Test scores: not so hot

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called the STAR results “mixed” in a press release and stated, “I am pleased that math trends look positive, but they are not good enough.”

Jack O’Connell, state superintendent of public instruction, was blunt: “This is not where we want to be,” he stated. “These scores should be viewed as a wake-up call for us all.”

In Chico, students scored above the 50th percentile on a nationally normed test and showed growth in many subjects and grade levels but slipped in some areas—mainly math. High school students’ scores showed the sharpest drop.

There were two tests to look at: the CAT-6, which compares students nationwide on general knowledge, and the California Standards Test, which measures students based on how well they’ve learned the state-set curriculum.

Cindy Kampf, who’s in charge of testing for the Chico Unified School District, said that even in the areas where students slipped a couple of percentile points on the CAT-6—such as high-school reading and language and second- and sixth-grade math—they still scored better than half of their counterparts statewide.

The standards-based test is another matter. “I’m disappointed in the math standards test,” Kampf said. Of the second- through seventh-graders tested, most scores declined, with as few as 29 percent to as many as 53 percent coming in as “proficient” in math. By 2014, the NCLB will require 100-percent proficiency, but currently only 13 percent must be proficient. CUSD second- through 11th-graders did better in English/language arts, but still only 35 to 50 percent were proficient.

The 10th-grade students who took the California High School Exit Exam, the implementation of which has been delayed, were more impressive. Eighty-eight percent of students in the CUSD passed the math section, while 82 percent passed English/ language arts—outdoing the Butte County average (81 and 80 percent, respectively) as well as the state numbers of 74 and 75 percent.

Schwarzenegger and O’Connell both said the key to higher scores is stricter adherence to state standards.

Kampf said that, besides encouraging teachers to adhere to state standards and continuing to have task forces looking into improvement, “We need to start involving the kids.” If students know the standards they’re expected to meet, she said, they’ll be more invested in their own progress.

The STAR test results will form the basis for the Aug. 31 release of the Academic Performance Index (API) scores, in which schools are ranked according to others like them and growth is measured.

If schools don’t meet growth targets under the No Child Left Behind act, they could be eligible for special funding, and parents could be allowed to move their children to higher-performing schools.