School Test Scores
Your July 13 article matching rich and poor school districts test scores in Ventura County with similar schools in Fresno and Lafayette leaves me puzzled (“Test Results Back Old Lessons of Success”).
Your story says that one low-income local district “actually fared well.” But the numbers you gave have its scores essentially identical to those in the Fresno match. The unreported news is in the wealthy districts. Ventura County’s Oak Park scores are on average nearly nine percentiles lower than the comparison Lafayette district. I’d like to know what Lafayette is doing right, and I’d also like to see a comparison to an outstanding school with low-income families, like Bennett-Kew in Inglewood (99% minority, and test scores 20 to 30 points higher than the poor districts in the article). That might let us learn some other lesson than complacency.
RICHARD FERRIER, Santa Paula
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
