By Alex Wyckoff
Staff Writer
Mira Costa High School’s Academic Performance Index score of 912 was released on Aug. 29 for the 2012-2013 school year, dropping from last year’s score of 913.
It was the first time Costa’s API has dropped in eleven years. Still, it remains above the 911 score from 2010-2011.
“I’m not concerned that we dropped one point,” Mira Costa Vice Principal Ian Drummond said. “They change the variables around every year. They’re constantly shifting the measurement to determine our API.”
This school year will be the final year that the API score is based on Standardized Testing and Reporting results. Starting in the 2014-2015 school year, the scoring will be based on Common Core Standards, which determines the knowledge each student should have after each year of schooling. Obama’s “Race to the Top” education plan endorsed the Common Core and states are now being encouraged to switch over. Common Core tests a student’s ability to apply what they have learned rather than testing memorization.
“We always perform at a high level of excellence,” Costa Principal Dr. Ben Dale said. “Both the teachers and the students always perform well.”
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