Alum Rock Union Elementary School District Demonstrates its Continued Resurgence with Release of Latest Performance Scores

SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Recently, the California Department of Education released the results of the 2012 California Standards Tests (CST) and gave further evidence to the dramatic turnaround that has taken place over the last five years in the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District.

The upward trajectory of Alum Rock's student performance data has been well documented over recent years, and the District has become a model for reforming once-struggling districts across the state.

Last year alone, four additional schools surpassed the threshold for excellence in education, achieving a score of 800 and above in the Academic Performance Index (API), boosting the total to 14 schools within the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District that have achieved this prestigious feat. The District also demonstrated impressive growth in the number of students scoring proficient or advanced in English Language Arts and Mathematics, both district-wide and for all significant student subgroups.

"These improvements are linked directly to our District-wide efforts to coordinate and align our instruction with the grade level content standards and to provide intensive, effective professional development support to our staff," said Stephen Fiss, Interim Superintendent of the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District. "Credit goes to all members of the Alum Rock community, including our teachers, administrative and support staff, parents and community members, local organizations and companies who support our work, and, of course, our dedicated students."

This impressive growth in scores comes on the heels of a 2011-2012 academic year that saw the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District catapult from 41^st to 4^th place out of 50 districts in the DAIT program, had four schools honored by the Santa Clara County Office of Education as recipients of the "2020 Vision" awards, and another four schools honored by the California Business for Education Excellence Honor Roll.

The District will conduct a comprehensive review of its assessment data improve practices and instruction in pursuit of its goal having every Alum Rock student meet or exceed grade level standards and graduate with the skills needed to succeed in high school and college.

About Alum Rock Unified School District: The Alum Rock Union School District operates twenty elementary schools and six middle schools, totaling a student population of 12,500. Serving the ethnically and economically diverse community of East San Jose, Alum Rock is a family-oriented district deeply committed to meeting the many needs of its students and families.

Over the past four years, Alum Rock Union School District has earned a reputation for innovation and investment, both in its infrastructure and student and teacher resources. As a result, the district has transformed numerous once poorly performing schools into models of student achievement and learning. The success of this effort is exhibited in the districts rapidly improving API scores and its ability to narrow the achievement gap in a district with a significant population of English Learners and low-income immigrant families. For more information: www.arusd.org

Media Contact: Rolando Bonilla Alum Rock Union Elementary School District, (408) 418-4648, [email protected]

News distributed by PR Newswire iReach: https://ireach.prnewswire.com

SOURCE Alum Rock Union Elementary School District