Edison Schools Receive Accolades for Improved Academic Achievement on Both Coasts Wednesday, February 28, 2001 Edison announced that one of its California schools received the highest ranking based on the California Academic Performance Index (API), and that in Massachusetts, Dr. Robert Martin, principal of Seven Hills Charter School in Worcester, was named a winner of the prestigious Edgerly School Leadership Award. Edison-Brentwood Academy in East Palo Alto received a ranking of 10 out of 10, according to the "similar schools ranking" recently announced by the state of California for the 1999-2000 academic year. The purpose of the API is to measure the academic performance and progress of California schools. The "similar schools rank" indicates where a school's API score rates compared with 100 other schools with similar demographic characteristics. A score of 10, the highest score possible, represents an API score that is "well above average for elementary, middle, or high schools with similar characteristics." In Massachusetts, Dr. Robert Martin was one of only five public school principals awarded the Edgerly School Leadership Award in recognition of his school's significant gains on that state's standardized Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) tests for the 1999-2000 academic year. During Dr. Martin's tenure as principal, MCAS test scores at Seven Hills have improved 4.9 percent, one of the highest rates of improvement in the state of Massachusetts. Back to News...