tomorrow, September 3, 2008.

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