News Digest News Digest (October 28, 2005)

District sees small gains on federal, state assessment tests

As a whole, the Palo Alto Unified School District improved its standing on state and federal assessments released Thursday. But, one school's score dipped slightly under and another's remained stagnant.

The district met its targets on both the Academic Performance Index, the state's accountability model, and the federal government's Adequate Yearly Progress report. Together, the models are referred to as the Accountability Progress Report.

On the API, the district increased its score by eight points, moving from 895 to 903. The state's target score is 800. Twenty-eight percent of schools statewide have now either met the target or rest above it.

All but two of the district's schools made gains on their API scores. Nixon Elementary School lost six points, resting at 940, and Jordan Middle School didn't see an increase or decrease, staying at 905.

To make adequate yearly progress, the federal government requires 95 percent of students take the standardized tests each year, as well as 95 percent of students in numerically significant subgroups. Students also have to test proficient in math and English language arts. Palo Alto Unified met all the targets.

EPA police to partner with FBI

The East Palo Alto Police Department will partner with the FBI to investigate unsolved homicides, called cold cases. Only 10 of the city's 49 homicides since 2000 have been solved, Sgt. Alma Zamora said, including just two of 14 this year.

Police Chief Ronald Davis has met with Special Agent in Charge Joseph Ford of the FBI who has agreed to assign staff to work with the department's newly formed Criminal Investigation Division. As a result the 39 unsolved homicide cases have been transferred from the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office to the department.

The new Criminal Investigation Division will assume responsibility for criminal investigations starting in January, taking over from Sheriff's Department detectives.

"I believe this change is absolutely critical to reduce crime and violence in our community and equally important to the department's reform efforts," Davis said.

Davis stressed that the low clearance rate for homicides does not reflect in any way on the Sheriff's Department. "The sheriff detectives have served this community well for over ten years and I consider them to be top-notch professionals," Davis said.

But patrol officers working closely with East Palo Alto detectives will be able to develop more knowledge of the community, and residents may be more willing to talk to the department's detectives than ones from an outside agency, he said.

-- Don Kazak

Fast police work nabs burglary suspects

Fast police action by Palo Alto and East Palo Alto police officers resulted in the arrest of two young adults and a 17-year-old juvenile this morning after a woman discovered them inside her home in the 300 block of Ely Place, Palo Alto.

Police Agent Dan Ryan said the woman arrived home at 9:25 a.m. Monday, opened her front door and found three males inside her home. She ran out and called for help on her cell phone, while the three men fled in a black Jeep Cherokee with gold trim, and home electronic equipment, Ryan said.

Witnesses provided a license-plate number, but with one digit wrong. Palo Alto Officer Donna Arndt used her mobile police computer to check several combinations, and came up with a match to a similar vehicle -- a description of which was broadcast to surrounding police agencies.

East Palo Alto officers spotted a vehicle at 9:46 a.m. at Scofield Drive and Newell Road, just outside the Palo Alto border, containing three young men and the victim's property. They were arrested on burglary charges -- two were booked into San Mateo County jail and the third into juvenile hall.

The adults were identified as Christian Mendoza, 21, and Alejandro Lopez, 18, both of East Palo Alto. The 17-year-old was not identified.

Ryan said police are consulting with other agencies to see if the trio might be related to other recent residential burglaries.

-- Don Kazak, Jay Thorwaldson

E-mail a friend a link to this story.