RANCHO SANTA FE — The Rancho Santa Fe School Board meeting on Oct. 11 was all about celebrating, first the highest Academic Performance Index scores in the history of the school and then those students who scored perfectly on their state-required STAR testing.
“Thank you for doing a great job on the STAR test,” said Lindy Delaney, district superintendent. “You gave it your best shot. You have the gift of intelligence and you used it to the best of your ability.”
Each of the students shook the hands of the school board and received a certificate and a pin.
“It’s why we do what we do,” said Jim Depolo, board president.
“It’s our pay,” said Marti Ritto, board member.
Students who achieved a perfect score for the STAR math test for the 2011-2012 for second grade were Malcolm McDonough and Pierce Rosenblatt; for third grade were Michael Chang, Matthew Fromm, Richard Gomez, Dax Kay, Delaney Lee-Bellows, Tessa Maud, Ella Sobhani, Thomas Witmeyer and Wasay Zaman; for fourth grade were Morgan Kiernan, Hannah Loly, Lucas Luwa and David Maldonado; for fifth grade were Daniel Carr, Ryan Curcio, Sheila Kaiser, Alex Lillian, Gabrielle Nguyen, Elyse Rosenblatt, Natalie Slosar and Rachel Waite; for sixth grade were Brandon Fitzpatrick, Breana Nguyen and Gabriella Patino; and for seventh grade were Lauren Flaming and Tiffany Zhang.
Students who achieved a perfect score for language arts were: Zachary Kindel, third grade; Ella Fox, fourth grade; Shannon Buss, fifth grade; and Kirk Butler, seventh grade.
Those earning a perfect score for the science test were eighth-graders James Adelheim, Jack Claxton, Jack Creede, Emily Graham, Nadine Kadri, Romteen Sedighi and Hannah Williams
Stephen Marren, second grade, earned perfect scores on both the language and math tests and Jane Mezzino, eighth grade, got a perfect score in both the science and history tests.
After the awards were given Cindy Schaub, assistant superintendent, explained to the board what school officials did to raise the scores such as intervention and literacy support for those needing it, math coaching, enhancing the performing arts program, expanding time given for math and language and identifying children who are struggling earlier.
In statewide ranking, a school is compared to other schools of the same type in the entire state. The schools are ranked in 10 categories of equal size called deciles from one (lowest) to 10 (highest).
R. Roger Rowe Elementary is ranked fourth in the state of similar schools behind Naples Elementary in Long Beach Unified, Las Lomitas Elementary in Los Lomitas and Los Coyotes Elementary in the Centralia Elementary School District.
Rowe Middle School is ranked third behind Terman Middle School in Palo Alto Unified and the Accelerated Achievement Academy Charter School in Hollister.
“When comparing ourselves to other schools, it is critical that we use Similar School Criteria,” Schaub said. “No other surrounding schools are on our similar schools list. Of the 100 schools most like us in the state, elementary ranks number four and the middle school number three.
