Dear Alder Community:
By now, your student has been in class several weeks, is bringing home work, has become involved in a
club or intramural sport, and has attended an assembly or two. We all hope that this school year is
off to a positive start for you and your family because it definitely started on a positive note for
our staff. On September 15th, Kimberly MacKinney, Director of Secondary Education informed me that
Alder M.S. had the largest API growth (80 pts.) among all schools in the Fontana Unified School District,
and the third largest API growth in all of San Bernardino County.
What do we mean by API? API stands for Academic Performance Index and is part of the state reports
that are sent to the federal government. The state reports focus on how much schools are improving
academically from year to year based on results of statewide testing (STAR Test given in April). The
API is the measure of academic performance and growth of schools.
The API is a scale ranging from a low of 200 to a high of 1000. Each year, we are given a base API
and a growth target. Our API of 647 for the 2007-2008 school year was based on a statewide assessment
give in 2007 â 2008 and served as a baseline for comparison with other middle schools. The growth
target each year is usually 5 to 8 points, so our target for the 2008-2009 school year was 655.
Our actual API growth for the 2008-2009 school year was 80 points which means we reached an
API of 727 a very important threshold, an API over 700! It is not just standardized tests that are
important to us. Rather we want our Alder students to demonstrate their learning in everyday situations,
and practical situations, at home, and be prepared for not only high school, but the California High School
Exit Exam (CAHSEE).
How Does Alder Compare to other Secondary Schools in FUSD?
(Ranked in Order from Highest to Lowest Overall API)
Click here for a chart
We know that the success of this school is attributable to many things, which include our supportive parents
and guardians who do so much for the school and their children. We want to thank you for all that you
do for the school, for your students, and for helping make Alder M.S. a school that everyone can be proud of.
Thank you,
Mr. McLaughlin
