September 7th, 2011 by Alene Tchekmedyian filed in Manhattan Beach

Manhattan Beach Unified School District maintains its ranking as third in the state for kindergarten through 12th grade districts, right behind San Marino Unified and La Canada Unified, according to the district’s analysis of the Academic Performance Index scores released by the California Department of Education last week.

The district scores are at an all time high of 932 out of 1,000, up 5 points from last year. The scores are calculated based on the results of the STAR tests, which cover English and language arts, different levels of math, history and science for grades two through 11, and the California High School Exit Exam. The state set a target score of 800 for every school.

As schools in the district get closer to the score ceiling of 1,000, it’s difficult for them to maintain significant levels of growth each year, said Carolyn Seaton, executive director of educational services for Manhattan Beach Unified School District. However, there’s always room for improvement in the classroom, she said. “Regardless of how high our scores may be in certain areas,” she said, “we always look for ways to improve.”

For example, during the 2007-2008 academic year, the district was able to hire a science specialist for each elementary school to teach a hands-on lab class, an initiative funded by the Manhattan Beach Education Foundation.

That year, Meadows Elementary School students increased their standardized science test scores to 91.7 percent, up from 75.4 percent the year before.

This year, 91.4 percent of students – those from grades five, eight and ten were tested – performed proficient or advanced on the science STAR tests, up 3.9 percent from the year before. “It’s no surprise that students comprehend and retain scientific concepts at a deeper level when they have multiple opportunities to interact in a lab setting,” Seaton said in a press release, adding, “Hands-on science transforms abstract scientific theories into relevant concepts.”