Local schools honored by Newsweek magazine

All of the schools in the Conejo Valley have made the grade, reaching a narrow benchmark defined by Newsweek magazine’s 100 Best High Schools in America.

Although local schools didn’t crack the top 100, all were listed in an extended report found online that ranked the top 1,000 schools.

The list is based on a ratio that is derived from taking the number of advanced placement (AP) courses or international baccalaureate (IB) tests taken by all students at each school in 2004 divided by the number of graduating seniors.

The article said that there are 27,468 schools in the nation. The top 1,000 high schools represent the upper 3 percent.

Westlake High School landed at the top of the Conejo heap, ranking 116. The school’s index, according to Newsweek, is 2.16 AP courses per student.

“Our teachers are very successful with our students in the advanced placement program, as over 73 percent of our students pass the tests with a 3 or better,” said Ron Lipari, principal of Westlake High School. He explained that 1,280 AP exams were administered at the school last year.

“Westlake High School is proud of our highly motivated students and our excellent teaching staff,” Lipari said.

Anthony Knight, superintendent of Oak Park Unified School District, also mentioned the pass rate, saying that he wished that the pass rates of the AP tests were included in the criteria that were used to judge a school’s effectiveness in preparing students for college.

Oak Park High School ranked 144 in the country this year, but the school’s AP pass rate is 85 percent, compared to California’s average pass rate of 20 percent. (Oak Park ranked 95 in the 2003 Newsweek ranking.) Some education experts believe that the rigorous AP or IB classes are the best indicator of students’ readiness for college, but most agree that judging a school based on such a narrow focus would be a mistake.

Knight agreed and noted that at Oak Park, success in all classes is important. The school offers an optional 7th-period support class that enables students to ask questions of their teachers or delve further into the subject matter.

“We not only encourage our students to participate in AP classes, but give them the appropriate preparation to be successful in prerequisite classes and the support to excel once in the class,” Knight said.

In fact, statistics are deceiving.

Moorpark High School, which didn’t make the Top 1,000 list, has 63 percent of their student body taking AP tests, according to a school official.

Newbury Park High School ranked 522, followed by Simi Valley High School at 546. Santa Susana High School in Simi Valley also made the list, ranked at 656.

Calabasas High School and Thousand Oaks High School were ranked 760 and 856 respectively, while Agoura High School placed 900.

“We do not believe that offering AP/IB is in any way a compromise with providing a quality education for all students, any more than offering classes in the arts or sports or any other specific area would be counterproductive,” said Robert Fraisse, Conejo Valley Unified School District superintendent.

“The more options for students, we feel, the better.” “As I’ve said many times, our success is derived from a combination of a great staff, great kids, a high degree of parental involvement and a supportive community,” said Donald Zimring, Las Virgenes Unified School District interim superintendent. “It’s a recipe for success that has been present for more than 40 years.” Calabasas High School Principal J. Guidetti said that in addition to the AP program, many programs at the school deserve recognition, from athletics and co-curricular activities to the college prep and special education programs. “We have strong programs in general,” he said. Guidetti recently received an award from State Superintendent Jack O’Connell for outstanding instructional leadership that led to the school being named a California Distinguished School.