Stanford 9 Score Reporting

Re “Stanford 9 Scores Paint Picture of Contrasts in State,” July 23:

Duh! Kids who don’t understand English do poorly when tested in English. Well, get used to those low scores. When their English improves, limited-English proficient students aren’t LEP any more. They become RFEP (redesignated fluent-English proficient) and are among those who recently inflated English-learner results when their scores were inadvertently mixed with those of LEP students. Where did those higher-achieving RFEPs come from? Prop. 227 classrooms? I don’t think so. Those students would not have been reclassified prior to this year’s testing. Maybe from bilingual classrooms?

If we really want to identify the best approach for English-language development we must disaggregate test scores based on instructional treatment and track individual student progress across time. Today’s LEP students are tomorrow’s RFEPs and we need to know how they get there most effectively. Likewise, tomorrow’s LEP students are not yesterday’s LEPs, so it is unreasonable--no, unconscionable--to compare this year’s results with next year’s and wring our hands because LEP scores are not improving.

DON ROBINSON

Garden Grove

* It is surprising that no mention was made of the decision to combine the Stanford 9 scores in schools that have both traditional and magnet programs. In previous years the scores were separated, which was helpful for parents who wanted to compare either traditional schools with other traditional schools or magnet programs with other magnet programs. It enabled parents and educators to compare the changes that had occurred in specific programs on a year-to-year basis.

The combining of scores between magnet and traditional programs renders some of the data almost meaningless at a local level. How do we know how a school is performing if the scores of a gifted or highly gifted magnet are mixed in? In some schools the difference in scores between the magnet and traditional programs is of tremendous statistical significance. Combining the scores may give the appearance that all is well when that may not be the case at all. It is extremely disappointing that the decision was made to give a less accurate picture of how our schools are performing at a time when what is needed is even greater accountability.

MIRIAM KOENIG

Granada Hills