News

Press Release: KIPP LA Schools Ranked in Top 20 Percent of LA Unified Middle Schools on 2009 Tests

09/15/09

– KIPP Middle and Elementary School Students Make Significant Academic Gains –

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – September 15, 2009 – KIPP LA Schools, the non-profit operator of three high-performing KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) schools in Los Angeles, announced today that its students made significant gains during the 2008-09 school year, achieving strong results on California Standards Tests and the nationwide SAT-10 tests.

KIPP LA’s two middle schools, KIPP Academy of Opportunity in South Los Angeles and KIPP LA Prep in Boyle Heights, achieved Academic Performance Index scores of 780 and 832 respectively. Both schools were ranked in the top 20 percent of middle schools across Los Angeles Unified School District. KIPP LA Prep had the seventh highest API in LA Unified, and both KIPP LA middle schools earned API scores that were approximately 200 points higher than those of their neighboring traditional public middle schools. The API, which is calculated based on students’ performance on the annual California Standards Test, ranges from 200 to 1000.

At KIPP Raíces Academy, KIPP LA’s elementary school, the founding class of kindergarteners showed impressive mastery of all subjects by the end of the 2008-09 school year, as measured by the national SAT-10 test. Ninety-one percent of KIPP Raíces kindergarteners scored at or above the national average in reading and 77 percent scored at that level in math, compared to both kindergarteners and first graders. Students’ achievement in reading was especially impressive, given that 68 percent of kindergarteners were initially classified as English Language Learners.

In 2008-09, KIPP Raíces served only kindergarteners; because no California Standards Tests are offered for kindergarten, an API score could not yet be calculated. KIPP Raíces will add one grade per year until it reaches capacity with 500 students in grades K-4. It will earn an API score once it enrolls second-graders.

KIPP LA’s schools, which are open-enrollment public charter schools, are part of the nationally-renowned KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) network of 82 schools in 19 states and Washington, D.C. Charter schools are public schools that are allowed greater autonomy in decision-making in exchange for increased accountability. Currently, KIPP LA’s two middle schools and one elementary school serve roughly 900 students in the elementary and middle school grades. Ninety-seven percent of KIPP LA students are African American or Latino, and 86 percent are from low-income communities.

“At KIPP LA, we believe all students will learn,” said Marcia Aaron, executive director of KIPP LA Schools. “KIPP LA’s results demonstrate what can happen when students, parents, and teachers commit to putting in the effort necessary to enable all students to excel academically. Further, our first elementary school students’ impressive performance underscores the value of providing students a KIPP education from the very beginning.”

Students typically enroll in KIPP LA middle schools performing two to three years below grade level, but by the time they complete eighth grade, they are outperforming their peers across Los Angeles and the state on the California Standards Tests. In 2008-09, 60 percent of KIPP LA eighth graders scored proficient or advanced in Algebra I, compared with 28 percent of eighth graders in LA Unified and 44 percent in California. In English language arts, 56 were proficient or advanced, compared with 31 percent in LA Unified and 48 percent across California. In science, 72 were proficient or advanced, compared with 41 percent in LA Unified and 56 percent in California.

“At KIPP LA’s schools, hard-working, committed teachers and students are proving that demography does not determine destiny,” said Maria Casillas, president of Families in Schools, an organization that promotes parents’ engagement in the education of their children, particularly in low-performing school communities. “With organizations like KIPP and Families in Schools in Los Angeles, more and more children from under-resourced communities are getting the excellent education they deserve.”

About KIPP LA Schools
KIPP LA Schools (KIPP LA) is a non-profit organization that operates three free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public charter schools in East and South Los Angeles. KIPP LA schools are part of KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program), a national network of public schools. Two teachers, Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin, started KIPP in 1994 in Houston, TX after completing their commitment to Teach For America. KIPP has grown to a national network of 82 public schools in 19 states and the District of Columbia, serving 20,000 students. More than 90 percent of KIPP students are African American or Hispanic/Latino, and more than 85 percent are eligible for the federal free and reduced-price meals program. KIPP schools have been widely recognized for narrowing the achievement gap in public education and putting students from underserved communities on the path to college. More than 80 percent of KIPP alumni have gone on to college. For more information, go to www.kippla.org or www.kipp.org.

Contact
Katie Braude
KIPP LA Schools
323-806-2869
kbraude@kippla.org