Stardardized Test Scores Drop at SMFC

Last year saw a dip in standardized test scores in the San Mateo-Foster City School District, and at least one member of the district's board says the reason is decreased revenues from Sacramento.

Board Chairman Mark Hudak said at last night's school board meeting in Foster City that district students should not be expected to produce increasingly better test scores while their schools suffer due to the lack of available state funding.

"What right do we have to expect improvement?" Hudak asked.

"We can't be satisfied with these results. And yet, realistically people need to know, and people in Sacramento need to know, this district is not going to be able to deliver improving test scores every year with decreasing resources."

As if to underscore that point, last night the school board also approved approved issuing pink slips to 10 permanent teachers due to uncertainty surrounding the future of the state budget.

The district's overall Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) scores score dropped 1.5% from the previous year in math, and 1.2% in English, according to a district report.

The California Department of Education implemented the AYP in 2001 as part of the No Child Left Behind Act in an effort to ensure public school districts hit increasing annual score targets.

Though local students' average test scores of 65.8 percent in English language arts and 62.3 percent in math were down from the previous year, they remain well above the state's target for the district: 56.8 percent in English language arts and 58 percent in math.

Even so, should a district see a repeated drop in annual standardized test scores, it may face intervention from the state. Possible measures include replacing the district's superintendent, trustees or staff; forced overhaul of in-place curriculum; or, in the most extreme cases, abolishing the district, according to the Department of Education's website.

The AYP score is based on district students' performance while taking the Standardized Testing and Results, which were recently released by the state.

The San Mateo-Foster City School District had seen improved annual AYP scores each year since 2005, until last year.

"Our progress stalled from 2009 to 2010 and we didn't have the kind of progress upward that momentum could have suggested was building," said Hudak.

The district did see an increase in its Academic Performance Index (API) score from the previous year -- by 3 points to 839. That score easily surpassed the state's target score of 680 points.

The Department of Education uses API as a standardized scoring system that ranks the performance of school districts across the state. Scores range on a scale from 200 to 1000 points.

Hudak attributed the drop in AYP scores in part to increased class sizes, which is a result of a financially strapped state providing less revenue to the district.

"We have asked teachers and staff to do more than we should," said Hudak.

He also said he expects the trend in dropping test scores to continue, so long as the state continus to struggle to pass a budget.

"I hope we can do better," said Hudak.

Trustee Lory Lorimer Lawson said the district needs to do a better job to support teachers and students in an effort to see increased scores in the future.

The board members last night unanimously approved a resolution to show support for the California Budget State of Emergency Week of Action from May 9 through 13. Next week, school districts, teachers and staff will hold rallies and events to express their anger at the Legislature's inability to pass a budget.

District employees will attend a regional rally outside the San Francisco Civic Center Plaza next Friday at 4 p.m., and the public is invited to attend and show their support.

Pink Slips

Meanwhile, the board of trustees approved issuing pink slips to 10 full-time teachers last night. The cuts come as part of the district's plan to close an $8.5 million budget gap over the next two years.

Should Sacramento find a way to close its own budget gap, which currently stands more than $12 billion, the district's pink slips could be revoked.

"If we are unable to find some way to retain these teachers, it will be an immense loss," said Hudak. "It's a shame."