Volume 59, Issue 1
September p 2010
Arcadia High School 180 Campus Drive, Arcadia, CA
One Step Closer to the “900 Club”
In this issue:
Graphic courtesy of PERKSOFBEINGAJAB.COM
OPINION pg. 4 Oops! I Did It Again: Come on. Look at Spongebob. Nothing’s as bad as that. Graphic by ALWYNA LAU
JUMPING THE NEXT HURDLE Over the last few years, AHS’ Academic Performance Index (API) has continually risen to reach 890 in 2010, and we are hoping to break 900 in coming years. By APOORV CHAUDHARY & SHIBO ZHONG Staff Writers Graphic courtesy of MANNYT MAN NYTHEM HEMOVI OVIEGU EGUY Y COM COM MANNYTHEMOVIEGUY.COM
PERFORMING ARTS pg. 9 Finding AHS’ Waldos: Check out our tips on how to identify our performers on campus.
Photo by ELLIOTT LEE
CENTER SPREAD pg. 12-13 Blueprint to a New School: AHS is finally about to see the first fruits of campus construction.
Application Programming Interface, American Press Institute, Academic Performance Index? With its ambiguous interpretations, do you know what API is and why we should concern ourselves with it? Academic Performance Index (API) measures the academic performance and growth of schools on a variety of academic measures. This past year, AHS increased its API by 14 points to achieve a whopping 890, beating Crescenta Valley High School (CVHS) for the first time since 2002 and becoming the 36th highestperforming high school in California. The importance of API often goes unnoticed by students. Based on the California Standardized Test (CST) that each student takes, the state of California assigns an API score from 200 to 1000 as an indicator of how well a school has done on the CSTs and the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE). This score also plays a role in determining the housing values of homes near AHS, as it is an indicator of a school’s overall
educational strength. Unlike AP exams, the CSTs and the CAHSEE are required for all students, providing a more holistic view of a school’s ranking. Schools with higher APIs indicate to colleges a better quality of education and in turn, tougher curriculums. An API above 800 is generally considered decent (about 100 schools achieve this) and only the very best schools in California can hope to get an API above 900. In 2005, AHS had an API of 808 and has since been improving. We now have a good chance of breaking into “the 900 club” of approximately 25 schools, though it faces elimination in the 2014-2015 school year due to the implementation of a new nationwide test that will supplant the CST, and the API. AHS’ Vice Principal Craig Wiblemo attributes this success to “a real focus in the classrooms.” One of the most noteworthy aspects of our API of 890 is how high it is in comparison to our student population. In relation to other schools with over 2,000 students, we’re first in the state. Ultimately, to whom do we attribute this success? True, we as students have put in a lot of effort into achieving these results; however, the teachers are the ones who truly deserve
to be applauded. According to Vice Principal Wiblemo, “the amazing work that our staff and faculty do behind the scenes make it possible for us to produce such outstanding results.” The focus on going beyond state standards is what really sets AHS apart from other schools and has led us to this achievement. This accomplishment has been met with great enthusiasm from students. Senior Kevin Liu commented that he was “really proud that the class of 2011 could help improve AHS’ API.” However, the journey is not over yet. Students should have the attitude of sophomore Allen Miao, who sees “it as his job to step up and carry on this tradition of improvement and success.” This outstanding score of 890 has brought us closer than ever before to this elusive “900 club”. Our job? To give one final push and break the barrier into the elite group while we can. As students, it is vital for us understand that our performance on these standardized tests not only affects us but also faculty, parents, and the community as a whole. With that said, well done Apaches. apchaudhary@apachepowwow.com szhong@apachepowwow.com