Gilroy schools had mixed results on a key state index this year. Scores rose at most schools, but more schools missed state growth requirements this year than last year, and two schools could face federal intervention because they have not met federal goals for five years.

Five district schools, or 42 percent, satisfied state growth criteria, putting the district below the state average of 58 percent, according to data released Tuesday by the California Department of Education. However, the district's overall score on the state's 200- to 1,000-point ranking system - known as the Academic Performance Index - surpassed the state average by eight points.

Meanwhile, only five of the district's schools met federal goals in both English and math, according to the data. Not included in this group were South Valley and Brownell middle schools, which have not met federal guidelines for at least five years, and which could be taken over by the state as a result. They also face other drastic measures like a wholesale change of administration - an unlikely option, according to Superintendent Deborah Flores.

Gilroy High School was conspicuously absent from the district's data this year. According to the state, "this school failed to test a significant proportion of students who were not exempt from testing in 2009" for at least one of the content areas. The state requires 85 percent of students to take the test and only 82 percent of 10th grade students tested in life science, a spokesman with the California Department of Education said.

"We spent the whole morning investigating how this happened," Flores said Tuesday.

The majority of schools that missed their overall state growth targets did so not because they didn't meet the school-wide goal, but because they failed to show consistent progress among subgroups like English learners, socioeconomically disadvantaged students and Hispanics, according to the data. At the district level, these subgroups also failed to meet federal language arts requirements, contributing to the so-called "achievement gap" - the rift between the performance of African American and Hispanic students compared to that of their white, Asian and Filipino counterparts.

But Flores pointed as a sign of success to the 10 district schools that added points to their overall score on the API. Two schools also maintained last year's scores, and only two schools - Las Animas Elementary and Mount Madonna High - shed points.

Las Animas remained near the head of the pack with a score of 814 points on the API. The state and district both set a target score for all schools of 800 - a mark met by Luigi Aprea Elementary School, Ascension Solorsano Middle School and the Dr. T. J. Owens Gilroy Early College Academy. If a school reaches 875, its students are said to be proficient in math and English, according to the California Department of Education.

"We've been reviewing the scores all morning and overall we're really pleased," Flores said Tuesday. "On the API front, where I'm most excited is that the vast majority of schools stayed the same or went up. We had some double digit gains. Our goal is 800 for all schools and if you take a look at the results, we're fast approaching that target."

Nearly every district school easily topped the 700 mark on the API. Only Mount Madonna and the district's former charter school, El Portal Leadership Academy, scored in the 500 range. But the district's challenge continues to be meeting the ever-increasing federal goal, Flores said. Federal criteria, known as Adequate Yearly Progress, required roughly 45 percent of students across all subgroups to perform at the proficient or advanced level on state tests this year.

"The bar continues to go up every year," Flores said. "Next year it's in the mid-50s, but we're taking that challenge head on."

Unlike the state measure, schools either pass or fail when it comes to the federal standard. For instance, if students at a particular school pass the math portion with flying colors, a miss on the language arts segment brings the whole school down. After two years of missing federal targets, a school is relegated to Program Improvement status, a dreaded designation that allows parents to relocate their children to a non-Program Improvement school.

Yet, after two years of hard work, a school that was once one of the district's lowest achieving schools managed to shed this designation.

"Eliot (Elementary) continues to be a shining star," Flores said. "This is really big news. It's great to see schools moving out of (Program Improvement)."

The only district school to do so this year, Eliot will serve as a model for other district elementary schools not meeting federal targets, Flores said. She expects to see similar results at El Roble, Rucker and Rod Kelley elementary schools. Staff at those schools will adopt similar intervention programs as those used at Eliot to boost their own students' performance. Already, El Roble boasted similar success, achieving federal targets this year and remaining in its second year of PI rather than progressing to year three. Like getting into PI status, getting out is a two-year process.

But Eliot and El Roble were the exception rather than the rule. Five other district schools slid deeper into their PI status and El Portal, even though it added 63 points to its API score, would have entered its first year of PI if administrators hadn't revoked the school's charter earlier this year due to that school's fiscal and scholastic mismanagement.

South Valley and Brownell each entered their fifth year of PI, which can bring measures as drastic as replacing the schools' administrations. However, that's the last thing the two middle schools need at the moment, Flores said.

"What we need right now is stability," she said.

To boost academics, the district introduced new intervention programs at the two schools and implemented a new governance structure, similar to a site-specific board of trustees, that will oversee school performance. Flores said the district had been hopeful the two schools would make the federal requirement but knew it was going to be a challenge. Not only do the schools have to increase growth in future years, they have to do it at an accelerated rate, Flores said.