Test Disparity Costs San Gabriel High State Incentive Cash

San Gabriel High School has been disqualified from receiving cash incentives of up to $147,000 this year for improving scores under a state testing program, because its results fluctuated too greatly under a formula mandated by the Legislature.

The formula was devised after state officials discovered last year that two schools in Northern California intentionally let their California Assessment Program scores drop in 1984-85. When scores went up significantly this year it could have resulted in large cash rewards.

San Gabriel High School officials have denied any wrongdoing and said they will appeal the decision. State officials said the money could still be awarded if San Gabriel High School can prove the scores are valid and had not been tampered with.

‘Too Great a Drop’

“Nobody has accused (San Gabriel) of anything, but when the formula was applied they ended up being on the list of schools that had had too great a drop,” from 1983-84 to 1984-85, said Barbara Wilson, a consultant with the state Department of Education’s division of program evaluation.

San Gabriel is one of six schools in the state that have been denied cash awards because the formula applied to the scores showed too wide a fluctuation over the last two years. If San Gabriel’s scores had been allowed to stand, its award would have been the fifth-highest in the state this year.

The complicated formula takes into account such things as the number of students tested and how much scores in all the areas tested dropped in 1984-85 from results in 1983-84. State officials said they are concerned if a composite score arrived at by applying the formula shows a drop of more than 50% from one year to the next.

San Gabriel’s scores in reading, writing, spelling and math dropped in 1984-85, then rose this year, but, except for spelling, not above levels reached in 1983-84. For example, the school’s percentage of correct answers on the math test was 68.2 in 1983-84, 62.7 in 1984-85 and 66.3 in 1985-86.

State education officials said such fluctuations are not abnormal, but when all areas tested vary that much, the composite score based on the formula results in a significant drop.

Dropped About 60%

The six schools denied incentive funds “had an equal or larger drop (in the composite score based on the formula) than those two we knew had tampered with the scores,” Wilson said. San Gabriel’s composite score dropped by about 60%, she said.

Officials from the Alhambra School District are appealing the decision, saying there was absolutely no attempt by them to let the scores drop last year so that a large gain this year would result in a big payoff.

“I’m frankly offended to be grouped with schools in that type of situation,” said Jack Mount, San Gabriel High School principal. “We are open to any investigation or review that should be taken. . . . In the meantime we have qualified like any other high school and should receive an award.”

Dianne Saurenman, assistant superintendent of the district, said the school “feels a little slighted” for being excluded from the 25 schools in the San Gabriel Valley that qualified for CAP incentive funds this year.

“We absolutely know there was no shady practice going on,” she said.

Statewide, 548 high schools, or 48%, raised their scores in reading, writing, mathematics and spelling to qualify for some of the $14.6 million in incentive money. The awards, which are intended to increase participation in the voluntary tests, are also determined on the basis of the number of students who took the test and how well they performed in specific categories.

134 Schools in County

Awards will be given to 134 high schools in Los Angeles County, compared with 109 last year. This is the second year the cash-incentive funds will be awarded.

Recipients of large awards in the San Gabriel Valley include Glen A. Wilson High School in Hacienda Heights, which will receive $126,676, and Diamond Bar High School, which will receive $143,633.

The two other high schools in the Alhambra School District with San Gabriel had opposite results. Keppel High School in Alhambra will get $59,964, the second year the school has received incentive funds. Alhambra High School, which netted $85,000 last year, had a slight decrease in writing and mathematics scores and will not receive any funds.

Under state guidelines, each winning school must establish a committee of students, teachers and parents to determine how the money will be spent. Funds can be used for a variety of purposes, including campus beautification, supply purchases and to help defray the costs of special senior activities.

The other five schools denied awards were Chico High School, one of the two schools accused of tampering with test scores last year, Paramount High School, Anaheim High School, Grant Union High School in Sacramento and Hoopa High School near Humboldt.

‘The Schools Can Appeal’

John McCoy, manager of educational planning with the division of program evaluation for the state Department of Education, said, “We don’t know whether there was tampering. . . . We have applied the formula as the law requires us to and the schools can appeal the decision.”

Saurenman said that one reason San Gabriel’s scores dropped in 1984-85 was that seniors who had not completed at least 65% of the class work required for graduation were allowed to take the tests. This year, students were not allowed to participate unless they had completed at least that much class work required for graduation, thereby increasing their chances of success on the exams, school officials said.

Results may have also dropped in 1984-85 because 94% of the seniors at the school took the tests, as opposed to 68% tested a year earlier, Mount said.

He credited the rise in scores this school year to special efforts by teachers and student leaders. Teachers put special emphasis on preparation for the English and mathematics tests, and student body leaders sponsored an assembly urging students to take the voluntary test.

“We presented incentives for doing well on the test,” Mount said.

After taking the test, students were mailed thank-you notes and given tickets for a special assembly.

During Appeal Process

Those measures can be explained during the appeal process, McCoy said. “They can come and present their appeal and show that this (the improvement) is a result other than their attempt to try to make the thing work in their advantage.”

Wilson said the six schools can present their case before a state panel and could still get funding if the Department of Education is convinced that there was no tampering with the scores.

Alhambra School District officials said they will also contend that the formula should not have been applied this year because, while mandated in the legislation, its use has never been formally approved by the state Board of Education.

McCoy said that even though the state board has not approved the formula, the members have reviewed it. Education officials felt they had to use the formula because of the mandate from the Legislature, he said.

“We’re certainly in no position to provide them with funding because if the formula is approved we would have to ask for the funds back,” McCoy said.

McCoy said that if the formula is not approved by the board, the matter will have to be reviewed by attorneys.

“It looks like the only mistake we made was to motivate the students too much,” Mount said. “If our score would have been any lower we would have received an award, no questions asked.

Mount said, “We’re very proud of what we did and we will use the same system to seek even greater rewards.”

AWARDS TO SCHOOLS

School Tested District Amount Arcadia 669 Arcadia $40,888 Gladstone 214 Azusa 8,525 North Cont 6 Baldwin Park 2,400 Sierra Vista 184 Baldwin Park 73,600 Bassett 214 Bassett 6,859 Nueva Vista 15 Bassett 2,416 Charter Oak 428 Charter Oak 15,231 Fair Valley 5 Covina Valley 382 Covina 197 Covina Valley 2,729 South Hills 219 Covina Valley 50,964 Arroyo 287 El Monte Un. 1,990 Rosemead 251 El Monte Un. 219 Valle Lindo 12 El Monte Un. 4,800 Glendora 357 Glendora 76,278 Whitcomb 14 Glendora 2,017 La Puente 259 Hacienda-LP 32,615 Los Altos 402 Hacienda-LP 64,333 Wilson 423 Hacienda-LP 126,676 Workman 189 Hacienda-LP 40,417 Canyon 17 Monrovia 6,800 Monrovia 268 Monrovia 13,289 Ganesha 248 Pomona 58,239 Garey 243 Pomona 3,858 Park West 11 Pomona 4,400 Pomona 196 Pomona 24,280 Santana 32 Rowland 12,800 Nogales 437 Rowland 60,294 So. Pasadena 305 So. Pasadena 29,598 Temple City 308 Temple City 44,958 Coronado 14 West Covina 1,271 West Covina 256 West Covina 13,086 Diamond Bar 394 Walnut Val. 143,633 Del Paso 24 Walnut Val. 7,529 Walnut 271 Walnut Val. 67,847