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Our Success

The following examples of success are due to the combined efforts of CORE and a commitment from the whole school system of some of our long-term clients. Take a look at the following profiles to see how we have been instrumental at achieving and maintaining results.

Elementary

CORE K–3 Executive Coaching Project for San Bernardino City School District, San Bernardino, CA

The charts below show sample of the elementary schools that received two years of technical assistance from CORE focused on improving reading scores. The first year of recorded data is the baseline before CORE work.

All schools increased the percentage of students scoring at proficient and advanced, and reduced the percentage of students scoring below basic and far below basic.

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Anchorage Elementary Schools Show Notable Gains in Reading Test Scores

In a new program used by ten elementary schools during the 2006–2007 school year, 83% of participating classrooms saw students’ reading scores improve. Each year an increasing percentage of students in the school district learned to read by the end of third grade.

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Hawaii Elementary School Sees Continuing Test Score Improvements

In three years, from the spring of 2003 to the spring of 2006, students’ scores on individual reading measures (tested by DIBELS, the Dynamic Indicator of Basic Early Literacy Skills) rose as much as 60%.

The latest score reports show that 70% of the second- and third-grade students at Ala Wai Elementary School are meeting benchmarks in oral reading fluency. This is a remarkable achievement in a school where less than 20% of second and third graders met benchmarks three years ago.

Secondary

Pasadena Unified’s Academic Performance Index Results Outpace County and State for Second Year in a Row

Pasadena Unified School District, Pasadena, CA

Academic Performance Index (API) results released by the California Department of Education showed Pasadena Unified School District students improving their performance faster than their peers in Los Angeles County and the State of California for the second year in a row. The District’s overall increase in API was 31 points, outpacing a 19-point gain across the County and a 20-point gain statewide.

The California standards-based API tracks a school district’s year-to-year performance on the basis of standardized test results, including students’ performance on the California Standards Tests and California High School Exit Exam.

Overall, this year’s District average API was 689, up 31 points from 2004. “We saw 21 of 32 schools demonstrate double-digit API growth from last year,” said Dr. Younghee Jang, Pasadena Unified’s Director of Student Assessment and Program Evaluation. “That is definitely a trend in the right direction.”

Pasadena Unified’s schools in northwest Pasadena and western Altadena accounted for a significant portion of the District’s performance growth, led by John Muir High School with an 83-point API score improvement. Pasadena High School followed with a 54-point gain. Burbank Elementary School posted the District’s second highest academic performance improvement with an API gain of 70 points. Washington Accelerated Elementary School posted a 68-point gain, and San Rafael posted a gain of 56 points.

“Given all the life challenges faced by students at schools like Cleveland Elementary, Jackson, and Washington Accelerated, it’s clear that the teachers and principals are doing a very good job of alignment and should be praised,” said Pasadena Unified Board of Education member Scott Phelps. “Their hard work is paying off.”

Despite double-digit API increases at 21 of the District’s 32 schools, the District did not meet its federal Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) targets because English Learners and Special Education subgroups fell short of meeting those targets. This year’s AYP targets increased significantly from last year. For example, the targets for meeting AYP proficiency criteria for elementary schools in English-language arts increased from 13.6% in 2004 to 24.4% in 2005; for mathematics, from 16% to 26.5%.

The Annual Yearly Progress report is a component of federal legislation that requires school districts to achieve certain participation and performance thresholds on an annual basis.

“All schools across the country are required to test at least 95 percent of their total student enrollment,” said Jang. “All significant subgroups also must meet the AYP targets. It is remarkable that the District’s Socioeconomically Disadvantaged subgroup exceeded the AYP targets this year, but we have more work to do with English learners and students with disabilities in the months to come,” said Jang.

“We should look at AYP as a resource,” said Scott Phelps. “This will provide special services for our students, including after-school tutoring programs.” Among Pasadena Unified’s 32 schools, 19 showed an API score above 700 this year. This is compared to 14 schools with API scores over 700 in 2004. The highest API scores were achieved by Don Benito Elementary (851 API), Willard Elementary (790 API), and Sierra Madre School (787 API). The statewide API target is 800.

Six schools previously scoring below 700 exceeded that mark, including Burbank Elementary, Roosevelt Elementary, Longfellow Elementary, Washington Accelerated Elementary, San Rafael Elementary, and Cleveland Elementary. One school, Edison Elementary, dipped from an API of 717 to 682.

“I don’t see how people can make negative comparisons with neighboring districts when we continue to outperform the County and State’s growth rate,” said Phelps. “Everyone needs to be congratulated.”

To learn how CORE along with the Stupski Foundation was an integral part of the success in the Pasadena secondary schools, click here.

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