All Edison Schools in California Post Strong and Consistent Gains; Eight Edison Schools Score Improvements On the California Standards Test Tuesday, September 30, 2003 Edison schools gained nine points on average, while the state and the districts where Edison schools are located gained an average of five points each. This is the first year that the CST is the states primary means of accountability under the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation. Among Edisons top performing California schools, Edison Charter Academy in San Francisco made an average one-year gain in the percent of students proficient and advanced on the CST of 12 percentage points, compared with an average district one-year gain of seven percentage points. In 2001 Edison Charter Academy became a symbol in the charter school movement when the state of California granted the schools charter after the San Francisco Unified School district attempted to revoke the schools charter despite noticeable improvements in the school and in student achievement, and against vehement parent and community protest. Since that time, the school established itself as a top charter school in the city. This years test results only continue to confirm that the choice we made for this school in the beginning, and our fight to save this school, were the right choices, stated Charter Board President and parent Laura Baker. The Edison Design works and our children are the clear benefactors. Other Edison schools in California also made strong academic strides. In Chula Vista, Feaster-Edison Charter School made an average one-year gain of ten percentage points and the district made an average gain of five points. Edison-McNair Academy in Ravenswood made an average one-year gain of 11 percentage points while the district made an average one-year gain of three percentage points. San Jose-Edison in West Covina made an average one-year gain of nine percentage points and Starr King-Edison Academy in Long Beach made an average one-year gain of eight percentage points. Phillips-Edison in Napa made an average overall one-year gain of seven percentage points. Edison-Brentwood Academy in East Palo Alto made an average one-year gain of six percentage points, and Edison-Bethune Charter Academy in Fresno also made an average one-year gain of six percentage points. "The impressive test score gains at every one of Edison's California schools demonstrate Edison's effectiveness at improving student achievement," said Gary Larson, Director of Communications for the California Network of Educational Charters (CANEC), the state's recognized charter schools association. "The students at each of these schools, most of whom come from low-income, inner city families, are on track for brighter futures thanks to the hard work of many dedicated teachers and the proven Edison Design." We continue to be very impressed with the performance of San Jose-Edison Academy, said West Covina Unified School District Board Member Mike Spence. We look forward to continue working in close partnership with Edison over the coming years. Another powerful measure of the performance of these Edison California schools is the high level of parent satisfaction, as measured by an annual, independent survey conducted by Harris Interactive. The average rate of parent satisfaction at Edison California schools is 91 percent of parents rating their childs school an A or B. This approval level far surpasses the national average with only 68 percent of parents rating their childs school an A or B, according to a similar poll given by Gallup. It is especially noteworthy that while only 29 percent of parents in the Gallup survey rated their school an A, exactly twice that rate, 58 percent of Edison California parents rated their childs school an A. We are extremely proud of the strong and consistent growth that every one of our California schools have achieved for the academic year 2002-2003, said John Chubb, Edisons Chief Education Officer. This achievement is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and commitment that all of our California principals, teachers, and students exhibit each and every day. This steady improvement means that more and more children will have the opportunity to succeed in their academic and future careers. Edison recently renewed several contracts in California including West Covina where it will continue to manage San Jose Edison Academy for the next five years; Napa where Edison will continue its management of Phillips-Edison Partnership School for another five years; and East Palo Alto where it will continue to manage both Edison Brentwood Academy and Edison McNair Academy for another five years, contingent upon future reconfiguration of the district.
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