SMMSUD receives "C" rating in minority services

Anika NarayananStaff WriterThe Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) received a “C” rating for failing to support minority students by the Education Trust-West.Education Trust-West analyzed SMMUSD’s minority students were as a unit, and evaluated based on their Academic Performance Index (API), advancement over the course of five years and on their readiness for college, In order for SMMUSD to receive an “A” in these categories, the district was expected to have a score of 800 out of a possible 1,000 on the API, a 90% graduation rate and at least a 45% college acceptance or applicability rate into UC and CSU schools.“Samohi was one of the top scores this year, but with that said, we got a “C”. Only one school this year managed a “B”,” Allen said, “We can get a higher score if we work at our bridging of the gap in education, something that would be appreciated by the Education Trust West. “While SMMUSD generally scored high, receiving above average scores in three out of four categories, the district was given an overall rating of a “C”. All three analyzed groups – African-Americans, Latinos and students from low-income families – all scored beneath SMMUSD’s goal of 800 API points.However, the gap between the scores of the Caucasian students, who scored 907 API points in 2012, and the minority students, who scored 784 (Latino), and 735 (African American), was the main factor that lowered SMMUSD’s overall score. With a gap of over 100 points, SMMUSD has a long way to go according to Lindsay Stuart, a data and policy analyst at Education Trust-West.As far as the future is concerned , SMMUSD plans on strengthening its after school tutoring programs and putting more emphasis on maintaining a rigorous in-class experience in efforts to academically unify its student body, independent of race or financial background, as it prepares for another evaluation in the 2013-14 school year.“The Education Trust-West is primarily focused on showing where the growth of public schools in this field is most needed,” SMMUSD School Board member Ben Allen said, “It’s a reminder of the work we need to do as a school.”anarayanan@thesamohi.com