High schools, like all schools, are feeling increasing pressure under No Child Left Behind. By 2014, 100% of students nationwide are supposed to achieve academic proficiency, which each state is allowed to define. And each year between now and then, the bar for proficiency rises. Schools that don't measure up could be taken over or shut down.
Statewide, about 1,200 elementary and middle schools (and about 80 high schools) failed to make adequate yearly progress because of this year's higher standard. That equates to about 15% fewer schools reaching the federal proficiency target.
Fairfax High in Anaheim met last year's standard -- and then improved this year -- but not enough. It had too low a percentage of students who tested at proficiency or better in English. The same scenario applied to Mt. Gleason Middle
The picture looks sunnier when viewed through the state-designed accountability system, the Academic Performance Index. The API sums up statistical measures into a single number between 200 and 1,000. The state's target is 800 for every school.
Based on the just-released data, 53% of California schools made their API improvement goal, eight percentage points better than 2007. And 36% of schools are at or above 800, up five percentage points.
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howard.blume@latimes.com
ben.welsh@latimes.com
Times staff writer Jason Song and data analysts Sandra Poindexter and Doug Smith contributed to this report.
