BURLINGAME — “This news is yet another measure of the great work California teachers are doing in the face of continuing budget cuts and diminishing resources,” said California Teachers Association President Dean E. Vogel about the majority of California’s public schools meeting or surpassing the statewide target for academic achievement on the 2012 Academic Performance Index (API).
Fifty-three percent of schools scored at or above the state target of 800, an increase of 4 percentage points over last year, marking a decade of steady growth. “Our students have been making steady progress, despite the billions that have been slashed from our public schools,” Vogel said.
“Teachers are working to reach and motivate every student. In the classroom, where it counts, we see children are learning, achievement gaps are closing, and students are succeeding,” he added.
“If we are going to keep student achievement moving in the right direction, we can’t continue to cut public education funding. That’s why we are urging voters to pass Prop. 30 in the November election. It’s the only tax initiative that will stop an immediate $6 billion in cuts to our schools and colleges.”
[African American students and students with disabilities made the largest gains with an increase of 14 points for each student group, to 710 and 607, respectively. Latino students and English learners also posted strong gains, with Latinos gaining 11 points to 740 and English learners gaining 10 points to 716. Asian and white students made smaller gains of 7 and 8 points respectively, but still have the highest API totals among student groups of 905 and 853 respectively.]
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The 325,000-member CTA is affiliated with the 3.2 million-member National Education Association.