Local Schools Post Gains in Statewide Test

In an era of high-stakes accountability based on statewide test scores, Ventura County school districts showed marked improvement on the Stanford 9 achievement exam, advances attributed to more teacher collaboration, stronger reading instruction and an emphasis on test preparation.

While scores rose across the board in all 20 districts, Oxnard Elementary, Fillmore Unified and Ojai Unified showed the most progress among the county’s largest districts, according to a statistical analysis by The Times.

All three districts posted gains at every grade level, with third-graders leading the way. Those students jumped between eight and 16 percentile points in reading, math and language. And with the exception of Ojai’s language score, fifth-graders in all three districts improved between four and 10 percentile points in those subjects.

“We have come really far in the last few years,” Oxnard Assistant Supt. Connie Sharp said. “But that doesn’t mean that we don’t have a ways to go. We want to look at every single student who is below grade level and get the scores up.”

Despite posting big gains, the west county districts still scored far below those in the east county. Scores in Conejo Valley and Oak Park generally only rose a few percentile points, but students in those districts were already scoring between the 60th and 70th percentile in most grades and subjects.

Also, some educators argue that scores in Oxnard and Fillmore were so low last year that they could only improve. Oxnard’s seventh-graders scored at the 28th percentile in reading last year. That means they performed better than only 28% of students in a national sample. This year they scored at the 34th percentile.

In interviews conducted Monday, administrators from Oxnard, Fillmore and Ojai said a combination of factors helped their districts do better.

Oxnard Elementary tested about 8,500 second- through eighth-graders, nearly one-third of whom speak limited English. In every grade but the sixth and eighth, the scores rose by several percentile points. Third-grade reading scores jumped from the 24th to the 37th percentile, while math scores rose from the 26th to the 42nd percentile.

Sharp credited extra attention given to low-performing students, class-size reduction and the analysis provided by an outside expert brought in to interpret the results as the reasons behind the improved scores.

Teachers measure students’ progress in reading three times a year. They also meet regularly with the principal to discuss that progress and target those who need extra help.

If students read below grade level, Sharp said, they participate in small reading groups once a day. Low-performing first-graders are funneled into an after-school literacy program to help them catch up with their peers. And junior high school students who read poorly are enrolled in a literacy class with no more than 14 classmates.

The district also hired a consultant to help administrators interpret test results. Teachers will meet to talk about the scores and develop strategies to address weak areas.

“I’m pleased that we are moving in the right direction,” Sharp said. “Yeah, we’d like to go a little faster, but as long as more and more students are achieving at grade level, then we’re happy.”

In Fillmore, about 2,700 students in grades two through 11 took the exam, nearly 30% of whom don’t speak English fluently.

Scores rose significantly at the early elementary level, with second-graders scoring at the 24th percentile in language in 1998 and at the 35th in 1999. High school scores did not go up as dramatically, but still improved. Ninth-graders scored at the 36th percentile in math this year, up from the 29th percentile last year.

At the beginning of last year, the district had set a goal that 75% of students score at or above grade level on the Stanford 9 within five years. Currently, that percentage hovers at about 30%. To reach that goal, Supt. Mario Contini said the district has been improving instruction, expecting more from students and helping those who are struggling.

“There has been a defeatist attitude here,” Contini said. “We focused on changing to a ‘can-do’ attitude.”

Students must perform at grade level to advance to the next grade, and must receive a 2.0 grade-point average to graduate. District officials work with low-performing students to meet those standards. They also reach out to the parents and urge them to plan vacations around summer school.

Fillmore teachers have also been doing more one-on-one reading instruction, with an emphasis on phonics at the early grades and comprehension in the upper grades. A new technology-based program requires students to read stories and answer questions on the computer. Teachers also spend time preparing students for the Stanford 9 exam by administering practice tests and familiarizing students with test-taking strategies.

“We don’t want to use any excuses,” Contini said. “Our intent is to go through blood, sweat, tears to get our kids to perform as well as they can here and anywhere else.”

In Ojai, about 3,000 students in grades two through 11 were tested. Only 158 were limited-English speakers. Ojai’s fifth-graders improved from the 48th percentile in math last year to the 58th this year. And 11th-grade math scores rose from the 54th to the 66th percentile.

Ojai Supt. Gwen Gross said new materials, increased staff development and more test preparation helped students improve their scores. The district is focusing on basic skills instruction in math and reading, and is making sure that all field trips and extracurricular activities relate to the state standards.

“We are making people acutely aware that everything we are doing in the classroom directly ties to student learning,” Gross said.

Ojai also places a strong emphasis on staff development, allowing both teachers and principals time to work together to analyze scores, assess students’ progress and design programs to help students.

The district prepared students for the exam by teaching test-taking techniques, urging perfect attendance and encouraging a positive attitude.

“Rather than making it a week to dread,” Gross said, “we tell students that it is an exciting week when they get to show what they’ve learned.”