Grade 8 Writing Assessment Test Scores

The state Department of Education has released school scores for a test of eighth-graders’ writing ability in the 1987-88 academic year.

Overall, California’s eighth-graders made modest gains over last year.

The 1987-88 statewide average on the California Assessment Program direct writing exam was 256, six points higher than the 1986-87 average of 250. That meant that, although they are gradually improving, most eighth-graders are fair to marginally adequate writers, state education officials said.

Officials may notice that the score for their school for the 1986-87 academic year, the first year in which the test was administered, has been revised. State Department of Education officials said they learned a few weeks ago that an outside firm hired to compute the scores miscalculated the standard deviation, a common formula used to rank test results.

Schools that scored above the 1986-87 state average of 250 actually scored better than they thought they had, while schools that performed below the state average dropped even lower. For example, in the ABC Unified School District, Whitney High School’s 1986-87 score was revised from 363 to 414, while Long Beach Unified’s Hamilton Junior High dropped from 192 to 169.

The 1987-88 scores were calculated using the correct standard deviation, state officials said.

Published below are scores for schools in Los Angeles County. Officials offer these guidelines on how to read the scores:

The scores are scaled between about 100 and 400 and allow comparisons with the state average of 256. For example, Revere Junior High School in the Los Angeles Unified School District scored 275, well above the statewide average, while students at San Fernando Junior High in the same district scored below the statewide average (191).

A different group of eighth-graders are tested each year, which could account for large jumps or drops in scores. Other factors to consider are changes in socioeconomic status. Forinstance, an influx of students whose parents have a high level of education could result inhigher scores.

In addition, state officials said, the 1987-88 test was more demanding than the previousyear’s exam. The latest exam required students to be prepared to write six, as opposed tofour, types of essays. The two new types of writing added were a biographical sketch and astory. The other categories were autobiography, evaluation, informative report and descriptionof a problem andsolution.

School districts are in boldface, followed by individual schools. Scores for magnet programs, continuation schools and other programs with small numbers of students have been omitted. The state does not provide individual student scores.

“NA” means that the scores were not available.

SCHOOL 1986-87 1987-88 LOS ANGELES COUNTY ABC Unified 260 286 Carmenita 264 321 Haskell 254 258 Killingsworth 191 220 Ross 237 245 Tetzlaff 264 314 Whitney 414 387 Alhambra 277 272 Baldwin 282 311 Brightwood 350 352 Emery Park 264 246 Fremont 290 269 Garfield 272 226 Granada 239 255 Marguerita 287 276 Monterey Highlands 283 280 Northrup 276 283 Park 226 241 Ramona 237 255 Repetto 313 250 Ynez 242 261 Arcadia Unified 306 310 Dana 332 344 First Avenue 283 269 Foothills 306 324 Azusa Unified 216 222 Center 219 235 Foothill 214 211 Slauson 217 217 Baldwin Park Unified 187 216 Charles D. Jones 193 215 Holland 180 208 Olive 183 208 Sierra Vista 196 235 Bassett Unified 203 203 Edgewood 204 211 Torch 203 196 Bellflower Unified 231 222 Bellflower 210 206 Mayfair 254 241 Beverly Hills Unified 347 340 Beverly Vista 343 332 El Rodeo 348 339 Hawthorne 329 336 Horace Mann 367 360 Bonita Unified 266 266 Lone Hill 266 255 Ramona 264 274 Burbank Unified 250 266 Jordan 252 241 Luther Burbank 229 268 Muir 263 281 Castaic Union 263 240 Castaic 263 240 Charter Oak Unified 214 240 Royal Oak 214 240 Claremont Unified 274 300 El Roble 274 300 Compton Unified 156 167 Bunche 135 132 Davis 169 143 Enterprise 168 146 Roosevelt 136 177 Vanguard 145 223 Walton 173 180 Whaley 173 169 Willowbrook 154 193 Covina-Valley Unified 250 248 Las Palmas 253 248 Sierra Vista 253 255 Traweek 243 241 Culver City Unified 252 284 Culver City 252 284 Downey Unified 273 270 East 258 276 Griffiths 285 296 South 253 232 West 296 278 Duarte Unified 233 225 Northview 233 225 East Whittier 262 254 East Whittier 276 259 Granada 247 250 Hillview 258 251 Eastside Union 226 286 Eastside 226 286 El Monte 221 225 Columbia 212 193 Durfee 229 230 Gidley 214 234 Potrero 196 203 Rio Hondo 242 293 Wright 252 228 El Rancho Unified 214 220 Burke 213 248 North Park 226 210 Rivera 202 210 El Segundo Unified 296 305 El Segundo 296 305 Garvey Elementary 230 251 Fern 252 247 Garvey 221 252 Glendale Unified 257 265 Roosevelt 231 225 Rosemont 264 292 Toll 252 256 Wilson 277 278 Glendora Unified 279 284 Goddard 307 300 Sandburg 258 267 Gorman Elementary NA NA Gorman NA NA Hacienda La Puente 245 247 Cedarlane 252 269 Grandview 188 220 Mesa Robles 310 305 Newton 270 279 Orange Grove 303 272 Sierra Vista 217 191 Sparks 203 218 Hawthorne Elem. 256 235 Hawthorne 257 247 Yukon 252 210 Hermosa Beach City 300 284 Hermosa Valley 300 284 Hughes-Elizabeth 210 194 Hughes-Elizabeth 210 194 Inglewood Unified 209 208 Crozier 199 193 Lane 282 221 La Tijera 252 256 Monroe 178 191 Parent 300 292 Keppel Union 220 210 Almondale 220 210 La Canada Unified 372 375 La Canada High 372 375 Lancaster Elem. 260 271 Park View 267 283 Piute 252 256 Las Virgenes Unified 323 340 Lindero Canyon 330 344 Wright 310 332 Lawndale Elem. 239 235 Addams 231 263 Rogers 242 226 Lennox Elem. 179 196 Felton NA NA Little Lake City 229 249 Lake Center 210 243 Lakeside 253 255 Long Beach Unified 225 229 Avalon 299 212 Bancroft 246 244 DeMille 236 219 Franklin 207 204 Hamilton 169 197 Hill 173 231 Hoover 256 228 Hughes 250 253 Jefferson 229 252 Lindbergh 186 159 Marshall 220 233 Newcomb 355 326 Reid 197 127 Rogers 270 269 Stanford 227 217 Stephens 221 247 Washington 187 190 Los Angeles Unified 209 208 Adams 154 123 Audubon 168 183 Bancroft 230 194 Belvedere 166 182 Berendo 183 185 Bethune 128 121 Burbank 217 206 Burroughs 277 238 Byrd 226 199 Carnegie 253 239 Carver 141 132 Clay 166 165 Columbus 242 215 Curtiss 175 203 Dana 188 234 Dodson 249 233 Drew 156 132 Eagle Rock 264 242 Edison 151 160 El Sereno 175 183 Emerson 270 257 Fleming 233 211 Foshay 165 157 Frost 242 242 Fulton 206 224 Gage 180 181 Gompers 108 117 Griffith 185 191 Hale 242 258 Harte 183 183 Henry 239 236 Hollenbeck 175 158 Holmes 260 241 Irving 216 211 King 239 219 Lawrence 239 255 Le Conte 207 181 Maclay 158 181 Madison 230 227 Mann 217 190 Marina del Rey 195 218 Markham 160 140 Mark Twain 207 204 Millikan 280 236 Mt. Gleason 242 237 Mt. Vernon 171 181 Muir 126 143 Mulholland 216 235 Nightingale 169 156 Nimitz 199 190 Nobel 239 251 Northridge 207 210 Olive Vista 206 219 Pacoima 188 176 Palms 225 221 Parkman 243 251 Pasteur 183 NA Peary 226 NA Porter 292 235 Portola 258 265 Reed 230 245 Revere 287 275 San Fernando 190 191 Sepulveda 316 213 South Gate 187 200 Stevenson 217 191 Sun Valley 166 173 Sutter 221 196 Van Nuys 195 192 Virgil 187 180 Webster 246 211 White 221 219 Wilmington 179 188 Wright 213 238 Los Nietos Elem. 203 239 Los Nietos 203 239 Lowell Joint Elem. 290 313 Rancho-Starbuck 290 313 Lynwood Unified 199 202 Hosler 199 202 Manhattan Beach City 286 328 Manhattan Beach 286 328 Monrovia Unified 242 289 Clifton 216 287 Santa Fe 279 290 Montebello Unified 227 220 Bell Gardens 210 193 Eastmont 217 200 La Merced 250 244 Macy 257 285 Montebello 231 211 Suva 214 206 Mountain View Elem. 226 239 Baker 226 233 Kranz 226 241 Norwalk-LaMirada 220 230 Glenn 212 214 La Mirada 233 253 Norwalk 214 222 Palmdale Elementary 240 242 Juniper 262 252 Sage 226 234 Palos Verdes Penin. 367 363 Dapplegray 389 NA Malaga Cove 365 346 Miraleste NA 395 Ridgecrest 352 363 Paramount Unified 186 200 Alondra 214 221 Clearwater 164 181 Pasadena Unified 234 237 Eliot 252 244 Marshall 262 260 Washington 199 242 Wilson 225 211 Pomona Unified 196 208 Emerson 209 219 Fremont 125 158 Lorbeer 293 274 Marshall 195 187 Palomares 170 225 Simons 188 187 Redondo Beach City 269 283 Adams 234 268 Hillcrest 298 305 Lincoln 299 265 Rosemead Elem. 240 244 Muscatel 240 244 Rowland Unified 249 269 Alvarado 282 297 Giano 213 240 Rincon 249 263 San Gabriel Elem. 260 249 Jefferson 260 249 San Marino Unified 350 343 Huntington 350 343 Santa Monica-Malibu 269 309 Adams 240 270 Lincoln Junior 276 326 Malibu Park 303 352 Soledad-Agua Dulce 269 280 Acton 269 280 S. Pasadena Unified 294 311 South Pasadena 294 311 S. Whittier Elem. 187 230 South Whittier 187 230 Temple City Unified 249 264 Oak Avenue 249 264 Torrance Unified 294 302 Calle Mayor 290 309 Casimir 254 300 Hull 302 305 Lynn 276 293 Madrona 305 273 Magruder 379 346 Valle Lindo Elem. 210 237 Dean L. Shively 210 237 Walnut Valley Unified 311 296 Chaparral 322 306 Suzanne 298 284 West Covina Unified 243 250 Hollencrest 262 271 Willowood 225 231 Westside Union Elem. 253 299 Del Sur 233 271 Walker 256 305 Whittier City Elem. 237 272 Dexter 258 277 Edwards 213 265 William S. Hart Union 294 304 Arroyo Seco 307 308 Placerita 274 312 Sierra Vista 307 293 Wilsona Elementary 221 230 Challenger NA 230 Wilsona 221 NA Wiseburn Elementary 280 271 Dana 280 271