L.A. County’s Results on Statewide Test Among Worst

Weighed down by results in the giant Los Angeles Unified School District, Los Angeles County turned in one of the worst performances in the state on the inaugural high school exit exam, according to data released Wednesday.

The county ranked 57th out of 58 counties in the percentage of ninth-graders who passed the language arts test they took last spring: 55%. On the math section, the county ranked 55th, with 35% of students passing.

By contrast, students in Orange and Ventura counties scored well above state averages.

Statewide, 64% of California ninth-graders in public schools passed the language arts exam, and 44% cleared the math hurdle. Slightly more than one-third of ninth-graders passed both parts of the exam, somewhat below the state’s June estimate of 40%.

The Los Angeles Unified School District had among the lowest scores in the county, with 44% passing in language arts and 24% in math. Just over a fifth of those who took the exam passed both parts.

Under a 1999 state law, students beginning with the class of 2004 must pass the exit exam to receive a high school diploma. California is one of about 30 states with such a requirement.

The exam, which in the future will probably be given starting in 10th grade, is a key piece of Gov. Gray Davis’ testing and accountability program.

Ninth-graders took the test last spring for the first time. It was voluntary last school year only. Nearly eight in 10 ninth-graders--370,000 students--participated.

Trying to put the results in perspective, Delaine Eastin, the state superintendent of public schools, said: “We must remember that this test is the toughest of its kind in the nation and that many of these freshmen had not yet taken the courses covered by the exam, such as algebra.”

In fact, one education analyst said it was encouraging that one-third of the test takers had already met the minimum state standards for graduation.

“They have three more years of academic experience ahead of them,” said Mary Perry, deputy director of EdSource, a nonprofit organization in Palo Alto. “They’ve already passed the first bar.”

Students overall performed far better on the English language arts section than on the math. Stark, though not unexpected, contrasts emerged between girls and boys. The passing rates in language were 71% for girls and 57% for boys. In the reading component, 43% of girls passed, compared to 46% of boys. The pattern was similar in Los Angeles County.

Eastin said the results are consistent with the racial achievement gap that shows up in other state tests.

In L.A. Unified, the race gap was especially wide in math. Only 17% of black and Latino students passed the math test, compared with 56% of whites and 67% of Asians. In language arts, the gap was smaller.

Perry, with EdSource, found it noteworthy that one-third of California students--the percentage that passed the test as ninth-graders--usually complete the requirements for admission to University of California campuses.

The percentage passing the exit exam early “is likely the same cohort that have been prepping for college admission since they were in third or fourth grade,” she said.

Freshmen who did not take the test or who failed it will be required to take it as 10th-graders next spring. Those who passed one section will not have to take that part again. Students will have several chances to pass the exam during their high school careers.

To pass the 6 1/2-hour test, students needed to get 60% of the reading questions right and 55% of the math items. Eastin had backed off a proposal to set the passing score at 70% for both portions, though the passing score is expected to rise in future years.

Amid the overall bleak averages in Los Angeles, a few schools shone, including some of the specialized magnet schools attended predominantly by black and Latino students. The Bravo Medical Magnet, for example, had pass rates of 87% in language arts and 59% in math among the approximately 500 students tested. At King/Drew Medical Magnet, 77% of those tested passed in language arts.

At Granada Hills High, one of the district’s better performers, most of the 1,250 freshmen took the test; 78% passed the English portion and 58% passed the math exam.

“I thought it was pretty easy,” said student Faye Javellana, 15, of Winnetka, who passed both parts.

Rather than highlight such bright spots, however, L.A. Unified Supt. Roy Romer said the district had much work to do.

“I’m not a happy camper,” he said. “We simply cannot allow youngsters to graduate from high school and be illiterate.”

In the last few months, Romer said, he has begun to focus the district’s reform efforts on secondary grades after devoting his first year to comprehensive improvements at the elementary school level.

*

Times staff writers Jessica Garrison and Daniel Yi in Orange County, Jenifer Ragland in Ventura and Annette Kondo in the San Fernando Valley and data analyst Sandra Poindexter contributed to this report.

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Test Questions

Ninth-grade students in public schools throughout the state took the California high school exit examination for the first time in spring 2001. The exam, voluntary this year only, covered two parts: English language arts and mathematics. Results for all districts and high schools in California are available on the Web at https://cahsee.cde.ca.gov. Here are some actual tasks and problems:

Word analysis, fluency, reading comprehension:

The following article provides information about a potentially fatal source of food that koalas were given in zoos. Read the article and answer the questions.

Deadly Leaves

Koalas, native to the Australian wilds, initially proved difficult to keep alive in zoos. Because koalas eat nothing but the leaves of the eucalyptus tree, zoos provided them with an unlimited supply of eucalyptus leaves. One zoo even planted eucalyptus trees in a special grove to ensure that the koalas had a continual supply of fresh leaves. However, koalas kept in captivity always died within a year of their arrival at the zoo.

Eventually it was discovered that eucalyptus trees that are less than five years old sometimes generate hydrocyanic acid in their leaves. Taking in small quantities of this acid is fatal to the koala. In their natural habitat, the koalas’ senses tell them which eucalyptus trees have dangerous leaves, and they simply move on to other trees until they find leaves that are safe to eat. But in captivity, when their keepers unknowingly were giving them leaves contaminated with acid, the koalas were left with only two options: eat the poisonous leaves or starve. Either option was fatal to the trapped koalas.

Fortunately, today’s zoos use special tests to distinguish between poisonous eucalyptus leaves and safe ones, and now koalas are eating well and thriving in zoos.

1. What does the word contaminated mean in the following phrase?

But in captivity, when their keepers unknowingly were giving them leaves contaminated with acid, the koalas were left with only two options: eat the poisonous leaves or starve.

A. carried with

B. polished with

C. poisoned with

D. grown from

*

2. What is the purpose of this article?

A. to inform

B. to persuade

C. to entertain

D. to express opinion

*

3. What tone does the author establish in the article?

A. critical

B. hopeful

C. straightforward

D. humorous

*

Writing applications:

In this essay about hummingbirds, the author describes many of the bird’s characteristics. In each paragraph, she supports the purpose of her essay. What is the author’s purpose for writing this essay about hummingbirds? What details does she give to support her purpose?

Write an essay in which you discuss the author’s purpose for writing this essay on hummingbirds. What details and examples does she use to support the purpose of her essay?

Your response will be scored in two ways. One score will be given for how well you understand the selection and for the completeness of your response. A second score will be given for the overall quality of your writing.

The following checklist will help you do your best work. Make sure you:

* Read the selection and the description of the task carefully.

* Use specific details and examples from the reading selection to demonstrate your understanding of the selection’s main ideas and the author’s purpose.

* Organize your writing with a strong introduction, body and conclusion.

* Choose specific words that are appropriate for your audience and purpose.

* Vary your sentences to make your writing interesting to read.

* Use an appropriate tone and voice.

* Check for mistakes in grammar, spelling, punctuation and sentence formation.

Written English language conventions:

For the following questions, choose the answer that is the most effective substitute for each underlined part of the sentence. If no substitution is necessary, choose “Leave as is.”

4. When Tom arrived at school he was carrying all his books with him.

A. arrived at school, he

B. arrived, at school he

C. arrived at school he,

D. Leave as is.

5. A dog bit Tom’s ankle while riding a bicycle.

A. Riding a bicycle, a dog bit Tom’s ankle.

B. While riding a bicycle, a dog bit Tom’s ankle.

C. While Tom was riding a bicycle, a dog bit his ankle.

D. Leave as is.

6. After, the volcano erupted, the tiny tropical island was quiet and devastated.

A. After the volcano erupted, the

B. After the volcano erupted the

C. After the volcano erupts, the

D. Leave as is.

For question 7, choose the word or phrase that best completes the sentence.

7. “We should -------------- without the captain,” the coach said impatiently.

A. proceeds

B. precede

C. precedent

D. proceed

Number sense:

8. Which of the following numerical expressions results in a negative number?

A. (-7) + (-3)

B. (-3) + (7)

C. (3) + (7)

D. (3) + (-7) + (11)

Number sense:

9. A pair of jeans regularly sells for $24. They are on sale for 25% off. What is the sale price of the jeans?

A. $6

B. $18

C. $20

D. $30

Statistics, data analysis and probability:

10. The chart below shows the mathematics test scores of three students.

*--*

Mathematics Test Scores Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Test 4 Parisa 7 8 10 6 Hector 6 7 9 10 Charles 8 10 10 9

*--*

What is Hector’s mean score?

A. 6

B. 7

C. 8

D. 9

Algebra:

11. Which of the following is equivalent to the equation at right? 20/x = 4/(x-5)

A. x(x-5) = 80

B. 20(x-5) = 4x

C. 20x = 4(x-5)

D. 24 = x + (x-5)

Measurement and geometry:

[triangle graphic: base = 15; height = 8; one side = 11; base/height angle is a right angle)

12. What is the area of the triangle shown above?

(A= 1/2 bh)

A. 44 square units

B. 60 square units

C. 88 square units

D. 120 square units

*

Answers: 1. C; 2. A; 3. C; 4. A; 5. C; 6. A; 7. D; 8. A; 9. B; 10. C; 11. B; 12. B

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Reading the Results

California has a new test with extremely high stakes for students: the high school exit exam. Beginning with the class of 2004, this year’s sophomores, students will be required to pass the exam to get a diploma.

As ninth-graders in California public schools, most of the class of 2004 took the state’s new graduation exam voluntarily for the first time last spring. About 370,000 students took it in March and May; they represented about 79% of the ninth-grade class.

To fulfill the requirement, students must pass both parts of the test: English language arts and math.

Any student who passes one or the other portion need not take that section again. To pass, students had to get 60% of the items correct on the English language arts test and 55% correct on the math. Students will have several chances during their high school years to pass the exam.

The English language arts part included 82 multiple-choice items and two writing tasks.

The mathematics section, which included 10 basic algebra problems, contained 80 multiple-choice items. All questions reflected content in the statewide standards.

How to read these tables

* Find the school district.

* Search for the campus. Schools within a district are listed in alphabetical order.

* For each school, the table first lists the percentage of students who passed the math test.

* Next comes the percentage at the school who passed the English language arts portion.

* The next two columns indicate the percentage of females who passed the math and English language arts sections.

* The final two columns indicate the percentage of males who passed the math and English language arts sections.

Note that the percentage of those tested varied widely from school to school and district to district, making comparisons among districts difficult.

*

Results for all districts and high schools in California are available on the Web at https://cahsee.cde.ca.gov.

California *--*

Total Total Fem. Fem. Male Male Name Math E-LA Math E-LA Math E-LA Statewide 44 64 43 71 46 57

*--*

Ventura County *--*

Total Total Fem. Fem. Male Male Name Math E-LA Math E-LA Math E-LA Ventura 53 73 52 80 54 66

*--*

Conejo Valley Unified *--*

Total Total Fem. Fem. Male Male Name Math E-LA Math E-LA Math E-LA District 63 82 69 88 58 77 Conejo Valley High Cont. 0 7 NA NA 0 0 Newbury Park High 70 95 69 92 NA NA Thousand Oaks High 67 89 72 89 63 89 Westlake High 76 96 64 NA 82 100

*--*

Fillmore Unified *--*

Total Total Fem. Fem. Male Male Name Math E-LA Math E-LA Math E-LA District 30 64 29 75 31 52 Fillmore Senior High 30 64 29 75 31 52

*--*

Moorpark Unified *--*

Total Total Fem. Fem. Male Male Name Math E-LA Math E-LA Math E-LA District 60 79 56 83 63 76 Moorpark High 60 79 56 83 63 76

*--*

Oak Park Unified *--*

Total Total Fem. Fem. Male Male Name Math E-LA Math E-LA Math E-LA District 89 94 NA NA 91 91 Oak Park High 89 94 NA NA 91 91

*--*

Ojai Unified *--*

Total Total Fem. Fem. Male Male Name Math E-LA Math E-LA Math E-LA District 78 93 88 100 58 79 Nordhoff High 78 93 88 100 58 79

*--*

Oxnard Union High *--*

Total Total Fem. Fem. Male Male Name Math E-LA Math E-LA Math E-LA District 50 70 49 77 51 63 Camarillo High 76 89 76 92 75 85 Channel Islands High 58 79 56 85 61 73 Hueneme High 37 53 35 60 40 46 Oxnard High 47 73 46 81 47 64 Pacific View High 0 23 NA NA NA NA Puente High 0 20 0 NA NA NA Rio Mesa High 42 67 41 77 44 57

*--*

Santa Paula Union High *--*

Total Total Fem. Fem. Male Male Name Math E-LA Math E-LA Math E-LA District 33 45 33 55 33 38 Santa Paula High 33 45 33 55 33 38

*--*

Simi Valley Unified *--*

Total Total Fem. Fem. Male Male Name Math E-LA Math E-LA Math E-LA District 63 85 60 88 66 82 Apollo High Cont. 0 25 NA NA NA NA Monte Vista 60 80 NA NA NA NA Royal High 58 84 53 86 64 82 Santa Susana High 64 84 64 85 64 83 Simi Valley High 68 87 66 92 69 83

*--*

Ventura County Office of Education *--*

Total Total Fem. Fem. Male Male Name Math E-LA Math E-LA Math E-LA District 0 5 0 7 0 5 Juvenile Hall/Community 0 6 0 7 0 5 Special Education 0 0 NA NA NA NA

*--*

Ventura Unified *--*

Total Total Fem. Fem. Male Male Name Math E-LA Math E-LA Math E-LA District 54 72 55 83 53 62 Buena High 56 78 58 88 54 69 Buena Vista High Cont. 8 0 NA NA NA NA El Camino High Alter. 60 67 NA NA NA NA Foothill Technology High 69 91 57 95 81 87 Pacific High Cont. 0 8 NA NA 0 0 Ventura High 51 64 52 75 50 53 Ventura Islands High Cont. 13 25 NA NA NA NA

*--*