API Report

Schools Accountability Act (PSAA) of 1999. This report shows how much a school is improving from year to year based on its API. 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. API targets vary for each school.

The annual API growth target for a school is 5 percent of the difference between the school’s API and the statewide performance target of 800. Schools that meet or exceed an 800 API are expected to maintain that level of achievement and to continue working to improve the academic performance of all students.

There are two API reports: (l) the Base API that is released to schools in the spring and (2) the Growth API that is released in August. These two reports show results from two different school years. The Growth API is compared to the prior year Base API to show how much a school improved from one year to the next.

Schools must meet API growth targets for the whole school as well as for all “numerically significant” groups of students in the school (see explanation on page 2). Each Base API and Growth API report includes the schoolwide API and the APIs for each numerically significant group of students. The Growth API Report determines whether schools met their targets. If a school meets certain API participation and growth criteria, it may be eligible to become a California Distinguished School or a National Blue Ribbon School.

If a school does not meet or exceed its growth targets and is ranked in the lower part of the statewide distribution of the Base API, it may be identified to participate in state intervention programs. These programs are designed to help the school improve its academic performance.