Rio Tierra STAR Scores Skyrocket

BY BRANDY TUZON BOYD
THE NATOMAS BUZZ | @natomasbuzz
State test scores continue to climb at Rio Tierra Junior High School in Natomas.
We went up 49 points – that’s kind of unheard of for a secondary school,” Principal Paul Orlando said. “I couldn’t be happier for the teachers and community out here.”
For the second year in a row, Rio Tierra met all schoolwide and student subgroup growth goals, according to the state 2010-11 Accountability Progress Report released today. The school’s API score jumped from 671 points to 720.
Principal Orlando and the staff at Rio Tierra are dedicated to making great things happen for students and it shows in their results,” Twin Rivers Superintendent Frank Porter said. “Visit any classroom on the campus and you will find highly engaged, interactive teaching and learning that inspires students to do their best.”

Rio Tierra and Garden Valley Elementary School in Natomas are among 10 schools – or 25 percent of Twin Rivers campuses – which met all student test score targets. Nine schools – including the Smythe Academy of Arts and Sciences on Northgate Boulevard – grew their overall API but did not meet subgroup targets. Numbers for 21 schools remained the same or declined. Scores Hazel Strauch and Regency Park elementary schools in Natomas dropped slightly.


Test scores have increased more than 250 points since 2000 at Rio Tierra – but nothing like the most recent gains, said Orlando. He credits some of this year’s STAR test results to an individualized after-school tutorial program that helps students who struggle with academics.

Said Orlando, “I still think we could have done better.”

Click here to see the Twin Rivers Unified School District’s 2010-11 accountability progress reporting.

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