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• McCain in Stockton

• Behind the scenes at Stockton McCain rally

• Fierce winds in Lodi knock down trees, knock out power

• Wind gets growers' attention

• Tips for dealing with wind damage

• Sutter Gould may anchor site of 30-acre complex

• Events slated to honor veterans on Memorial Day

• Lodi schools show improvement but still below average

November 21st, 2009

• Logbook

• Holiday drive spreads cheer to U.S. troops

• Galt High students want board to approve open-campus policy

• Poisoning victims remain hospitalized

• Expert: Half a mushroom cap can be deadly

• Tokay grad files claim over Lodi's Grape Bowl

• Lodi Middle School holds annual Turkey Trot

• Regional Roundup

• No motive or suspect in shooting

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November 20th, 2009

• Acampo woman killed

• Salvation Army Kettle Kickoff

• Advocacy groups sue East Bay Municipal Utility District over Pardee expansion

• Regional Roundup

• Galt plans to help residents with energy-efficient projects

• Stable southeast of Lodi approved

• One year after a heart attack, Lodi's Judy Mims thanks rescuers

• National Guard troops return home in time for the holidays

• Real estate market gets on more solid ground

November 19th, 2009

• Operation: Christmas

• Logbook

• Suspect arrested after hiding in fridge

• Chase ends in crash

• Galt Joint Union High School Distric hires new superintendent

• Sales tax hike yields dividends: 5 new officers join Galt Police

• Lodi Unified School District board votes to cancel summer school for 2010

• Water surges in Mokelumne River yield more salmon

• Lodi City Council will consider redevelopment next June

• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22

• Corrections

November 18th, 2009

• Regional Roundup

• Paranormal group conducts second investigation of building

• Congress allocates money for local water projects

• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react

• Lodi man finds wife's ashes during police display of stolen property

• Galt City Council rejects study on rent stabilization

November 17th, 2009

• Paying tribute to a Lodian

• Lodi Budget and Finance Committee to look into ways to save money on employee benefits

• Regional Roundup

• Decision on summer school expected at tonight's Lodi Unified School District meeting

• Clements gets free water rescue boat

• Redevelopment to be discussed by Lodi City Council again

• Court reinstates death penalty for killer of Lodi grad

• Clarification

November 16th, 2009

• Correction

• Public Meetings

• City Council 'triple-dog dared' to ditch cars, use Lodi buses

• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi

• Lodi's First Sip event showcases area wineries' latest vintages

• Three members of Lodi-area family fall ill after eating poisonous mushrooms they reportedly found at Lodi Lake

• Regional Roundup

November 14th, 2009

• Galt school district narrows superintendent search to one

• Regional Roundup

• Despite budget cuts, some Lodi Unified School District salaries continue to rise

• Watchful neighbor in Lodi helped bust suspected burglars

• New Galt city manager juggles job, family

• Despite an increase in homeless students, school districts look to bolster enrollment, raise revenue

• A first look at 2009 vintages at Lodi's First Sip wine-tasting event

The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.

• The country's mess is our fault (169)
• Obama is not a moderate (130)
• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react (73)
• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22 (50)
• Public health care is a Christian option (47)
• The haves should help the have-nots (30)
• Tokay in, traveling to unbeaten No. 3 Grant for football playoffs (25)
• Government-run health care is a bad idea (20)
• Young woman fatally shot at Acampo home (17)
• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi (16)

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Lodi schools show improvement but still below average

When matched up against similar schools, Lodi Unified schools generally rate below average, Galt Elementary schools show mixed results and Galt High does well — though not as well as it has in the past.

Check test scores on Lodinews.com's school pages

That's according to newly released information from the California Department of Education. The CDE ranks individual schools annually on a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the highest.

The first ranking shows how schools stack up against other schools throughout the state.

A second ranking reveals how each school compares to other, similar schools. The state determines which schools are similar to each other based on the number of challenges they might face, including the number of English-language learners, the number of students on free and reduced lunch and parents' education.

Lodi Unified's similar school rankings showed an improvement over the previous year, noted Ed Eldridge, assessment, research and evaluation coordinator for the district.

Eldridge said three schools scored above a seven according to the 2005-06 test scores. Excluding charter schools, that number edged up to four schools, according to the 2006-07 scores, the most recent set of data.

Lodi Unified has 40 elementary, middle and high schools that were included in the similar schools ranking, not including charter schools.

Nine Lodi Unified schools rated five or higher this year when compared to similar schools, instead of eight last year.

By comparison, 10 Lodi Unified schools scored a one on their similar school rankings.

Eldridge acknowledged that Lodi Unified's test scores may be in need of improvement, but that the challenge should inspire educators, parents and students to do better and become more involved.

"You always want it to go higher," he said. "There's a lot of work to be done to improve our achievement."

Galt High School, the only school in Galt Joint Union High School District that receives a ranking, was rated a seven both statewide and within similar schools.

While the statewide ranking remained constant from last year, the district's similar school ranking came down from a 10 the year before.

The drop in similar schools ranking could be due to several factors, Edith Crawford, assistant superintendent of curriculum at Galt High School District, said.

Galt High tested approximately 480 students more in 2007. And while its test scores did go up, it didn't quite make its target, Crawford said. A new science test was also added into the series, which might have affected the scores.

Crawford said Galt High's hiccup in achievement might have been an opportunity for educators to take a step back, examine their practices and look for better way to do things.

Galt High staff organized several campaigns to encourage students to do well on their standardized tests during the recent 2008 testing period.

"We want to be a 10, 10," Crawford said. "The thing is, we are capable of being a 10, 10."

No consistent pattern emerged from Galt Joint Union Elementary School District's rankings.

"There's quite a range in our district," said Karen Schauer, superintendent of Galt Elementary School District.

The district's seven schools ranged in rank from two to 10, with schools like Marengo Ranch and Valley Oaks elementaries scoring the lowest on their similar schools rankings and River Oaks Elementary scoring the highest.

Schauer said the district will study the schools that outperformed Galt Elementary District schools and possibly adopt some of their practices.

Schauer also said that the district's reconfiguration plan could help even out the district's scattered rankings.

"Perhaps a year from now we won't see the range we're seeing now," Schauer said.

Contact reporter Amanda Dyer at amandad@lodinews.com.