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Press Release
For Immediate Release
Contact: Tina McGovern 415-749-3600 ext. 19, outreach@gatewayhigh.org
Gateway's Academic Performance Index Exceeds Target for Second Straight Year
October 1st, 2002
High school has third highest API ranking in San Francisco Unified School District
San Francisco, CA, October 16, 2002 For a second straight year Gateway High School, a San Francisco public charter high school, exceeded the California API growth target according to a report issued today by the California Department of Education.
Gateway is a San Francisco public charter high school whose mission is to provide a high quality college preparatory education to a wide range of learners. Gateway had a notable increase of 15 points, moving from a 2001 API base score of 698 to a 2002 API base of 713. "If you take into account that at least 25% of our students have a diagnosed learning disability Gateway's API growth is truly a significant accomplishment," said Gateway Principal Peter Thorp.
Gateway was one of only two San Francisco Unified District High Schools to be eligible for an API Growth Award in 2001 and one of five this year. "Gateway prepares its students to learn and critically apply knowledge, not necessarily to do well on a standardized test. However, the API Growth Report is one measure of Gateway's program and our success in educating all kinds of minds," said Thorp.
Gateway's raw score of 713 gives it a third place ranking out of fifteen SFUSD High Schools. Because Gateway met all of its growth targets again it is eligible to receive a Governor's Performance Award for a second consecutive year if funding is appropriated. Gateway is the only San Francisco high school to have attained eligibility status two years in a row.
The API is a component of the statewide accountability system for California public schools that includes the API, Growth targets, and awards based on API growth. The purpose of the AP is to measure the academic performance and growth of schools. Its scale ranges from a low of 200 to a high of 1000. This year marks the third reporting cycle for the API, established through the Public Schools Account-ability Act (PSAA) in 1999.
About Gateway High School
Gateway was founded by a group of parents and educators who believed there was a need in the Bay Area for a smaller, personalized, college preparatory public high school with a commitment to and expertise in serving a diverse student population, including a significant number of students with learning differences. Now starting its fifth year of school operations, Gateway is at full enrollment with 400 students in grades 9-12. In June, 2002 Gateway graduated its first senior class, and more than 450 students applied for 100 places in the current 9th grade class. Gateway's 400 students come from more than 100 different middle schools. 13% of Gateway students are African-American, 24% Latino, 15% Asian/Pacific Islander, 40% Caucasian, , and 3% Other Non-White. As mandated by the School's charter, approximately 25% of the student body have previously identified learning differences, 2.5 times the LD enrollment in the average San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) high school.
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