Poor Results Posted on New State Tests

By MARTHA GROVES

Aug. 16, 2001 12 AM PT

TIMES EDUCATION WRITER

Fewer than one-third of California public school students achieved proficiency on a key test offering the first glimpse of their ability to meet challenging English standards, the state Education Department reported Wednesday.

At the same time, fourth- and seventh-graders turned in a sobering performance on a new writing exam, the first part of the state’s massive testing program to stray from the multiple-choice format.

The vast majority of student compositions demonstrated only a weak grasp of the conventions of English and a limited ability to convey cogent thoughts in writing.

But the state’s report card was mixed. On the fourth annual Stanford 9, a test of more basic skills, students continued to rack up respectable gains. That test was given this spring to nearly 4.5 million students in grades two through 11.

The disparities demonstrate that California has made progress in teaching basic reading and math skills but still must strive to bring students up to speed on more exacting state academic standards, implemented in late 1997.

“Overall, scores are up, and that’s good news,” said Delaine Eastin, state superintendent of public instruction, of the Stanford 9 results. “However, the performance on the new [standards] tests reveals that we still have much work to do to achieve world-class results.”

Gov. Gray Davis, who early in his tenure pledged that he would not seek reelection in 2002 if test scores failed to improve, described the Stanford 9 results as “steady, significant improvement for the third straight year.”

“In schools all across the state,” he said, “results and futures are getting brighter. We’ve invested in our children, and our investment is paying dividends.”

He spoke from a school in San Jose via television hookup to a gathering of educators in Sacramento.

On the Stanford 9 basic skills test, students showed gains in reading, although the results in most grades still fell below the national average. Students also boosted their performance in spelling and language skills such as grammar, punctuation and word usage. In math, solid gains propelled students in several grades to levels well above the national average.

Since the testing program began in 1998, Stanford 9 scores have faced intense scrutiny from teachers, parents and policymakers. They are for now the sole factor in determining rewards that go to schools that show gains and sanctions imposed on poor performers, including possible takeover by the state.

In the coming weeks, teachers, principals and others from low-ranking schools that showed sizable gains on last year’s scores are expected to begin receiving state rewards of up to $25,000. Students whose scores rank among the highest in the state will be eligible for $1,000 scholarships.

Officials’ emphasis on the standards-based questions marks a turning point for California’s students and its school accountability program. On the basis of their scores, students were grouped into five categories: advanced, proficient (the statewide target), basic, below basic and far below basic.

Under California’s standards, students at every grade level are expected to know much more material and at a higher level than on the basic Stanford 9 exam.

Students this year faced a bevy of questions geared to California’s standards, including math problems based on the courses students were taking rather than on their grade level.

Beginning next year, the state plans to move away from sole reliance on the Stanford 9 by making the standards-based English test a key component of its statewide ranking system, known as the Academic Performance Index. In future years, results on other standards tests in math, sciences and other subjects would also be incorporated, so schools could be sanctioned or given rewards based on these more rigorous standards.

Complicating matters, a legislative and bidding process next year will determine whether California sticks with the current test program or switches to another. Eastin is pushing to use an abbreviated standardized test--perhaps two hours rather than six hours long--to cut down on a testing load that most educators say is excessive.

The statewide data released Wednesday provided scores by grade level for nearly 8,000 public schools in about 1,000 districts. Many districts, including Los Angeles Unified and others in the region, have trotted out results in recent days. Families statewide are receiving their children’s scores by mail.

Students in grades two through eight are tested in reading, spelling, mathematics and language skills. Students in grades nine through 11 are tested in reading, language skills, math, history/social science and science.

As usual, the highest Stanford 9 scores surfaced in well-heeled pockets of the state. Eight of the 10 top-scoring districts were in Northern California. Los Altos Elementary in Santa Clara County sustained its peak position, with nearly 95% of its 3,800 students scoring at or above the national average.

Rancho Santa Fe Elementary in San Diego County was once again second, with 94.3% of students scoring at least at the national average. Cold Spring Elementary, a minuscule district in Santa Barbara County, held the ninth spot.

Among the 10 top-performing elementary schools was Balboa Gifted Magnet in Northridge. Whitney High School in Cerritos once again claimed the top high school spot, with 97.6% of its students at or above the national average.

Reform Has Focused on the Early Grades

That elementary districts claimed all 10 of the top spots came as no surprise to Eastin, who noted that the early grades have benefited from the bulk of the state’s investments in school reform. Those include reduced class sizes, teacher training and a keener focus on reading and math skills. The most dramatic improvements overall came in the second, third and fourth grades.

Increases were modest in middle schools and barely evident in high schools, and Eastin and Davis agreed that the state must turn its attention to fixing those schools.

The Democratic governor said he plans to expand his teacher training program, which has endeavored to help districts including Los Angeles’ and Oakland’s, to include all high school math and English teachers.

“We can do better, and we will, because our future depends on it,” Davis said.

Eastin noted, however, that California has the largest class sizes in the nation above third grade, and she called for further efforts to cut the number of students per teacher, recruit and train more teachers, and pay them more. She also said California educators have an added challenge, given the large numbers of students who speak limited English.

Eastin said the writing tests, which were given for the first time this spring, show that schools “need to spend more time and attention on writing.” But she lauded Davis for adding a writing exam and “asking the tough questions.”

One of those questions is how well students are mastering state standards. This first view of performance levels on English and language arts revealed a grim reality: About 70% of students failed to achieve proficiency. Depending on the grade, 30% to 40% of students fell below even a basic level, indicating that they will need a great deal of focused help outside the regular classroom, education officials said.

‘Demographics Always Present a Challenge’

The English and language arts standards pose a special challenge for districts with a large percentage of students not fluent in English, said Al Sims, administrative assistant for evaluation and research in the Garden Grove Unified School District.

The district, where about half of the students are not fluent, has seen steady improvements in its Stanford 9 scores. But two-thirds or more of the students in each grade fell below the proficient level on the language standards test.

“The demographics always present a challenge,” Sims said. “For the last four years we’ve been looking at the [basic] Stanford 9s only. I think there is apprehension in all the districts about adding another piece to the accountability index.”

But few were suggesting that the state, which has among the most challenging standards in the nation, back down.

“It’s an extraordinary set of standards, and we’re not meeting them,” said Jerry Hayward, co-director of Policy Analysis for California Education, a think tank at UC Berkeley and Stanford. “It doesn’t surprise me. . . . The test is really quite hard.”

Over the next few years, Hayward said, he expects scores to rise as students become more familiar with the test and teachers begin gearing lessons to the standards.

“What [school officials] shouldn’t do is freak out,” he said of this year’s shaky performance. “This is a long process. It’s going to be several years before we can see a substantial number get up to those standards. I think we’re on the right track. It’s just a matter of having the will to keep up.”

At least one superintendent agreed.

“The state has done its best to get us realigned to standards-based accountability, and I think we should give them credit for it,” said Ruth Ann McKenna, superintendent of the New Haven Unified School District in Alameda County.

Some schools are already showing success by focusing on standards. The Corona-Norco Unified School District in Riverside County niftily surpassed statewide results on the standards test, with more students falling into the proficient and advanced levels than in below basic and far below basic. Sandra Johnson, assistant superintendent for learning support services, said the district has “really focused on teaching the standards and done a lot of targeted interventions for our lower-performing students.”

The test results are available at https://star.cde.ca.gov. The results include breakdowns by category, including ethnicity, sex, socioeconomic status and lack of English fluency.

Contributing to this story were Times staff writers Jessica Garrison and Daniel Yi in Orange County, Dan Morain in Sacramento and Jenifer Ragland in Ventura. Richard O’Reilly, Times director of computer analysis, and data analyst Sandra Poindexter also contributed.

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English Standards

Statewide results of the English and language arts exam. Students scoring below or far below basic would need substantial help outside class.

Advanced or Proficient

Grade 4: 33%

Grade 8: 32%

Grade 10: 31%

Below or Far Below Basic

Grade 4: 34%

Grade 8: 33%

Grade 10: 38%

Source: California Department of Education