[KHTS] – Since Pico Canyon Elementary School was founded in 2004, its Academic Performance Index scores have increased each year during the last 10 years.

To celebrate this continued success, the school is holding a school-wide assembly for more than 1,000 students and staff on Thursday, Nov. 21 at 10:15 a.m.

API scores are measured by the state Department of Education and can range between 200 and 1,000.

In 2004, Pico Canyon’s API score was 860. By 2008, they had broken 900. The most recent score, in 2012, was 939.

Principal Laura Banda said that she attributes the school’s success “to an outstanding teaching staff and school district leadership and a highly supportive parent community and wonderful children who truly want to learn.”

To reinforce Pico Canyon’s philosophy of healthy minds and bodies and as a treat for students, fitness dance experts Billy Blanks, Jr. and Sharon Catherine Blanks will join the school at the assembly to lead the students in an interactive dance event.

About the Academic Performance Index

The API is a single number, ranging from a low of 200 to a high of 1000, which reflects a school’s, a Local Education Agency’s, or a student group’s performance level, based on the results of statewide assessments. Its purpose is to measure the academic performance and improvement of schools. The state has set 800 as the API target for all schools to meet.

Schools that fall short of 800 are required to meet annual growth targets until that goal is achieved. API targets vary for each school and student group.

The API is calculated by converting a student’s performance on statewide assessments across multiple content areas into points on the API scale. These points are then averaged across all students and all tests. The result is the API. An API is calculated for schools, LEAs, and for each student group with 11 or more valid scores at a school or an LEA.