Records set in AP and IB testing at high schools in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District

 

A number of records were set at the four comprehensive high schools in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District, both district-wide and at individual campuses, on the Advanced Placement examinations most recently administered.

Records also were set on the International Baccalaureate examinations administered at Valencia High School, with a new high of 80 seniors awarded the prestigious IB diploma.

The district's overall pass rate on the two- and three-hour Advanced Placement tests increased more than seven percent over the already-high pass rate achieved in 2021.

Passing scores – three or higher on a five-point scale for AP and four or higher on a seven-point scale for IB – can earn university credits and allow students to bypass introductory courses. Decisions on credits and class placements are made by individual universities.

A total of 4,112 AP examinations were administered to freshmen through senior students at El Dorado, Esperanza, Valencia and Yorba Linda high schools, and 480 IB exams were taken by 11^th and 12^th grade students at Valencia High School during the annual May testing period.

Here's how each high school scored on the AP tests, according to district-provided data:

El Dorado administered 1,008 exams in 22 subjects for a 77% pass rate, up from last year's 74% pass rate on 976 exams in 21 subjects. The passing rate was 100% for 34 students in chemistry.

Esperanza administered 548 exams in 20 subjects for a 78% pass rate, up from last year's 73% pass rate on 652 exams in 23 subjects. The passing rate was 97% for 31 students in biology.

Valencia administered 1,473 exams in 24 subjects for an 87% pass rate, up from last year's 78% pass rate on 1,676 exams in 26 subjects. The passing rate was 95% for 62 students in Calculus AB.

Yorba Linda administered 1,083 exams in 27 subjects for an 88% pass rate, up from last year's 86% pass rate on 1,072 exams in 24 subjects. The passing rate was 100% for 22 students in chemistry.

The average global, national and California pass rates for AP hover in the 60% range.

The most popular exam was English Language and Composition, taken by 602 mostly junior students (155 at El Dorado, 98 at Esperanza, 215 at Valencia and 134 at Yorba Linda). And higher participation and pass rates were posted for the rigorous calculus, literature, biology, physics and European history exams.

In addition to the record-high 80 senior IB graduates at Valencia High School, the school had a 98% pass rate on the 480 exams in 19 subjects, according to Fred Jenkins, the IB coordinator since the first exams were administered at the campus in 2005.

“Overall, considering the challenges over the past two years, we were very pleased with the results. In addition, our average diploma score was 34 (out of 45) and the average score on exams was 5.33 (out of 7). Both of these were also high marks since we started the IB program,” Jenkins said.

Why are Yorba Linda City Council elections drawing fewer candidates each cycle?

 

Two factors help explain the dearth of candidates seeking Yorba Linda City Council seats: the cost of campaigns and endorsements from the county's official Republican Party organization.

This year, only three contenders are running for two positions, and two years ago, nobody filed to run against three incumbents. And only three candidates sought two seats in 2018.

By contrast, 27 residents signed up to run for five positions in the first council election in 1967, and 18 residents joined the race for the five slots in 1970. The field of contenders ranged from six to 11 in the other regular elections in the first 50 years of cityhood.

In past years, credible candidates could get by with spending a couple thousand dollars, since campaigning consisted of precinct walking, distributing printed handbills and some advertising in the local weekly newspaper.

Now, however, expenses include hiring professional campaign consultants to design colorful mailers and seasoned treasurers to handle state-mandated financial reporting requirements. Mailings to 48,000 registered voters, automated phone calls and roadway signs add to costs.

The largest campaign account for a council position in city history was raised by Carlos Rodriguez for his second-place finish for one of two positions on the 2018 ballot, a total $102,722 ($84,731 cash; $9,500 self-made loan; $8,491 non-monetary goods and services).

This year, Rodriguez has a campaign kitty of $63,283, as of June 30, according to his state-required financial filing received Aug. 1 at the city clerk's office. First-time council candidates Ryan Bent and Janice Lim have until Sept. 29 to file their first pre-election financial reports.

Total campaign spending for the three candidates won't be available until after a Jan. 31 deadline, when an accounting of money raised and spent through Dec. 31 must be filed.

A factor that's increasingly important is an endorsement from the Orange County Republican Central Committee, an official party organization, with 39 members elected from the county's seven state Assembly districts and 18 ex-officio members (officeholders and past candidates for the county's federal and state legislative seats).

These endorsements are especially important in Republican-rich Yorba Linda, the county's second-most Republican city, behind Villa Park's 52.2% count. Yorba Linda's GOP registration stands at 47.7% of 47,930 registrants, with 28.1% Democratic and 21.1% no party preference.

For the 2022 general election ballot, the committee endorsed incumbent Rodriguez early on and endorsed Lim over Jess Battaglia on a 40-10 vote at a July 25 meeting. Battaglia didn't file for the ballot by an Aug. 17 deadline, and Bent didn't seek an endorsement.

Though council positions are non-partisan, the GOP committee sees the posts as farm teams for future runs for higher office. The group also endorses in school and water board contests.

College board, other school races draw candidates; tiny portion of Yorba Linda in Orange and Rancho Santiago districts

 

One common path to hold a trustee position in the North Orange County Community College District has been by appointment, either through an initial appointment by the other trustees or an appointment in-lieu of election because no challengers filed to run against incumbents.

To date, the seven sitting trustees have served a total of 21 full or partial terms – nine by appointment and 12 by election. This year, two of three trustees scheduled for the Nov. 8 election ballot have serious opposition.

Barbara Dunsheath, a 17-year incumbent and professor at East Los Angeles College, will face Blaze Bhence, a business technology consultant, to represent Area 1, the southwest portion of the district that includes Los Alamitos and parts of other nearby cities.

Jeff Brown, a 20-year incumbent and senior engineer at the Orange County Sanitation District, will face retired educator Jessica Rutan to represent Area 6, the center portion of the district that includes Fullerton, Placentia and parts of Brea, Yorba Linda and Anaheim.

No challenger filed to run against Stephen Blount, a retired corporate controller and six-year trustee, so he'll continue representing Area 3, including Buena Park, La Palma and Cypress.

Candidate statements for contenders in contested races will be mailed to voters with election details starting Sept. 29. The candidates paid for printing and translation into four languages.

Other north county school trustees who will be appointed to new terms because nobody filed to run against them include Chester Jeng and Marilyn Buchi in the Fullerton Joint Union High School District and Annemarie Randle-Trejo in the Anaheim Union High School District.

Among elementary school district trustees to be appointed because they drew no opposition are Rhodia Shead, Jason Cheng and Jerry Frutos in Buena Park; Art Montez and Luis Flores in Centralia; Lydia Sondhi in Cypress; and Aaruni Thaker and Beverly Berryman in Fullerton.

Others include Anastasia Shackelford in Lowell Joint, Connie Martin and Gary Shields in Magnolia and Gary Zambrano and John Shook in Savanna.

Trustees will be appointed in the Buena Park Library District (Brenda Estrada and Richard Rams) and the Placentia Library District (Stephanie Beverage, Jo-Anne Martin and Scott Nelson). Al Nederhood will be appointed to his slot in the county Municipal Water District.

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A tiny portion of Yorba Linda lies within the boundaries of the Rancho Santiago Community College District and the Orange Unified School District. The land is in Yorba Linda's portion of Savi Ranch and includes apartments with about 60 registered voters.

The area is represented by Phillip Yarborough in Area 6 of the Rancho Santiago district and Andrea Yamasaki in Area 1 of the Orange Unified district. Yarborough will be appointed to a new term because he didn't draw an opponent, and Yamasaki faces Angela Williams Nov. 8.