5 More Districts Release Test Results

Newly released test results from five Orange County school districts further confirm a pattern: Schools whose students speak limited English score more poorly than those whose students are fluent in the language.

The Stanford 9 test measures students’ basic skills such as reading and math. The scores represent how students performed compared to a national sample of test takers.

In the Anaheim City School District, for instance, overall reading scores ranged in the 30th percentile, the lowest scores so far in the county. Those scores are considered well below the national average. About 61% of the students speak minimal English, administrators said.

Results separated by language abilities showed that those who speak only English scored average marks in virtually all subjects--earning significantly higher scores than their classmates with limited English skills.

For example, fourth-graders who speak only English ranked at the 47th percentile in reading. Their limited-English peers, however, ranked at the 15th percentile, lowering the total fourth-grade reading average to the 28th percentile.

“We need to remember this is only one measure,” Anaheim City School District Assistant Supt. Sandra Barry said. “We need to look at a variety of assessments to understand students’ abilities.”

Anaheim Spanish-speaking students who are not fluent in English also took a test in their native language to measure achievements in various subjects.

Barry said the results from both tests will help administrators determine where to make curriculum changes.

By contrast, students in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District posted high scores, all above the 50th percentile nationally. Less than 1% of this school district’s students have limited English language skills.

“In previous years, we consistently have done very well in standardized testing,” Saddleback Valley spokeswoman Elaine Carter said. “It points up in our district that no matter what test our students take, they continue to score above the national average.”

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Grading the Schools

Five more Orange County school districts released scores in the state’s new standardized test of basic skills, the Stanford 9. Statewide results and scores from the remaining Orange County districts are expected to be made public June 30. The test was given to students in grades two to 11 from mid-March to mid-May.

Editor’s note: The percentile figures show how student scores ranked, on average, against a nationally selected group in spelling, reading, language and math. High school students were tested in reading, language, math, science and social studies. Those at the 50th percentile, for example, scored higher than one half of the pool and lower than the other half.

“LEP” designates students who are limited English proficient. “R-FEP” refers to students who were formerly LEP but have been reclassified as fluent English proficient, and “FEP” refers in general to students who have a native language other than English but are also fluent in English.

Below are 1998 scores expressed as national percentile rankings.

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Grade Read. Lang. Spell. Math 2 27 29 29 34 3 24 28 31 32 4 28 38 29 33 5 27 38 29 32 6 34 42 35 44

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Grade 2

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Read. Lang. Math Spell. LEP 20 21 28 22 ENG ONLY 45 50 50 45 FEP 48 51 55 50 R-FEP N/A N/A N/A N/A

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Grade 3

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Read. Lang. Math Spell. LEP 15 19 23 23 ENG ONLY 43 45 49 44 FEP 43 46 49 48 R-FEP 52 55 59 64

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Grade 4

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Read. Lang. Math Spell. LEP 15 26 21 16 ENG ONLY 47 53 46 45 FEP 50 57 52 51 R-FEP 49 60 56 56

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Grade 5

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Read. Lang. Math Spell. LEP 12 20 17 15 ENG ONLY 48 55 47 43 FEP 46 59 52 44 R-FEP 41 60 52 48

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Grade 6

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Read. Lang. Math Spell. LEP 16 22 24 16 ENG ONLY 54 56 59 50 FEP 51 63 61 56 R-FEP 42 56 54 50

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Buena Park

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Grade Read. Lang. Spell. Math 2 33 35 35 35 3 26 32 32 30 4 32 39 32 28 5 32 39 34 34 6 37 46 38 44 7 27 37 33 34 8 34 41 34 40

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Grade 2

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Read. Lang. Math Spell. LEP 21 19 22 23 ENG ONLY 39 44 41 41 FEP 53 57 59 55 R-FEP 44 37 35 46

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Grade 3

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Read. Lang. Math Spell. LEP 10 17 17 19 ENG ONLY 35 38 34 34 FEP 41 48 42 52 R-FEP 39 53 51 59

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Grade 4

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Read. Lang. Math Spell. LEP 14 23 16 15 ENG ONLY 39 44 30 37 FEP 44 53 40 49 R-FEP 48 59 48 55

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Grade 5

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Read. Lang. Math Spell. LEP 11 18 16 15 ENG ONLY 41 45 38 41 FEP 45 54 50 48 R-FEP 42 55 43 43

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Grade 6

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Read. Lang. Math Spell. LEP 14 21 21 14 ENG ONLY 42 49 46 43 FEP 51 63 63 57 R-FEP 47 61 48 57

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Grade 7

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Read. Lang. Math Spell. LEP 10 18 23 14 ENG ONLY 32 41 33 39 FEP 47 60 54 60 R-FEP 39 47 43 36

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Grade 8

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Read. Lang. Math Spell. LEP 10 16 19 14 ENG ONLY 42 47 45 38 FEP 42 52 49 48 R-FEP 44 51 46 44

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Fullerton

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Grade Read. Lang. Spell. Math 2 42 47 44 53 3 40 41 44 44 4 49 53 49 51 5 48 54 50 51 6 55 60 56 65 7 52 58 53 60 8 54 58 50 61

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Grade 2

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Read. Lang. Math Spell. LEP 24 24 37 29 ENG ONLY 51 57 59 49 FEP 61 66 69 64 R-FEP 61 74 75 80

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Grade 3

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Read. Lang. Math Spell. LEP 18 22 30 30 ENG ONLY 53 50 52 50 FEP 49 56 59 65 R-FEP 47 59 65 63

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Grade 4

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Read. Lang. Math Spell. LEP 21 31 30 24 ENG ONLY 59 59 56 55 FEP 60 66 67 70 R-FEP 67 72 77 79

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Grade 5

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Read. Lang. Math Spell. LEP 18 27 26 26 ENG ONLY 58 60 54 52 FEP 58 70 69 72 R-FEP 57 68 68 67

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Grade 6

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Read. Lang. Math Spell. LEP 26 36 39 28 ENG ONLY 64 65 70 62 FEP 69 77 84 80 R-FEP 59 68 71 67

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Grade 7

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Read. Lang. Math Spell. LEP 26 35 44 28 ENG ONLY 59 65 65 59 FEP 41 48 51 47 R-FEP 68 81 86 76

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Grade 8

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Read. Lang. Math Spell. LEP 21 24 30 19 ENG ONLY 61 63 64 54 FEP 51 59 68 53 R-FEP 68 75 85 76

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Magnolia

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Grade Read. Lang. Spell. Math 2 28 33 32 32 3 26 32 35 27 4 29 39 33 27 5 27 37 33 31 6 34 42 34 42

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Grade 2

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Read. Lang. Math Spell. LEP 18 20 22 22 ENG ONLY 37 44 37 37 FEP 44 59 51 53 R-FEP 57 64 61 62

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Grade 3

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Read. Lang. Math Spell. LEP 12 18 16 21 ENG ONLY 39 43 35 41 FEP 49 55 47 60 R-FEP 48 55 50 67

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Grade 4

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Read. Lang. Math Spell. LEP 13 22 15 16 ENG ONLY 38 44 30 38 FEP 53 66 54 68 R-FEP 49 64 51 66

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Grade 5

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Read. Lang. Math Spell. LEP 12 20 17 18 ENG ONLY 36 44 36 38 FEP 42 51 50 53 R-FEP 45 63 53 58

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Grade 6

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Read. Lang. Math Spell. LEP 14 22 22 15 ENG ONLY 43 47 47 40 FEP 56 72 72 65 R-FEP 51 62 63 57

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Saddleback Valley Unified

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Grade Read. Lang. Spell. Math 2 64 69 60 70 3 64 67 59 70 4 66 67 62 65 5 66 68 59 68 6 66 69 62 74 7 65 72 61 71 8 63 67 51 67

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Grade Read. Lang. Math Science Social 9 56 65 73 62 65 10 54 58 63 66 63 11 54 61 69 67 74

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Grade 2

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Read. Lang. Math Spell. LEP 28 27 36 33 ENG ONLY 68 74 73 62 FEP 60 62 69 63 R-FEP N/A N/A N/A N/A

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Grade 3

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Read. Lang. Math Spell. LEP 21 27 32 29 ENG ONLY 68 70 72 59 FEP 60 70 74 67 R-FEP 61 77 73 76

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Grade 4

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Read. Lang. Math Spell. LEP 21 27 25 20 ENG ONLY 69 70 68 64 FEP 66 71 71 73 R-FEP 67 74 74 74

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Grade 5

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Read. Lang. Math Spell. LEP 19 24 24 23 ENG ONLY 69 71 71 62 FEP 66 71 76 67 R-FEP 62 69 75 71

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Grade 6

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Read. Lang. Math Spell. LEP 22 29 31 18 ENG ONLY 70 72 77 65 FEP 71 77 81 74 R-FEP 62 73 79 76

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Grade 7

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Read. Lang. Math Spell. LEP 19 30 32 21 ENG ONLY 68 74 72 63 FEP 68 76 78 71 R-FEP 66 80 84 75

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Grade 8

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Read. Lang. Math Spell. LEP 17 21 30 15 ENG ONLY 66 70 69 52 FEP 67 68 71 59 R-FEP 60 68 75 62

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Grade 9

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Read. Lang. Math Science Social LEP 14 29 39 33 32 ENG ONLY 59 68 75 65 67 FEP 63 75 79 67 73 R-FEP 47 65 74 59 64

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Grade 10

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Read. Lang. Math Science Social LEP 10 13 29 26 25 ENG ONLY 57 61 64 69 65 FEP 59 67 71 68 66 R-FEP 49 57 69 64 61

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Grade 11

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Read. Lang. Math Science Social LEP 11 21 37 34 32 ENG ONLY 56 63 69 69 75 FEP 56 66 77 71 78 R-FEP 51 69 83 70 77

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Source: Individual school districts and Orange County Department of Education ;Compiled by JENNY ANGLIN and JENNIFER TREXLER / Los Angeles Times