MHS has been stripped of its Distinguished School Award. In order to understand this debacle, it’s important to know that each category of students is measured to show academic growth on the Academic Performance Index (API). They must meet certain targets to show growth and there must be a minimum of 100 students in each sub-category to even be counted as one.
When Principal Kelly was told that our school met all of our targets, the district and the state hadn’t yet finished tabulating the STAR test results in the special education category. He told the committee that the numbers hadn’t been given to him yet but the state still went ahead and visited MHS as an invited candidate for Distinguished School status and, of course, awarded it to our terrific school. However, when the final numbers were tabulated, the special education number reached 100 and was counted. However, growth was 1 percent.
Anyone who has a child who has taken a standardized test knows that some kids are good test takers and some aren’t. The test results do not define the kind of student you have or the over-all performance your child may have at school. The results are a moment in time.
However, the state mandates that all students’ API must be measured, including all functioning levels of special education kids. This is especially problematic since they aren’t given their usual accommodations to take the test. Our kids improved, but not enough for the award. Does this define our special education program as not working? Absolutely not! Is there room for improvement? Absolutely.
To think that MHS isn’t distinguished, especially because of its special education department, is just sad. I think most people at MHS would tell you that they are proud of the inclusion of our special education students in many of the programs at MHS as well as the general inclusive atmosphere of the campus.
We think this makes MHS distinguished, but we knew that all along.
Laureen Sills
Malibu Special Education Foundation