School district sees increase in state test scores
The number of Newport-Mesa Unified School District students scoring proficient or advanced on state standardized tests steadily increased again this year, according to state data.
Results of the 2012 California Standards Tests show the percentage of students with an adequate or superior grasp of the curriculum increased from the previous year in all subjects: English-language arts, math, history and science, according to the state Department of Education.
The standardized tests gauge how well students comprehend the state content standards by grade level. Students are categorized as either having an advanced, proficient, basic, below basic or far below basic knowledge of the content.
District spokeswoman Laura Boss said in an email that analysis of the scores is difficult without the added context of the results from the Academic Performance Index, or API, and Adequate Yearly Progress, or AYP.
“We look forward to the AYP release on Oct. 3 and are optimistic about the results,” she said.
Still, Boss highlighted that the percentage of proficient students in English-language arts increased at every grade level across the district.
Similarly, the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced in life science, biology, chemistry and physics grew at the secondary level.
Across the district, 67.4% of students scored either proficient or advanced in English-language arts. In history and math, about 61% of students scored in the two top levels.
In science, which tests students in fifth, eighth and 10th grades, the highest number of students performed well — nearly 73% of students scored proficient or advanced.
Twitter: @britneyjbarnes
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