State ‘Report Cards’ : More Difficult Classes Grow in Enrollment

California’s latest education “report cards,” intended to gauge the academic progress of the state’s public schools, show higher percentages of high school students taking upper-level courses, such as advanced English, physics and higher math.

Orange County schools, as they have in the past, generally show up well in the state’s current round of statistics--presented as “report cards” on individual schools and school districts. Data on the Orange County schools, as on the state as a whole, reflect increasing numbers of high school students taking more difficult academic loads.

The state’s “report cards,” a compilation of 1984-85 school year test scores and course enrollment figures, are scheduled to be made public today.

School officials say that the increase in students taking advanced courses at the high school level in Orange County and elsewhere is due primarily to tougher graduation requirements and a state-imposed longer school day that allows students to take extra courses.

Possible Glitch

But the increase also may represent a statistical glitch.

“We think this year’s numbers are probably accurate. We don’t really trust last year’s figures,” said William Burson, a state Department of Education official who has worked on the high school report cards. The course enrollment figures that are reported for each high school are compiled from answers supplied by students.

In the 1983-84 school year, 12th graders were asked, as part of a state test, how many courses they had completed in various high school subjects. Burson said many students assumed that high school courses covered grades 10 through 12.

In the 19884-85 school year, however, state officials revised the question to make clear that they wanted information covering grades 9 through 12. Not surprisingly, the most recent numbers are higher than the previous year’s.

About 86% of the seniors statewide in 1985 said they had completed four or more years of English, according to the reports released Tuesday. This was up from 73% in 1984.

Similarly, 74% of the seniors who graduated statewide last June said they had taken three or more years of mathematics, up from 67% the previous year.

In Orange County, the state “report card” for San Clemente High (Capistrano Unified School District) showed that 84.1% of its seniors in the 1984-85 school year reported having taken a year of chemistry, an increase of 32.9% over the previous year. San Clemente High seniors also showed a 5.8% increase in the number having taken four years of English.

Showed Increase

Huntington Beach High School (Huntington Beach Union High School District) showed a 27.8% increase in the 1984-85 school year in the number of seniors having completed four years of English and an 8.4% increase in those taking at least three years of math.

Newport Harbor High (Newport-Mesa Unified) seniors showed increases in every category except fine arts, in which there was virtually no change. The Newport Harbor High statistics showed a 14.9% increase in the number of seniors taking at least three years of math; a 21.4% increase in those taking advanced math; 37.3% increase in those taking four years of English; 16.5% increase in students taking at least three years of science; 11.8% increase in chemistry students; 3.1% increase in physics; .7% increase, four years of social sciences, and a 15.6% increase, three years of foreign languages.

Decreases Shown

By contrast, Garden Grove High School (Garden Grove Unified) showed decreases in all but one of the course-enrollment categories reflected on the state “report cards.” The state said that Garden Grove High seniors in the 1984-85 school year dropped .7% in those having taken three years of math; .7% in those taking advanced math; 1.8% in those having completed four years of English; 11.5% in those taking three years of science; 1.3% in physics; 3.8% in those taking four years of social sciences, .9% in those completing three years of foreign languages and 7% in those having taken a year or more of fine arts. The school’s report card showed a 4.6% increase in students taking chemistry--the only increase among the categories reported by the state.

Jim DeLong, new principal this year at Garden Grove High, said Monday that he wonders about the accuracy of the figures for his school and is having his staff check senior transcripts. “I have some doubts,” said DeLong. “The seniors last (school) year showed improvements on the CAP (California Assessment Program) scores. The figures on these (enrollment trends) come from the students themselves (who reported to the state), and there may have been some inaccuracies.”

Much of the information on the state report cards depends on reports completed by graduating seniors and compiled by the state Department of Education.

While no countywide average was available from the state Department of Education, Orange County’s individual schools generally showed more increases than decreases in advanced academics.

Robert Peterson, superintendent of the Orange County Department of Education, said he was pleased that the report cards show overall advances for the county’s high schools. “We’ve been working on this for many years,” said Peterson. “Actually, Orange County schools ought to be premier in this because this suburban community has so many residents with advanced education.”

County More Affluent

Burson, of the state Department of Education, agreed with Peterson’s assessment that Orange County ranks high in education compared to the rest of the state. “Our figures show that 49% (of adults) in Orange County have college degrees, compared to a statewide average of 39%,” said Burson. “There are also fewer students whose parents are on AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children--4.5% in Orange County compared to 10% statewide. The figures simply show that Orange County is more affluent.”

Most educational studies have shown that students of wealthy, well-educated parents perform better in schools. The Orange County report cards reflected this axiom in that schools in wealthier neighborhoods invariably showed higher attainments by graduating seniors than did schools in poorer areas of the county.

Most of the figures on the “report cards” being released today have already been made public. The Orange County edition of The Times reported the 1984-85 Scholastic Aptitude Test and Advanced Placement figures for all county schools last Jan. 20. The Times’ Orange County edition reported the 1984-85 California Assessment Program figures for all the county’s high schools in its April 9 publication.

The state will give the 1985-86 achievement tests to students later this school year, and the figures are scheduled to be released next spring.