How to read standardized test scores for your child’s school

The California Department of Education just released the 2008 Academic Performance Index scores for schools throughout the state. These scores let parents know how students at their child’s school are performing academically, and the scores shed an important light on how your school compares to similar schools.

You can find numbers for your child’s school in the API section of the department of education’s Web site. Click on 2008 Base API school reports and type in the name of the school.

Here are Such A Smart Mom’s suggestions for gauging how your child’s school is performing based on its API score:

Scores can range from 200 to 1,000. The higher the score, the happier parents should be.

Schools are ranked on a scale of 1 to 10. Obviously, the higher the rank, the happier you should be.

I’ll use my kids’ schools as examples:

My daughter attends Scripps Ranch High School in the San Diego Unified School District. It received an API score of 821 and a statewide ranking of 9, which are wonderful for a high school.

My son attends Marshall Middle School, which received an API score of 906 and a statewide ranking of 10, which are fantastic for a middle school.

Again, schools are ranked on a scale of 1 to 10. For me, this ranking is far more telling than the overall statewide rank. This tell parents how their child’s school compares to schools with similar student demographics.

You will find the similar school rank just to the right of the Base API score. To find more details, scroll up on the page and click on a link called Similar Schools Report. This holds a treasure trove of information. I think its most helpful to compare your child’s school to schools you know.

Again, I’ll use my kids’ schools as examples:

Scripps Ranch High received a ranking of 4 compared to schools with similar demographics. That raised some initial concern. Essentially, this tells me that far more schools with a similar student population did better than Scripps.

I looked on the list of similar schools and found that four of the schools in San Diego County scored higher (Coronado High with a beefy 850 was the best), one (La Jolla High) scored the same, and two (Carlsbad and La Costa Canyon) scored worse. All in all, after looking at this information, I felt much better about that 4 in the similar schools ranking.

Marshall’s similar school ranking was a 6, which is neither good nor bad. So I looked at similar schools in the county and found four that had higher scores than Marshall. (The best was Carmel Valley Middle School in the San Dieguito Union High School District with an impressive 957).

Five received lower scores than Marshall. (The “worst” score - I’m putting that in quotes because the score is still very good for a middle school - was Dieguino Middle School, also in the San Dieguito district, with an 869.) After looking at this, again, I felt better about the similar school ranking.

The link to your school’s demographic information is located in the same area at the Similar Schools Report. You will find some interesting facts, including ethnic information, parent education, average class size and much more.

Finally, while I love poring over test scores for my kids’ schools, my most important gauge is how my kids are performing in school. Schoolwide test scores are fascinating, but they hardly tell the whole story.

Have fun reading your school’s report! And if you’re thinking of moving, it’s definitely advisable to take a close look at API scores for the area’s schools before you start looking at homes.

To learn more: What are California students tested on? Read Such A Smart Mom’s “Smart Kids” series, which includes detailed information on what your child should learn each year. The information is drawn from the content standards set by the California Department of Education.