Ventura County Schools in U.S. News 2013 Ranking of Nation's Top High Schools

This past April, U.S. News & World Report published its 4th ranking of the nation's best public high schools. The study covered nearly 22,000 public high schools across the country.

Schools again were ranked based on: (1) how well students tested in state-level reading and math proficiency, factoring in disadvantaged students, who tend to score lower on tests; and (2) college readiness, based on how well schools prepare students for college-level work via Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) programs.

The median college readiness, measured on a scale of 0 to 100, was 14.8 (it was 16.3 in 2012). A readiness index of 100 means that all 12th graders took and passed at least 1 AP or IB test. (More on the methodology)

There were 2,039 California high schools and nearly 2 million students enrolled during the 2010-2011 survey period. To be ranked in California, schools must receive either a gold (top 500 nationally) or silver (top 501 to 2,290 nationally) medal. 501 Callifornia schools received gold or silver medals.

Rankings of local high schools in the Conejo Valley, Ventura County and adjacent areas and summarized in the table below. There were 15 local schools that received gold or silver medal status and thus were ranked nationally and in California.

We compared the 2013 rankings and ratings with those published last year. I will say once again that I find the ranking methodolgy to be perplexing. For example, Royal High has college readiness and academic performance scores of 21.3 and 775 and was not nationally ranked, yet Fillmore High and Buena High received lower scores, and were nationally ranked. Why? Because the national rankings use "risk adjusted" indices to factor in an "achievement gap" of disadvantaged/minority students. So do take that into account when reviewing the information.

Foothill Technology High School in Ventura leaped to the top spot in local area rankings and 38th in the state of California, driven by a 22% jump in college readiness scores. Westlake High stayed steady while Malibu High dropped from 1st to 3rd in the rankings due to a drop in college readiness...though still a solid 74th in the state!

Oak Park High showed a huge improvement in college readiness that boosted its ranking to 75th in California! Calabasas High narrowly missed the top 100. The overall mean scores for the 23 schools on this list improved from a year ago, from 28.3 to 30.1 in college readiness and 794 to 803 in academic performance. Way to go, local students!

While the rankings and underlying detailed information are interesting and informative, before coming to any conclusions, do check out the detailed school information available at www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/california.

Sign Up With Nixle to Receive Thousand Oaks Police Department Crime Updates

The Thousand Oaks Police Department will be transitioning to a new way of providing information to the public.  Since 2007, the Thousand Oaks Police Department has used "City Watch" as a way of providing crime prevention tips, crime trends, new scams and community events.

City Watch was limited to an e-mail base system only.  Due to the number of members on City Watch, TOPD has outgrown the database, causing a tremendous slowdown in the dissemination of information.  As a result, the TOPD is transitioning from City Watch through Nixle.

Nixle is a web-based service that will deliver updates to you instantly via text, email and/or web message. Notifications can also be accessed online at www.Nixle.com. This information will include crime prevention tips, crime trends, scams as well as other relevant safety and community information.

The service is secure, reliable and easy to use. YOU decide what information you want and whether you want it sent to your cell phone, email, or just simply over the web.

Visit www.nixle.com and sign up if you are interested in receiving these updates.

You May be Eligible to Receive a Rebate for Apple In-App Purchases Made by Your Kids

Apple was sued recently by a group of plaintiffs who claimed Apple was at fault for their kids' in-app purchases on Apple devices such as the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Apple did not admit fault, but opted to settle the litigation by offering up a rebate for certain in-app purchases.

To receive a rebate (subject to court approval of the settlement in the fall), you must prove that, before May 2, 2013, a minor purchased in-app items on games like Angry Birds, Cut the Rope, Temple Run and a host of other game apps in your iTunes account without your knowledge or permission and you did not receive a refund from Apple for the charges.

I can relate to this issue. My kids got ahold of my 1st generation iPad a few years ago and began playing games like those mentioned above. It was all fun and good for awhile, until I began receiving emails from iTunes about various purchases. I thought maybe my iTunes account was hacked. I asked my wife, "who's buying stuff from iTunes?" She didn't know. Then l logged in to discover my youngest was buying virtual items via in-app purchases in the game. He didn't realize he was spending my money, to the tune of over $100.

My boys apparently enjoyed Battle Bears a bit TOO much with these in-app purchases.

I was able to get a refund for most of these "inadvertent" purchases from Apple and I also learned how to block in-app purchases made without use of a password. Learn more about Apple parental controls at support.apple.com/kb/HT4213.

But in the meantime, Apple is contacting iTunes customers to let them know about this proposed settlement. To learn if you are eligible, visit www.iTunesInAppPurchaseSettlement.com (catchy URL, eh?) for details.

If you are eligible for a settlement and the settlement is approved by the court, Apple will give you either a $5 iTunes Store credit or an iTunes Store credit totaling all unapproved charges made to your account within a single 45-day period by your kid. Ouch, for some that might be a pretty large amount! If your claim exceeds $30, or if you no longer have an iTunes account, you can opt for a cash refund.

The big winners in all of this may be the attorneys...the judge has approved $1.3 million from Apple for attorney fees and costs.  And the five Class Represenatives, or plaintiffs, will each receive a $1,500 payment from Apple.

The Despicablimp Was Seen Flying Through the Conejo Valley Today

There was an unusual looking blimp flying through the skies of the Conejo Valley and other parts of Ventura County this afternoon. Darts Promoter L. David Irete captured the excitement at 3:45 p.m. as it approached the Conejo Grade.

With a little research, we learned this was the Despicablimp...on a nationwide publicity tour for the opening of Despicable Me 2 on July 3rd. Pretty clever publicity stunt...certainly got me writing about it! Learn more at www.despicablimp.com. How about a closer look:

Learn more about the making of the Despicablimp from Steve Carrell in this short video.

Supermoon 2013 Rising Over Boney Mountain Captured By Jonathan Stewart

Local photographer Jonathan Stewart got to work when most of us were sound asleep last night to capture these great shots of the 2013 "Supermoon" rising over Boney Mountain, overlooking us here in the Conejo Valley. Thanks to the help of his Celestron 1200mm telescope, we can enjoy what he was able to see in real-time. For more of Stewart's work, including many great international shots, visit the Jonathan Stewart Photography website at www.jonathanstewartphotos.com and "Like" his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/JonathanStewartPhotos.

Somehow Jonathan was able to catch an aircraft flying past the supersized Supermoon in this shot.

Remember the Cinco de Mayo Supermoon of 2012? He caught that one too quite nicely.

The City of Moorpark Announces its 30th Anniversary is July 1, 2013

In a recent letter to the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, the City of Moorpark City Clerk announced the City will be celebrating its 30th Anniversary next month. Also provided was some facts about Moorpark that may be of interest. I certainly learned a few new things about Moorpark after reading this!

The City of Moorpark was founded by Robert W. Poindexter in 1887. He named the city after the Moorpark apricot, which grew throughout the valley. Poindexter plotted city streets and planted pepper trees in the downtown area. Articles of incorporation for the City of Moorpark were filed on July 1, 1983.

The City of Moorpark enjoys excellent park and recreation opportunities with a total of 17 city parks, including the newest addition of Mammoth Highlands Park, 7000 Elk Run Loop, in 2009. Poindexter Park was expanded to include the city's first permanent skate park in 2009 and a dog park was completed at College View Park, 15400 Campus View Drive, in 2010.

The city mentions recreation opportunities in Moorpark such as the Moorpark Country Club, nearby Happy Camp Canyon Regional Park and America's Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College. Other fun Moorpark activities of note include Underwood Family Farms (a family must-do activity in Ventura County) and High Street Arts Center. And of course, for as many years as I can remember, the City off Moorpark has hosted a 3rd of July Fireworks Extravaganza at Arroyo Vista Park, a great treat for many residents throughout Ventura County looking for a head start to the Independence Day holiday.

Since its 25th anniversary, the city has completed the Veterans Memorial at the corner of Spring Road and Flynn Street, relocated the U.S. Post Office to High Street, expanded Arroyo Vista Recreation Center and purchased 80 acres of open space in the Tierra Rejada green belt, among other noteworthy achievements.

Over the last 30 years, the population of Moorpark has grown from 11,000 to nearly 35,000. The City takes pride in its residents' everyday life, their hard work and involvement in city government. To learn more about the City of Moorpark, visit www.moorparkca.gov.