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Superintendent's Update

The current economic and political climate in California has created a very challenging environment for all of us in public education. This has meant that the National School District has had to cut over $7 million in the District budget over the past two years. The deficit for the current school year is $3 million and will likely lead to cuts in District programs.

I recognize and regret the impact this has on staff and students. We are fortunate to have great employees who care about children and will do anything it takes to maintain the high standard that we have set in the National School District. Our commitment to excellence will never waiver even when we are seriously under-funded by the State.

One way that we can see our continued commitment to excellence is through the Academic Performance Index results. The Academic Performance Index (API) shows how much a school is improving from year to year. A school’s API is a number that ranges from 200 to 1000 and is calculated from the results for each school’s students on statewide tests. The state has set 800 as the API target for all schools to meet. Schools that fall short of 800 are required to meet annual growth targets until that goal is achieved. The state also ranks each school in a statewide and similar schools ranking. A school’s ranking ranges from 1 to 10 with 10 being high and 1 being low.

As you can see in the table above, two schools have exceeded the 800 goal. Three more are within eight points of achieving 800. Four schools are within 19 points of achieving 800. Five schools were a five in their statewide ranking, two were a six and two more were a seven. All ten schools scored a perfect “10” in their similar schools ranking last year. We can be proud of these results. It is the professionalism and dedication of our teachers and District staff, in cooperation with the parents and students that has produced these results.

We will continue to work through tough budget times and maintain our focus on what is most important--academic excellence for the children of National City.

National School District--where we are Creating Successful Learners, Now!

NSD  >  Administration

September 2, 2010