CALIFORNIA LEARNING ASSESSMENT SYSTEM TESTS : About the Tests

The Times today is publishing key scores from the California Learning Assessment System (CLAS) tests, which were designed to measure students’ knowledge and abilities against objective standards. To do that, CLAS establishes six performance levels in each of the three subject areas covered by the test--reading, writing and math--and every student scores at one of those levels.

For example, students who performed at Level 1 in reading understood only single words or phrases in the assigned reading passage and were unable to take away a “coherent meaning” from what they read.

Students at the highest level, Level 6, were able to “demonstrate insight” as they wrote about the passage and showed an ability to “explore complexities in depth” and “expand on the possible meanings of a text.”

In math, students who scored at Level 1 made major mathematical errors or provided little or no explanation of how they solved problems. Exams scored at Level 6 provided clear and logical explanations of solutions and made effective use of mathematical language, diagrams and graphs.

On the writing exams, Level 1 essays were brief and disorganized and included major errors in grammar, punctuation, capitalization and spelling. Essays graded at Level 6 presented a complex range of ideas, supported with logical reasons and detailed answers, and were written in a distinctive style.

Exams scored at the other four levels rated between those two extremes. Students who scored at Level 3 or below, in effect, failed to demonstrate the understanding that would merit a passing grade on a conventional test.

The tests were scored by specially trained evaluators, whose work was periodically reviewed by teachers who had trained them.

The scores given to individual schools reflect the percentage of students performing at each level, in each subject. Theoretically, the best result would be for 100% of the students to achieve at Level 6. The worst would be if 100% of the students were at Level 1.

This year, the state has also released a composite score--the combined percentage of students scoring at Levels 4, 5 or 6 at each school--to make it easier to compare schools to one another.

The tests were given to students in the 4th, 8th and 10th grades.

HOW TO READ THE SCORES

* Find your school district under the appropriate grade. The districts are listed alphabetically. Find your school under the district name.

* The Times today is reporting scores for individual schools using the composite figure provided by the state--denoting the percentage of test-takers who achieved a passing score. So, each figure listed indicates the percentage of students at that school who scored 4, 5 or 6 in a given skills area, reading (R) , writing (W) or math (M) . An asterisk indicates that a school had too few students take the test to produce a reliable aggregate score. Scores appear on this page and on Pages B4-5 .

Scores for schools in the San Fernando Valley, Orange County and Ventura County can be found in the appropriate editions of The Times.

The score recorded for each school reflects the percentage of its students scoring at Levels 4, 5 or 6--in effect, those who demonstrated at least “basic” understanding of the subject matter in three basic skill areas. An asterisk (*) indicates that a school had too few students take the test to produce a reliable score.

* Main story, A1.

Additional Information on the Scores

California Learning Assessment System scores for individual schools, districts or the entire state may be obtained in several ways:

* On the ‘Net: Use an Internet service to contact the California Department of Education “gopher” server at “goldmine.cde.ca.gov”.

* Using a modem and a computer: Download files from the department’s computer at (916) 657-4881 or (916) 657-5371. CLAS files can be found from the main menu with the following commands: type F, for file menu; type L, for list of available files and type 7 to select the CLAS file area. The files are in a compressed format and may be viewed only when downloaded and decompressed.

* Locally: Scores are available from your local school district or from your county office of education. The contact for the Los Angeles Unified School District is the public information office at (213) 625-6766. The contact at the Los Angeles County office of education is Arie Korporaal, (310) 922-6357.

8th Grade

R% W% M% Statewide 39 46 23 Los Angeles County 32 38 16

ABC Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 49 61 33 Carmenita Junior High 72 82 48 Haskell Junior High 42 48 25 Killingsworth Junior High 24 41 10 Ross Junior High 28 43 12 Tetzlaff Junior High 43 60 37 Whitney High 91 97 76

Alhambra City Elementary

R% W% M% Districtwide 51 50 29 Baldwin Elementary 71 63 36 Brightwood Elementary 70 80 43 Emery Park Elementary 50 44 35 Fremont Elementary 44 44 24 Garfield Elementary 36 31 23 Granada Elementary 56 55 23 Marguerita Elementary 58 58 23 Monterey Highlands Elementary 59 59 34 Northrup Elementary 40 44 24 Park Elementary 42 45 24 Ramona Elementary 34 40 27 Repetto Elementary 62 49 40 Ynez Elementary 49 46 28

Arcadia Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 69 74 55 Dana Junior High 70 72 55 First Avenue Junior High 63 71 55 Foothills Junior High 73 79 56

Azusa Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 19 37 11 Center Middle 24 49 15 Foothill Middle 21 25 10 Slauson Middle 14 35 7

Baldwin Park Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 22 30 8 Charles D. Jones Junior High 12 25 9 Holland Junior High 26 27 7 Olive Junior High 28 47 11 Santa Fe Elementary 43 64 11 Sierra Vista Junior High 20 19 4

Bassett Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 24 19 8 Don Julian Elementary 22 14 8 Edgewood Academy 26 29 5 Erwin Elementary 5 4 0 Sunkist Elementary 49 * * Torch Middle 24 15 8 Van Wig Elementary * * 0

Bellflower Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 34 41 18 Bellflower High 29 35 19 Mayfair High 39 48 16

Beverly Hills Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 77 89 53 Beverly Vista Elementary 86 98 69 El Rodeo Elementary 69 88 60 Hawthorne Elementary 85 95 44 Horace Mann Elementary 69 78 39

Bonita Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 42 49 28 Lone Hill Middle 37 41 20 Ramona Middle 46 56 35

Charter Oak Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 49 58 17 Royal Oak Intermediate 49 58 17

Claremont Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 59 69 28 El Roble Intermediate 59 69 28

Compton Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 14 21 3 Bunche Middle 12 15 4 Davis Middle 17 17 6 Enterprise Middle 17 24 6 Roosevelt Middle 16 16 3 Vanguard Middle 8 16 1 Walton Middle 13 38 2 Whaley Middle 16 34 3 Willowbrook Middle 6 10 0

Covina-Valley Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 36 41 18 Las Palmas Intermediate 21 19 13 Sierra Vista Intermediate 46 46 28 Traweek Intermediate 40 58 13

Culver City Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 50 62 37 Culver City Middle 50 62 37

Downey Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 33 43 18 East Middle 30 31 * Griffiths Middle 45 60 31 South Middle 28 39 12 West Middle 30 43 15

Duarte Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 14 21 14 Northview Middle 14 21 14

East Whittier City

R% W% M% Districtwide 39 47 18 East Whittier Middle 44 51 19 Granada Middle 39 53 21 Hillview Middle 32 37 15

El Monte City

R% W% M% Districtwide 17 26 11 Columbia Elementary 13 18 6 Durfee Elementary 18 18 11 Gidley Elementary 25 42 19 Potrero Elementary 11 22 5 Rio Hondo Elementary 26 29 18 Wright Elementary * * *

El Rancho Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 29 37 14 Burke Middle 40 48 29 North Park Middle School 20 31 7 Rivera Middle School 29 33 9

El Segundo Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 58 71 32 El Segundo Middle 58 71 32

Garvey Elementary

R% W% M% Districtwide 34 38 19 Garvey Intermediate 42 45 22 Temple Intermediate 18 24 12

Glendora Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 60 57 31 Goddard Middle 65 64 37 Sandburg Middle 55 50 25

Hacienda La Puente Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 45 47 23 Cedarlane Middle 42 36 18 Grandview Elementary 31 47 4 Mesa Robles Elementary 73 83 64 Newton Middle 62 58 43 Orange Grove Middle 54 56 26 Sierra Vista Middle 26 22 9 Sparks Middle 35 35 10

Hawthorne Elementary

R% W% M% Districtwide 29 36 11 Hawthorne Intermediate 29 35 13 Yukon Intermediate 28 37 7

Hermosa Beach Elementary

R% W% M% Districtwide 61 91 39 Hermosa Valley 61 91 39

Inglewood Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 19 25 4 Crozier Junior High 17 19 3 La Tijera Elementary 25 26 6 Lane Elementary 20 25 1 Monroe Junior High 12 27 5 Parent Elementary 38 43 12

Lawndale Elementary

R% W% M% Districtwide 28 46 11 Rogers Intermediate 28 46 11

Lennox Elementary

R% W% M% Districtwide 23 25 5 Lennox Middle School 23 25 5

Little Lake City Elementary

R% W% M% Districtwide 33 48 15 Lake Center Elementary 30 47 14 Lakeside Elementary 36 49 16

Long Beach Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 31 41 18 Avalon Junior-Senior 39 26 23 Bancroft Middle 46 61 28 Butler Elementary 28 31 10 DeMille Middle 23 32 6 Franklin Middle 16 22 3 Hamilton Middle 21 22 9 Hill Middle 33 39 10 Hoover Middle 35 51 22 Hughes Middle 52 69 45 Jefferson Middle 21 22 9 Lindbergh Middle 20 38 8 Marshall Middle 22 41 10 Newcomb Elementary 67 63 44 Reid Continuation 0 7 0 Rogers Middle 41 49 27 Stanford Middle 38 48 22 Stephens Middle 38 40 28 Washington Middle 11 21 3

Los Angeles Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 24 28 10 32nd Street/USC Magnet 39 33 11 Adams Junior High 17 27 4 Arroyo Seco Alternative 34 31 2 Audubon Junior High 13 22 6 Bancroft Junior High 27 32 6 Belvedere Junior High 13 18 3 Berendo Junior High 24 33 6 Bethune Junior High 13 18 2 Burbank Junior High 15 21 6 Burroughs Junior High 35 48 18 Carnegie Junior High 25 42 9 Carver Junior High 6 11 1 Clay Junior High 17 17 4 Cooper * * 20 Curtiss Junior High 10 15 2 Dana Junior High 23 29 9 Dodson Junior High 24 36 22 Drew Junior High 12 12 2 Eagle Rock Junior-Senior High 27 29 19 Edison Junior High 9 13 1 El Sereno Junior High 16 17 13 Elizabeth Street Elementary 13 16 2 Emerson Junior High 30 28 16 Fleming Junior High 18 28 4 Foshay Junior High 20 27 4 Gage Middle 14 20 7 Gompers Middle 3 9 0 Griffith Junior High 31 32 13 Harte Junior High 16 23 4 Hollenbeck Junior High 12 22 5 Irving Junior High 29 31 11 Johnson Continuation 0 * * King Junior High 25 29 7 L. A. Ctr. for Enriched Studies 53 57 26 Le Conte Junior High 19 19 3 Mann Junior High 14 20 3 Marina del Rey Junior High 26 45 9 Mark Twain Junior High 16 19 5 Markham Junior High 15 13 3 Mid City Alternative 5 18 0 Mt. Vernon Junior High 15 20 2 Muir Junior High 14 16 3 Nightingale Junior High 19 23 9 Nimitz Middle 19 24 3 Palms Junior High 61 60 30 Peary Junior High 17 32 8 Ramona Opportunity High 18 0 0 Revere Junior High 48 53 26 South Gate Junior High 25 26 5 Stevenson 24 25 6 Virgil Junior High 16 22 5 Webster Junior High 24 35 10 Westside Alternative 23 35 7 White Junior High 25 33 9 Wilmington Junior High 15 24 4 Wright Junior High 33 34 12

Los Nietos Elementary

R% W% M% Districtwide 17 29 5 Los Nietos Middle 17 29 5

Lowell Joint Elementary

R% W% M% Districtwide 30 42 17 Rancho-Starbuck Intermediate 30 42 17

Lynwood Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 22 27 5 Hosler Junior High 22 28 5 Lynwood Unified Alternate 0 11 0

Manhattan Beach Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 73 88 56 Manhattan Beach Intermediate 73 88 56

Monrovia Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 43 59 20 Clifton Middle 43 66 26 Santa Fe Middle 42 51 13

Montebello Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 24 33 10 Bell Gardens Intermediate 19 31 6 Eastmont Intermediate 23 23 7 La Merced Intermediate 23 31 12 Macy Intermediate 48 52 20 Montebello Intermediate 18 35 9 Suva Intermediate 18 27 10

Mountain View Elementary

R% W% M% Districtwide 26 34 9 Kranz Intermediate 23 28 5 Madrid Middle School 34 46 16

Norwalk-La Mirada Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 28 41 11 Benton 40 42 20 Corvallis Middle 19 44 9 Hargitt Elementary 22 40 7 Hutchinson Elementary 39 46 13 Lampton Elementary 25 41 10 Waite Elementary 21 34 6

Palos Verdes Peninsula

R% W% M% Districtwide 73 77 63 Miraleste Intermediate 72 80 60 Palos Verdes Intermediate 73 75 66

Paramount Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 14 26 7 Alondra Intermediate 18 26 11 Clearwater Intermediate 11 25 4

Pasadena Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 18 29 10 Eliot Middle 15 25 5 Marshall Fundamental 28 35 18 Pasadena Alternative 32 43 9 Washington Middle 16 25 8 Wilson Middle 15 29 9

Pomona Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 28 37 9 Emerson Middle 28 35 9 Fremont Middle 22 28 4 Lorbeer Middle 49 57 22 Marshall Middle 13 20 1 Palomares Middle 32 49 10 Simons Middle 20 34 7

Redondo Beach Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 0 27 26 Adams Middle 0 0 0 Lincoln Elementary 0 91 55 Parras Middle 0 0 34

Rosemead Elementary

R% W% M% Districtwide 26 25 15 Muscatel Intermediate 26 25 15

Rowland Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 49 59 26 Alvarado Intermediate 54 63 31 Giano Intermediate 43 59 21 Rincon Intermediate 50 53 24

San Gabriel Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 35 43 20 Jefferson Intermediate 35 43 20

San Marino Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide * * * Huntington Intermediate * * *

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 55 70 37 Adams Middle 32 65 18 Lincoln Middle 64 72 46 Malibu High 70 77 42 Santa Monica Alternative * 34 *

South Pasadena Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 59 64 49 South Pasadena Junior High 59 64 49

South Whittier

R% W% M% Districtwide 33 50 13 South Whittier Intermediate 33 50 13

Temple City Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 44 50 28 Oak Avenue Intermediate 44 50 28

Torrance Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide * * * Calle Mayor Middle * * * Casimir Middle * * * Hull Middle * * * Lynn Middle * * * Madrona Middle 48 66 34 Magruder Middle * * *

Valle Lindo Elementary

R% W% M% Districtwide 25 28 11 Dean L. Shively Elementary 25 28 11

Walnut Valley Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 66 71 43 Chaparral Middle 74 72 43 South Pointe Middle 56 64 37 Suzanne Middle 65 75 48

West Covina Unified

R% W% M% Districtwide 44 58 23 Edgewood Middle 44 58 23

Whittier City

R% W% M% Districtwide 33 42 17 Dexter Intermediate 35 45 18 Edwards Intermediate 31 38 14

Wiseburn Elementary

R% W% M% Districtwide 37 42 20 Dana Middle 37 42 20