Oakland Unified School District Case Study

Photo: Courtesy of ACORN Woodland Elementary
Endnotes
1. The Academic Performance Index (API) is a single number, ranging from a low of 200 to a high of
1000, that reflects a school’s performance level, based on the results of statewide testing. Its purpose is
to measure the academic performance and growth of schools. The information that forms the basis for
calculating the API comes from the results of the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program
and the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE). The API is calculated by converting a
student’s performance on statewide assessments across multiple content areas into points on the API
scale. These points are then averaged across all students and all tests. The result is the API. 2007-08
Academic Performance Index Reports Information Guide Prepared by the California Department of
Educationhttp://www.cde.ca.gov/api/
2. AWE website and http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ap/apireports.asp Accessed May 2008.
3. Curriculum-based assessments refer to the assessments that accompany the Open Court Reading (OCR)
program.
4. Results-Based Budgeting is a site-based funding formula that “distributes dollars to the schools on a
per-pupil basis, rather than allocating it in staff positions, programs, or other resources.” University
of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business. (2007). Results-Based Budgeting: The challenge of
autonomy. (The Education Leadership Case Competition). Berkeley, CA: Author.
5. The state has set 800 as the target API score for all schools. A score of 800 indicates high levels of
proficiency in both language arts and math. Thus, even as growth has slowed in terms of raw numbers,
the increases over the past 4 years are significant because the school is nearing the benchmark set by the
state.
OUSD Case Study: ACORN Woodland Elementary 21