Anaheim City School District - Melbourne Gauer

I often introduce myself as the proud Principal of Gauer Elementary School. But, this should not be mistaken for unwarranted personal pride. Instead, my pride comes from being a part of a team effort to make a difference in our scholars’ lives. And, I firmly believe that it is through our team effort that we have been able to make our miraculous two-year growth in our scholars’ level of achievement. After all, “Scholars + Staff + Parents = Gauer Power!”

Exactly what evidence exists that this miraculous growth has transpired? Probably the most accurate measure of a school’s academic growth is California’s Academic Performance Index (API). Through a complex formula, a school is assigned an API based upon the scholars’ growth in English-language arts, mathematics, and science as measured by the California Standards Tests (CSTs). Whereas two years ago Gauer’s API placed them last in the Anaheim City School District, based upon the 2008 CST results and the 98-point API gain, Gauer was ranked tenth out of 24. Then, based upon the 2009 CST results and the 42-point API gain, Gauer is now ranked third out of 24. Our current API of 787 puts us merely 13 points away from achieving California’s benchmark of 800. This year, we plan to surpass this benchmark with another leap in API. Additionally, there are many grade-level accomplishments based on the CST results from the spring of 2009 that are worthy of mention. Each of the accomplishments below was made possible by the academic foundation built by prior grade levels, beginning in Preschool and kindergarten: Out of the 24 schools in the Anaheim City School District, Gauer scholars who performed at the proficient or advanced levels in English-language arts placed us seventh in 4th grade, second in 5th grade, and fourth in 6th grade. Out of the 24 schools in the Anaheim City School District, Gauer scholars who performed at the proficient or advanced levels in mathematics placed us fourth in 3rd grade, sixth in 4th grade, first in 5thgrade, and fourth in 6th grade. Science is only assessed on the CSTs in 5th grade, and Gauer was ranked first in the district for the second consecutive year. These accomplishments fuel our desire to accomplish even more on behalf of the scholars that we serve and the families that send them to Gauer School each day. We are definitely not resting on our laurels. And, each day we breathe life into our school’s motto:

“At Gauer, we believe in our scholars’ unlimited potential to achieve in school and succeed in life.”

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Licenses & Accreditations:

California Department of Social Services: Community Care Licensing Division

Preschool:

Yes