Members of the Palo Alto Unified School District Board of Education noted remarkable overall student progress at both Paly and Gunn during the annual Student Academic Achievement Review at a board meeting on Tuesday.
According to the report, students in Palo Alto’s class of 2010 averaged a score of 1947 on the SATs, with Paly scoring an average of 1951 and Gunn averaging 1942.
The meeting covered the progress of both high schools in accordance to the Strategic Plan Initiative laid out in 2008. The Student Academic Achievement Review was presented by Bill Garrison, director of assessment and education for PAUSD.
“These numbers have skyrocketed,” Garrison said. “I thought it was pretty amazing. In 2010, the total average SAT score for Palo Alto seniors was 1947, and this is an increase of some 26 points over last year. And over 2007, it’s an increase of 53 points.”
“SAT results continue to be astonishing,” board member Dana Tom said. “That’s something quite remarkable.”
Even more exciting for board members was the performance of PAUSD students relative to their state and national peers.
“Our 25th percentile rank of 1750 [On the SAT] matches the California and national percentile ranks of the 75th percentile,” Garrison said. This means that a Paly student in the 25th percentile compared to other Paly students still scored higher than 75% of the rest of the students in the nation.
PAUSD students are also making fast progress on University of California A-G subject requirements, which factor in to course selection for California high school students.
According to the report, Palo Alto’s class of 2010 achieved the SPI goal of having 85% of the graduating class meet the A-G requirements, with 87% of Gunn’s 453 graduates and 83% of Paly’s 409 graduates meeting the standards.
“Congratulations to our students, this is a remarkable achievement, and congratulations to moms and dads and teachers everywhere,” board member Barb Mitchell said after the presentation.
One area of concern to the Board of Education was the stubbornly low A-G requirement fulfillment rate for PAUSD’s underrepresented minorities.
The report noted that Hispanic and African American students have seen little improvement in meeting A-G requirements since the district began gathering data in 2008.
“There are no easy answers, and it’s ongoing work, but it’s the right conversation to have,” Assistant Superintendent Ginni Davis said. “I think it has a lot to do with the supports and the expectations in our general education classrooms.”
Although this report was not meant to initiate immediate action, it will inform district policy for the coming school years. The challenge now is maintaining these standards in the coming years.
“This is some wonderful work,” board member Camille Townsend said. “Of course there is work ahead of us, and actually maintaining these kinds of standards is really hard.”
The report ended on a positive note, with all board members appearing optimistic about the upcoming school year.
“I feel like cheerleading here,” Townsend said. “These are stunning… Parents want the best for their children, so why do they move here? Because the schools are excellent. If you look at these scores, and if you look at the WASC reports, then you see the kinds of activities after school and during school that are given to our high school students in particular. It’s pretty incredible.”