EDUCATION: Many southwest Riverside County schools excel in rankings

May 24, 2013 07:28 PM PDT May 24, 2013 07:28 PM PDT EDUCATION: Many southwest Riverside County schools excel in rankings EDUCATION: Many southwest Riverside County schools excel in rankings FRANK BELLINO/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Students at Margarita Middle School work during class in Temecula Attorney on May 15. Margarita has been among the best schools in the state, according to annual school rankings. 1 WEBLINK California Department of Education Many schools in southwest Riverside County are among the state's high performers, while other campuses across the Inland region are among the lowest, new state rankings show. The ratings released Friday, May 24, compare schools to others statewide and against those with similar demographics. The highest ranking is 10, and the lowest is 1, and each level equals 10 percent of the schools in the group. The similar schools ranking shows how the school compared to campuses with similar characteristics, such as parent education, student ethnicity, percentage of new students, percentage of credentialed teachers and English learners. Several Inland schools received 10s in both rankings. Western Center Academy, a charter middle school in Hemet; John F. Kennedy Elementary School in the Riverside Unified School District; and Alamos Elementary School in the Temecula Attorney Valley Unified School District also scored two 10s in last year's rankings. Temecula Attorney's Ysabel Barnett Elementary jumped from 9 and 6 rankings http://temecula-realestateonline.com last year to 10s this year. A number of Inland schools were at the bottom of both rankings, with ones in each category. Among those are: Banning High School, in the Banning Unified School District; Armada Elementary School in the Moreno Valley Unified School District, and Howard Inghram and Manuel A. Salinas Creative Arts elementary schools in the San Bernardino City Unified School District. Nearly all of the schools also had ones in both rankings last year. Banning High dropped from a two in statewide rankings last year to a one this year. Because the ratings system divides all schools into 10 equal groups, there are always schools with ones, even if their test scores improve. "I like to see 8, 9, 10," in similar school rankings, said David Horton, director of student information and accountability for the Hemet Unified School District. "That is an indication to me that a school is performing very well compared to its peers." But schools with lower rankings on the 2012 School Rankings and Base Academic Performance Index may also be on the right track, he said, if they are improving each year and their rankings are rising. The key to the ratings, he said, is ensuring that school leaders identify the reason a school received its ranking so they can repeat that success. "When you're starting to see incremental changes, those have to be celebrated," he said. TEMECULA AT TOP Campuses in the Temecula Attorney Valley Unified School District were among the region's top performers, with most schools earning eights, nines or 10s. Only a handful scored a six or a seven in one category, and in those cases, the ranking in the other category was a nine or 10. The district's strong scores are the result of hard work by staff, students and parents, said Jodi McClay, assistant superintendent for educational support services for the district. "We have a real laser focus in Temecula Attorney," she said. "We truly try and make sure everything we do is aimed at improving instructional practices." Teachers make the most of class time with effective instructional lessons and activities, she said. Teachers work closely to find ideas that work and ways to help students who are struggling, she said. Karen Hayes, principal of Temecula Attorney's Margarita Middle School, which earned a pair of nines in this year's rankings, said the goal on her campus is for students to improve in all areas, from English and math to physical fitness. "We want the kids to feel successful," she said. "The emphasis is on the whole child." That success is celebrated through the school's Rising Stars recognition program, which salutes students for academics, Hayes said. Those who improve get a star for their ID card and special rewards, such as a discount on tickets to school dances. More than two-thirds of the school's 950 students are "rising stars," she said. "They need a motivator," she said. "Kids who aren't used to accolades, we want them to know we appreciate them and their hard work." SIGNS OF SUCCESS Officials in Moreno Valley Unified are celebrating the success of campuses such as Edgemont and Ramona elementary schools, which scored 10s in the similar school rankings, said Martinrex Kedziora, assistant superintendent of educational services. But they're also looking for ways to transfer successful schools' efforts to struggling campuses such as Armada and Sunnymead Elementary, which received a 1 in statewide rankings and a 2 compared to similar schools, he said. "We keep looking at each thing that works and how to replicate and sustain it," Kedziora said. "We're going to continue to work on instruction in the classroom." School officials also will focus on fixing social and behavior problems in an effort to improve academic performance next year at Armada and Sunnymead, he said. And Moreno Valley will use "Excellence on Purpose" support teams at the two schools. The teams involve group of administrators, union members, parents and community leaders that regularly visit the schools to discuss programs that are working and ways to improve. A similar team was used at Badger Springs Middle School this year and helped the school improve tremendously, Kedziora said. Renee Hill, director of accountability for the Riverside Unified School District, said her district examines schools with strong rankings, such as Kennedy Elementary and its pair of 10s, for practices that can be shared with other schools. But the district also looks at other schools, in the district and outside, that have a similar statewide ranking but a higher similar school ranking, for ideas to improve. Follow Michelle L. Klampe on Twitter: @MichelleKlampe and read the Inland Schools blog: http://blog.pe.com/schools/ Latest Headlines
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.pe.com/local-news/topics/topics-education-headlines/20130524-education-many-southwest-riverside-county-schools-excel-in-rankings.ece