NEWS                                                               Walnut Valley Unified School District

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                        880 S. Lemon Avenue

October 4, 2011                                               Walnut, CA 91789

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WALNUT, CA—Walnut Valley Unified School District has topped the 900 mark- scoring 903 on the 2011 California Academic Performance Index (API).

The Board of Trustees recognized all 15 schools during the October 3 meeting. Students, parents, teachers, staff, and administrators – the people responsible for this outstanding achievement - were a part of the celebration of academic excellence.  Leaders of our teachers, classified, and parent associations were included in the recognition.

Walnut Valley is proud to be one of the 17 unified school districts in the state that have an API of 900 or above.  There are 1,050 school districts in California, 330 are unified (K-12) school districts.

Additionally, the District is one of only seven unified schools in Los Angeles County to top a 900 API score.

Board President Cindy Ruiz congratulated everyone in the audience including members of the community for their continued support.  Despite our continued State financial challenges, we wanted to pause and celebrate tonight, because you continue to do great things for kids, she said.

“We appreciate everything you do for our school district every day. This really is a time to celebrate you and our district’s successes. We’ve all heard the saying ‘it takes a village’ - YOU are our village,” she said.

“It is important to note that this achievement is very much a team effort,” said Superintendent Dr. Dean Conklin.   “On behalf of the board and myself, this is just a token of our appreciation. Congratulations on a job well done. It’s an honor to be a part of the Walnut Valley Unified School District.”

API measures yearly academic performance and growth of districts and schools on a variety of performance measures. They are are given a score on a point scale that ranges from 200-1,000.  A district or school reaching 800 is an excellent score.

“We are so proud of this accomplishment and want to commend all the teachers, staff members, parents, and students that help us continue to academically succeed and grow,” said Jackie Brown, director of educational programs and assessment.

The Walnut Valley Unified School District 903 API banner was unveiled during the Board Meeting on October 3.

Westhoff Elementary School students Brandon and Brianna Tang waved to the audience as they were introduced with teachers, staff members, and parents, including Katharina Tang, community club president and proud mom, by Principal Denise Rendon during the celebration.