The Academic Performance Index (API) was a measurement of

academic performance Academic achievement or academic performance is the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has attained their short or long-term educational goals. Completion of educational benchmarks such as secondary school diplomas and bachelor's deg ...

and progress of individual schools in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The API was one of the main components of the

Public Schools Accountability Act The Public Schools Accountability Act (PSAA) was passed in California in 1999 as the first step in developing a comprehensive system to hold students, schools, and districts accountable for improving student performance. The system establishes a c ...

passed by the California State Legislature in 1999. It was last updated for the 2012–2013 school year, an on March 15, 2017, the

California State Board of Education The California State Board of Education is the governing and policy-making body of the California Department of Education. The State Board of Education sets K-12 education policy in the areas of standards, instructional materials, assessment, and ...

and the California Department of Education launched a new accountability system to replace the Academic Performance Index to better measure California's education goals. The replacement reporting interface is the California School Dashboard.

API scores

Numeric Index

A numeric API score ranged from a low of 200 to a high of 1000. The interim statewide API performance target for all schools was 800. A school's growth was measured by how well it was moving toward or past that goal. An API score was calculated for all students in a school as well as numerous API scores for each subgroup at the school (such as by race, English Learner Status, students with disabilities, and socioeconomically disadvantaged pupils).

Rankings

The API Statewide Rank score ranked a school with all schools in California based on API score, while the API Similar Schools score ranked a school with 100 other schools in the state with similar demographic profiles (including parent education level, poverty level, student mobility, student ethnicity). Each rank ranged from 1 to 10, with a score of 10 meaning that the school's API fell into the top 10%.

Indicator of performance

A school's score or placement on the API was designed to be an indicator of a school's performance level and was calculated annually by the California Department of Education, primarily based on CST and

CAHSEE The California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE) was an examination created by the California Department of Education, that was previously mandated to administer in high schools statewide in order to graduate. The examination was suspended in ...

tests. Due to the API's heavy reliance on standardized testing (although some factors such as attendance and graduation rates were considered), many criticisms of standardized testing could also be leveled at the reliability and accuracy of API scores as an indicator of a school's level of "academic achievement."

Accountability

The API was closely tied to monetary and incentive awards by setting Annual Percent Growth Targets for each school and whether the school met or exceeded this goal. The

also established The Immediate Intervention/Underperforming Schools Program and the Governor's High Achieving/Improving Schools Program. In addition, the API was used to determine Adequate Yearly Progress as a part of the

No Child Left Behind The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) was a U.S. Act of Congress that reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act; it included Title I provisions applying to disadvantaged students. It supported standards-based education ...

Act.

References

External links

{{Portal, California, Schools
Academic Performance Index (API)Understanding the APIPublic Schools Accountability Act (PSAA)Google - public data
Education Statistics of California: Academic Performance Index (API) Standardized tests in the United States Public education in California