Murrieta Valley Unified Exceeds State API Target

Murrieta Valley Unified School District in 2011 exceeded the state's target number for student progress, based on test score-based rankings, it was announced today.

The API score, which shows how each school is performing academically in comparison to other schools, ranges from a low of 200 to a high of 1,000. The statewide base API was 778. The base for elementary schools was 808.

The Murrieta Valley Unified School District earned 843.

The state also ranked schools academically on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 representing the top 10 percent, to determine a school's standing compared to other schools statewide.

In Riverside County, six elementary schools ranked in the top 10: Eastvale Elementary and Temescal Valley Elementary, both in the Corona-Norco Unified School District; George Washington Charter in the Desert Sands Unified district; Tuscany Hills Elementary in Lake Elsinore; John F. Kennedy in Riverside; and Alamos Elementary in Temecula.

While none in Murrieta were ranked in the top 10 percent, several were in the top 20 percent with a rank of 9. These included Alta Murrieta, Antelope Hills and Cole Canyon elementary schools, Dorothy McElhinney Middle School and Vista Murrieta and Murrieta Valley high schools.

The rankings are based on the school's base Academic Performance Index, which is calculated for elementary, middle and high schools based on results of the Standardized Testing and Reporting Program and California High School Exit Exam.

The base API is determined based on the previous year's performance on the standardized tests.

School by school, scores and statewide school rankings in Murrieta were as follows, according to the California Department of Education:

• Antelope Hills Elementary School - 895; 9
• Alta Murrieta Elementary School - 893; 9
• Avaxat Elementary - 845; 7
• Cole Canyon Elementary - 917; 9
• Daniel N. Buchanan Elementary - 865; 8
• E. Hale Curran Elementary - 838; 7
• Lisa J. Mails Elementary - 876; 8
• Monte Vista Elementary - 853; 7
• Murrieta Elementary - 848; 7
• Rail Ranch Elementary - 843; 7
• Tovashal Elementary - 868; 8

• Dorothy McElhinney Middle School - 873; 9
• Shivela Middle - 821; 7
• Thompson Middle - 857; 8
• Warm Springs Middle - 836; 8

• Murrieta Mesa High School - 811; 8
• Murrieta Valley High - 833; 9
• Vista Murrieta High - 823; 9

The release of the base API marks the beginning of the 2011-12 test-score reporting cycle. A school’s base API score plus its growth target becomes that school’s goal for its next Growth API score, which will be released in September, according to the California Department of Education.