CLAS Scores in O.C. Among Best in State

Orange County students outperformed their peers across the state on the controversial 1994 California Learning Assessment System tests, with one Newport Beach elementary school posting the best scores statewide on all three sections, according to results released Tuesday.

In reading, writing and math at each grade level, Orange County students easily surpassed the state average, receiving among the highest scores in the state. They ranked second behind Marin County in fourth grade, third behind Nevada and Marin counties in 10th grade, and placed sixth in the eighth grade in a comparison of school scores.

The strongest performance by Orange County students came on the 10th-grade reading exam. They ranked best in the state.

“Overall, I’m elated that Orange County did so well compared to the statewide average, but I’m also disappointed that we didn’t do better,” said John F. Dean, superintendent of Orange County schools. “We’d like to be 100% in everything. We keep striving for this.”

Among local schools, the brightest star was Andersen Elementary in Newport Beach, which boasted the highest fourth-grade scores in California when all three subjects were combined.

“It makes us feel wonderful, because we’re preparing youngsters for what they need to know,” Principal Tom Carr said. “But we knew our kids had done well right after they took the test, because our kids said they really weren’t surprised by anything on it.”

The CLAS test, which debuted in 1993, required students to demonstrate how well they could think about material and solve problems, rather than how well they could memorize facts.

Although the state discontinued the test amid controversy over its content and scoring system, many educators praised the exam for inspiring higher-level thinking skills and more rigorous performance standards in the classroom.

“There’s a lot of criticism of public education in California, and I believe CLAS is an example of how the school system is responding to the appeals of the public to improve education,” said Jamie Brown, principal of Cambridge Elementary in Orange. “The test is more truly related to how the world actually operates.”

Last spring, reading, writing and math sections of the CLAS test were administered to students in grades four, eight and 10. Fifth-graders were tested in history and science, but those scores won’t be available until next month.

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The test was scored on a scale of 1 to 6, with 6 being the highest score. Although the state didn’t indicate what constitutes a passing mark, schools generally were ranked according to the percentage of students receiving scores of 4 or higher. Tuesday’s results cannot be compared to the previous year’s because they have different levels of statistical reliability.

When Orange County school districts were ranked in the three subjects, Irvine Unified posted the top 10th-grade scores, Brea Olinda Unified received the highest eighth-grade marks, and Laguna Beach Unified topped the fourth-grade category.

Laguna Beach Unified Supt. Paul M. Possemato attributed the high scores to his district’s emphasis on language skills, which are integral to every part of the CLAS test.

“I’m a strong advocate for the CLAS-type testing. It has nothing to do with the (district’s) score,” Possemato said. “I believe that one has to have test programs that force the examination, the measurement of, use of language and thinking in all subject areas.”

Meanwhile, Anaheim’s Magnolia School District ranked at the bottom in the fourth-grade, along with eighth-graders in Buena Park School District. Although Santa Ana Unified reported the lowest 10th-grade scores, many schools in the district didn’t receive scores because too few of their students chose to take the test.

Throughout the state, rankings and scores were somewhat skewed because some schools did not receive scores, mostly because less than 75% of the eligible students took the test. In 1994, parents for the first time had the option of signing a form exempting their children from having to take the test, and many chose to do so.

Janet Laird of Buena Park said she didn’t want her eighth-grade daughter to take the test because she objected to certain questions that probed personal responses.

“I felt a lot of questions had to do with race, and I didn’t see how students could be graded on it,” she said. “I also believe we have to go back to basics. We’re trying to teach kids writing, but we’re forgetting about grammar, spelling and punctuation.”

But Genie Stuemke, PTA president at Cambridge Elementary, said she believes many parents signed the waiver because they didn’t understand the CLAS test. The school did not receive any CLAS scores because 44% of the children chose not to take the exam.

“I allowed my son to take the test because he’s entitled to have an opinion,” Stuemke said. “I’m trying to teach him that he has to listen to all sides of the story and make his own decision, and that’s what this test seemed to be all about. The problem is the state of California didn’t tell people far in advance that this is a different test, and people tend to be afraid of what they don’t understand.”

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In Orange County, 77 of about 500 schools did not receive scores in at least one section of the three-part test because too few students took the test. All 28 schools in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District won’t receive their results until late May because of a paperwork problem between the district and the state.

Although most Orange County schools demonstrated at some proficiency in reading and writing, students at every grade level struggled in math.

Only 22% of the county’s 10th-graders, 34% of eighth-graders and 39% of fourth-graders received math scores of 4 or higher. No Orange County high school had more than 42% of its sophomores score 4 or higher in math. And nearly two-thirds of the 10th-graders who took the exam scored 1 or 2 in math, which means they demonstrated limited to no math ability.

Robert Lewis, principal of Orange High School, where 79% of the students scored 1 or 2 in math, said the math test confused many students because the questions were phrased in a different way than they are in school textbooks.

“It was in a different format, so many kids didn’t understand what was being asked,” Lewis said.

Orange County schools still surpassed the state math average at every grade level, but Dean said that hardly satisfied him.

“I’m sure that all the districts are looking at this, and saying, ‘Why did that happen and where are we missing out?’ ” the superintendent said. “But when nearly a third of students at the 10th-grade level do not achieve a passing level, that’s not acceptable.”

Despite the poor math performance, Orange County schools had much to brag about compared to other schools in the state.

Orange County had nine schools place in the state’s top 50 schools for the 10th-grade tests, five in the top 50 among eighth-graders, and six in the top 50 in fourth grade for all three subjects combined.

Vista Verde Elementary in Irvine ranked second in the state among eighth-graders, and also posted the highest eighth-grade reading score, with 92% of its students earning 4 or more. The school also tied with Gretchen Whitney High in Cerritos with the highest writing score in the state.

“I’m not surprised, because I know what kind of students we’re teaching,” said Sue Whalen, who teaches reading at the school. “I would love to sit here and take credit for what an incredible teacher I am, but I know one of the main reasons our students do well is because parents are very motivated to encourage their children to do well.

“I think we have an outstanding program, but it’s largely because we are in cooperation with parents,” she added.

Though Anaheim Union High School District schools ranked near the bottom among Orange County schools, Assistant Supt. F. Jock Fischer said he was pleased to see his district at or near the statewide average in each area.

“Our student population is a microcosm of the state,” Fischer said. “That’s not an excuse that we’re different from Orange County, but our student population is more similar to the state--as are our student needs--than to the rest of Orange County.”

Garden Grove Unified also placed at the bottom of the county rankings. But Al Sims, the district’s testing coordinator, said he was pleased to see his district beat the state averages and the scores for 100 demographically comparable California schools at every grade level in each subject.

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“I think our teachers have done a good job of preparing students to think critically,” Sims said. “An awful lot of it has been . . . preparing our teachers to prepare our students for this kind of test.”

Still, Sims said: “We have to remember that this is just one indicator of success . . . and we shouldn’t put too much reliance on one indicator.”

Other Orange County educators had mixed feelings about the CLAS test and its early demise.

“I thought the idea of analyzing and making information you have work was a very good idea, but I’m disappointed that the state spent a lot of money developing the exams and that a few questions in the reading section were inappropriate,” Dean said. “Many aspects could have been saved, but it’s best to throw it out and start again.”

But some educators said they believe CLAS has permanently affected how students will be taught in California.

“Because of CLAS, every school has injected more problem-solving activities in their curriculum,” said Richard Campbell, principal of Arroyo Vista Elementary in the Capistrano Unified School District. “For far too long, we relied on drill and practice so kids came out with a lot of facts, but didn’t know to apply those facts in real situations.”

Despite the end of the CLAS test, which has not been replaced, Whalen said she will continue to push her students to analyze material and use higher-level thinking skills.

“I liked the CLAS test, because I was in agreement with the kinds of things that were stressed,” Whalen said. “Basically, it requires students to think and demonstrate that they understand what they read. I know the CLAS test is going to be discontinued, but I will not throw out its concepts, because it’s a good way to teach and a good way for children to learn.”

More Coverage: Student CLAS Tests

* KEEPING SCORE--An oversight system left many schools without results because some students opted not to take the test. A26

* A ‘CLAS’ ACT--Newport Beach’s Andersen Elementary posts the best combined scores among the state’s fourth-graders. B1

* COMPLETE TEST RESULTS B2,B3