Last year, Amanda Neborsky, the principal at Hoover Elementary in Redwood City, promised the school’s 880 students that if the school met its goals on the state’s standardized tests all teachers would come to school with blue hair.
This Friday, she will join teachers in fulfilling their end of the bargain by donning blue wigs for the day.
Hoover Elementary, however, is an exception. The number of Peninsula schools facing federal sanctions under the No Child Left Behind Act for failing to make “Adequate Yearly Progress” increased by 50 percent — from 30 schools to 45 — according to reports released by state education officials Tuesday. There are about 155 public schools in the county.
Under the federal law passed in 2001, all students are expected to become proficient in math and English by the year 2014. To that end, the state sets annual targets for a set percentage of students who must reach the grade level goal.
If a school does not meet the proficiency goals for two years in a row, it is designated as a “Program Improvement” school.
Each year a school is in Program Improvement, it faces increasingly severe changes. Schools that remain on the list for five consecutive years contend with having their staff replaced, receiving new governance and possible school restructuring.
Schools must show progress for two years in a row to be removed from the list. No school in San Mateo County exited the list this year.
San Mateo was not alone in struggling to meet federal standards. Statewide, 675 schools entered Program Improvement, while only 54 schools exited.
Ironically, test scores in San Mateo County are ahead of overall proficiency levels for students statewide.
At the same time that schools are required to increase proficiency levels, they have also been subject to massive budget cuts from the state.
The San Mateo-Foster City School District has been hit with $18 million in cuts over the past two years, district spokeswoman Joan Rosas said. This year, the district saw test score improvement, but not enough to meet federal standards.
Rosas said the district will consider options such as turning more of its campuses into magnet schools, which will make them eligible for more federal funding.
Gary Waddell, associate superintendent for instruction at the San Mateo County Office of Education, said the office will be stretched to provide help to the 15 new schools on the list, but will try to be creative with the funding it has.
“Certainly this is a difficult fiscal year all around, but it doesn’t remove us from the obligation to help students receive the education they need and deserve,” he said.
As for Hoover Elementary, where 88 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced lunch and 75 percent are English learners, the staff may glow with pride under blue wigs on Friday — but it’s back to the books on Monday. The school needs to make its test score goals for a second year to get off the Program Improvement list.
“We’ve been working so hard and we’re so close to being off Program Improvement,” Neborsky said. “It’s going to be challenging, but we know we can do it.”
San Mateo County ranks higher than state scores
The Accountability Progress Index, or API, is a number between 200 and 1,000 assigned to California schools that reflects student performances on English and math tests. The state goal is an 800 score; below is the percentage of Peninsula schools that beat that score in each of the last four years.
| How San Mateo County public schools fared in 2009 compared with 2008 on the Academic Performance Index, the state accountability model, which has a performance target of 800 for each school | ||||
| Name | 2008 | 2009 | Change | Met federal benchmark? |
| BAYSHORE ELEMENTARY DISTRICT | ||||
| Bayshore Elementary School | 677 | 674 | -3 | No |
| Robertson (Garnet J.) Intermediate School | 715 | 731 | 16 | No |
| BELMONT-REDWOOD SHORES ELEMENTARY DISTRICT | ||||
| Central Elementary School | 922 | 930 | 8 | Yes |
| Cipriani Elementary School | 881 | 870 | -11 | Yes |
| Fox Elementary School | 896 | 900 | 4 | Yes |
| Nesbit Elementary School | 817 | 832 | 15 | Yes |
| Sandpiper Elementary School | 897 | 935 | 38 | Yes |
| Ralston Intermediate School | 872 | 900 | +28 | Yes |
| BRISBANE ELEMENTARY DISTRICT | ||||
| Brisbane Elementary School | 826 | 819 | -7 | Yes |
| Panorama Elementary School | 711 | 703 | -8 | No |
| Lipman Middle School | 810 | 812 | 2 | Yes |
| BURLINGAME ELEMENTARY DISTRICT | ||||
| Franklin Elementary School | 919 | 922 | 3 | Yes |
| Lincoln Elementary School | 921 | 925 | 4 | Yes |
| McKinley Elementary School | 804 | 813 | 9 | Yes |
| Roosevelt Elementary School | 898 | 882 | -16 | Yes |
| Washington Elementary School | 860 | 908 | 48 | Yes |
| Burlingame Intermediate School | 878 | 889 | 11 | Yes |
| HILLSBOROUGH CITY ELEMENTARY DISTRICT | ||||
| North Hillsborough School | 983 | 982 | -1 | Yes |
| South Hillsborough School | 972 | 965 | -7 | Yes |
| West Hillsborough School | 976 | 987 | 11 | Yes |
| Crocker Middle School | 949 | 941 | -8 | Yes |
| JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT | ||||
| Anthony (Susan B.) Elem. School | 770 | 760 | -10 | No |
| Brown (Margaret P.) Elem. School | 798 | 770 | -28 | No |
| Edison (Thomas) Elem. School | 790 | 798 | 8 | Yes |
| Garden Village Elementary School | 742 | 765 | 23 | Yes |
| Kennedy (John F.) Elem. School | 776 | 743 | -33 | No |
| Roosevelt (Franklin) Elem. School | 736 | 753 | 17 | Yes |
| Tobias Elementary School | 834 | 821 | -13 | No |
| Washington (George) Elem. School | 754 | 711 | -43 | No |
| Webster (Daniel) Elem. School | 782 | 769 | -13 | No |
| Westlake Elementary School | 770 | 765 | -5 | No |
| Wilson (Woodrow) Elem. School | 785 | 762 | -23 | Yes |
| Franklin (Benjamin) Intermediate School | 713 | 701 | -12 | No |
| Pollicita (Thomas R.) Middle School | 730 | 731 | 1 | No |
| Rivera (Fernando) Intermediate School | 792 | 780 | -12 | No |
| JEFFERSON UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT | ||||
| Jefferson High School | 649 | 646 | -3 | No |
| Oceana High School | 768 | 756 | -12 | Yes |
| Terra Nova High School | 754 | 775 | 21 | Yes |
| Thornton High Continuation School | 511 | 597 | 86 | Yes |
| Westmoor High School | 778 | 782 | 4 | No |
| MILLBRAE ELEMENTARY DISTRICT | ||||
| Green Hills Elementary School | 866 | 904 | 38 | Yes |
| Lomita Park Elementary School | 721 | 797 | 76 | No |
| Meadows Elementary School | 842 | 851 | 9 | Yes |
| Spring Valley Elementary School | 877 | 882 | 5 | Yes |
| Taylor Middle School | 845 | 856 | 11 | No |
| PACIFICA SCHOOL DISTRICT | ||||
| Cabrillo Elementary School | 861 | 868 | 7 | Yes |
| Linda Mar Educational Center | 732 | 696 | -36 | Yes |
| Ocean Shore Elementary School | 847 | 856 | 9 | Yes |
| Ortega Elementary School | 800 | 809 | 9 | Yes |
| Sunset Ridge Elementary School | 790 | 780 | -10 | No |
| Vallemar Elementary School | 877 | 867 | -10 | Yes |
| Ingrid B. Lacy Middle School | 788 | 801 | 13 | No |
| REDWOOD CITY ELEMENTARY DISTRICT | ||||
| Adelante Spanish Immersion Elementary | 799 | 852 | 53 | Yes |
| Clifford Elementary School | 807 | 809 | 2 | No |
| Cloud (Roy) Elementary School | 877 | 886 | 9 | Yes |
| Fair Oaks Elementary School | 694 | 673 | -21 | No |
| Ford (Henry) Elementary School | 794 | 808 | 14 | Yes |
| Garfield Charter School | 689 | 687 | -2 | No |
| Gill (John) Elementary School | 778 | 745 | -33 | No |
| Hawes Elementary School | 720 | 736 | 16 | Yes |
| Hoover Elementary School | 705 | 715 | 10 | Yes |
| Newcomer Academy | 374 | 358 | -16 | No |
| North Star Academy | 988 | 989 | 1 | Yes |
| Orion Alternative School | 870 | 868 | -2 | Yes |
| Roosevelt Elementary School | 712 | 723 | 11 | No |
| Selby Lane Elementary School | 715 | 702 | -13 | No |
| Taft Elementary School | 774 | 784 | 10 | Yes |
| Kennedy (John F.) Middle School | 670 | 683 | 13 | No |
| McKinley Institute of Technology School | 699 | 737 | 38 | Yes |
| SAN BRUNO PARK ELEMENTARY DISTRICT | ||||
| Allen (Decima M.) Elem. School | 755 | 773 | 18 | No |
| Belle Air Elementary School | 713 | 729 | 16 | No |
| Crestmoor Elementary School | 850 | 837 | -13 | Yes |
| El Crystal Elementary School | 852 | 828 | -24 | Yes |
| John Muir Elementary School | 838 | 859 | 21 | Yes |
| Portola Elementary School | 864 | 901 | 37 | Yes |
| Rollingwood Elementary School | 792 | 823 | 31 | Yes |
| Parkside Intermediate School | 747 | 763 | 16 | Yes |
| SAN CARLOS ELEMENTARY DISTRICT | ||||
| Arundel Elementary School | 892 | 917 | 25 | Yes |
| Brittan Acres Elementary School | 892 | 907 | 15 | Yes |
| Charter Learning Center | 893 | 900 | 7 | Yes |
| Heather Elementary School | 816 | 861 | 45 | Yes |
| White Oaks Elementary School | 904 | 913 | 9 | Yes |
| Central Middle School | 867 | 881 | 14 | Yes |
| Tierra Linda Middle School | 908 | 921 | 13 | Yes |
| SAN MATEO UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT | ||||
| Aragon High School | 813 | 822 | 9</td> | Yes |
| Burlingame High School | 826 | 835 | 9 | Yes |
| Capuchino High School | 710 | 713 | 3 | No |
| Hillsdale High School | 772 | 774 | 2 | Yes |
| Mills High School | 837 | 845 | 8 | Yes |
| Peninsula Continuation School | 518 | 506 | -12 | No |
| San Mateo High School | 749 | 743 | -6 | No |
| SAN MATEO-FOSTER CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT | ||||
| Audubon Elementary School | 883 | 890 | 7 | Yes |
| Baywood Elementary School | 919 | 946 | 27 | Yes |
| Beresford Elementary School | 830 | 780 | -50 | No |
| Brewer Island Elementary School | 949 | 949 | 0 | Yes |
| College Park Elementary | 765 | 763 | -2 | No |
| Fiesta Gardens International Elem. School | 745 | 769 | 24 | No |
| Foster City Elementary School | 928 | 932 | 4 | Yes |
| George Hall Elementary School | 806 | 823 | 17 | Yes |
| Highlands Elementary School | 853 | 872 | 19 | Yes |
| Horrall (Albion H.) Elem. School | 748 | 729 | -19 | No |
| Laurel Elementary School | 830 | 840 | 10 | Yes |
| Meadow Heights Elementary School | 836 | 843 | 7 | Yes |
| North Shoreview Elementary School | 810 | 854 | 44 | No |
| Park Elementary School | 791 | 789 | -2 | No |
| Parkside Elementary School | 761 | 777 | 16 | No |
| Sunnybrae Elementary School | 780 | 802 | 22 | No |
| Abbott Middle School | 795 | 816 | 21 | No |
| Bayside S.T.E.M. Academy | 704 | 702 | -2 | No |
| Borel Middle School | 804 | 835 | 31 | No |
| Bowditch Middle School | 905 | 917 | 12 | Yes |
| SEQUOIA UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT | ||||
| Carlmont High School | 800 | 827 | 27 | No |
| Menlo-Atherton High School | 758 | 771 | 13 | No |
| Redwood High Continuation School | 640 | 772 | 132 | Yes |
| Sequoia High School | 710 | 737 | 27 | No |
| Summit Preparatory Charter High School | 801 | 827 | 26 | Yes |
| Woodside High School | 740 | 747 | 7 | No |
| SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT | ||||
| Buri Buri Elementary School | 833 | 874 | 41 | Yes |
| Junipero Serra Elementary School | 814 | 815 | 1 | No |
| Los Cerritos Elementary School | 741 | 752 | 11 | No |
| Martin Elementary School | 729 | 760 | 31 | No |
| Monte Verde Elementary School | 835 | 856 | 21 | Yes |
| Ponderosa Elementary School | 821 | 843 | 22 | Yes |
| Skyline Elementary School | 809 | 815 | 6 | Yes |
| Spruce Elementary School | 786 | 804 | 18 | Yes |
| Sunshine Gardens Elementary School | 790 | 815 | 25 | Yes |
| Alta Loma Middle School | 772 | 793 | 21 | Yes |
| Parkway Heights Middle School | 682 | 688 | 6 | No |
| Westborough Middle School | 786 | * | * | No |
| Baden High Continuation School | 400 | 537 | 137 | Yes |
| El Camino High School | 750 | 773 | 23 | No |
| South San Francisco High School | 721 | 763 | 42 | No |
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