Santa Susana High School A California Distinguished School

Academic Performance Index (API)

2006-7 API Score is 821

API stands for Academic Performance Index, which is the State of California's accountability system, and it is the manner in which a school's academic performance is rated and judged in California. A school's API is expressed as a number that can range from 200 to 1000. According to the state's guidelines, it is hoped, and to a certain degree expected, that all schools will have an API of 800 or higher. To achieve that, schools are expected to increase their API yearly until the goal of 800 is reached. This is referred to as a school's Yearly Growth Target. The higher a school's API, the better its students performed on the STAR tests given each spring. In theory, the API is intended to reflect the quality of the academic program of the school and the academic performance of its students. If a school has an API of 800 or higher, the state claims that, as a whole, the school's students are performing at an acceptable level. To determine a school's API is a complicated process. When a student takes her/his STAR tests, they can score Advanced, Proficient, Basic, Below Basic, and Far Below Basic. Each of these scores is awarded points, ranging from 1000 points to 200 points. To determine how many points a school receives for a specific area (i.e. Language Arts), one finds the average for all the students, by grade. To complicate this, the state has decided that certain parts of the STAR test are to be more heavily weighted in determining the API. To determine a school's API, this also has to be factored into the calculations.

In May, 2006, and again in January, 2007, the State Board of Education has adopted more challenging API growth targets for California Schools. The changes included a different weighting system for certain core subjects, the addition of a life science test (for 10th graders), as well as changes to the method used to determine school wide growth targets.

In the end, we all know that many factors determine the quality of a school's academic program. A school's API is only one tool that should be used when attempting to make this determination.

For more information on API, go to the California State Department of Education's website at http://www.cde.ca.gov and click the link to API. Santa Susana High School's API score is 821. For additional information, go to http://api.cde.gov and click on the link to school reports.