Good news coming out of Sacramento last week put smiles on the faces of Madera Unified School District trustees at their regular meeting Tuesday evening. The board beamed with pride as it heard the results of the ranking of California's schools by the State Department of Education, as several of Madera's schools hit home runs in the curriculum arena.
The department ranks the performance of individual schools in comparison with all other schools in the state and in comparison to schools with similar socio-economic characteristics. The ranking shows where a school's academic performance index falls on a scale of one (lowest) to 10 (highest).
In the "similar school" ranking, five Madera schools scored the magic 10, while five others posted a score of nine. Local schools at the top ladder were John Adams, Dixieland, Eastin-Arcola, Lincoln, and Millview. La Vina, Madison, Monroe, Sierra Vista, and Madera High hit the number nine level.
A total of 17 Madera schools scored a six or better, which places them at above average when compared with similar schools in California. Only three schools scored below average when compared with similar schools. Nishimoto was ranked three while Washington and Desmond Middle School were ranked four.
"The fact that we have such impressive similar school rankings is a sign that our level of achievement is very high relative to schools like ours," said Madera Unified Superintendent Larry Risinger. "This is very encouraging news for our district. It is further proof that we are on very firm ground with our student achievement," continued Risinger.
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Bill Coate William "Bill" Coate is a San Joaquin Valley historian, author, television personality and retired public school teacher with 36 years of classroom experience. He is the award-winning founder of the Madera Method, a research-based educational program that uses primary source materials to help students explore history. He writes about the past of our nation and valley with a weekly column and story. He also writes articles pertaining to local schools.
