The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has calculated the school’s 2003 Academic Performance Index (API) results. Due to inadequately low student participation in standardized tests, however, the state presently will not recognize the school’s calculated score.

This year’s unofficial score indicates that student performance on standardized tests exceeded the school’s growth target.

But failure to test enough students has denied the school of an API Growth Report and an official API score for the present year.

Educational officials use APIs to gauge academic performance at individual campuses statewide.

A school's API score is measured by the results of the California Standards Test, which measures students as either "far below basic," "below basic," "basic," "proficient" or "advanced."

Students are most familiar with taking the California Achievement Test, sixth edition (CAT-6)—a component of the California Standards Test—in the spring.

In light of the school’s low participation last year, students and teachers are under pressure to ensure that the same thing does not happen again.

Along with exceeding growth targets in language skills and mathematics, the school must also ensure that at least 85% of the student population and 85% of each ethnic subgroup (Black, Asian, Latino, etc.) participates in standardized tests for every test category.

"No one wants to be associated with a school that has been audited," said Alex Maxwell, social studies teacher.

If we fail to test enough students next year, the state has the authority to place the school in an improvement program, requiring the school to revise its preparation methods for standardized testing.

If the school fails to meet expectations for three years in a row, the state may take even more severe measures, including the removal of some administrators.