Local school districts continue to perform well on standardized tests

By Stephanie Bertholdo bertholdo@theacorn.com

While progress for student achievement in California’s public schools has let up, local school districts continue to perform well on the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program.

According to reports posted at the California Department of Education website, the majority of students in Las Virgenes Unified School District (LVUSD), Oak Park Unified School District (OPUSD), Conejo Valley Unified School District (CVUSD), Moorpark Unified School District (MUSD) and Simi Valley Unified School District (SVUSD) earned proficient or better on the California Standards Tests (CSTs). This year, the CST has overtaken the nationally normed California Achievement Test (CAT/6) as a benchmark for measuring academic progress by students. The state goal is for all students to be proficient or better in all subjects.

Simi Valley Unified

School District

SVUSD posted mixed scores but still outpaced California averages. In the language arts section, students in four grade levels (second, third, eighth and 11th) earned proficient or better.

Fifth-grade students demonstrated the most proficiency in language arts—61 percent.

Fifty to 56 percent of the students in other grade levels met the state’s benchmark in this section of the test.

In math, the majority of Simi Valley students earned proficient or better in all grade levels except seventh grade (where the expectation level dipped to 40 percent). Eighty-two percent of students taking Algebra I, however, tested proficient or advanced.

Las Virgenes Unified

School District

LVUSD posted high scores.

"In general, we are increasing the numbers of students that are meeting the proficiency requirements," said assistant superintendent of education Joe Nardo.

"Each school is now analyzing its own specific data to determine areas of focus for this year. We are extremely pleased that all of our schools have earned an 800 or higher on the API (Academic Performance Index) and we have met all of the AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) requirements to date," Nardo said.

Fifth-grade students in LVUSD earned the highest scores in English and language arts—79 percent scored proficient or advanced results. The lowest scores—but high in comparison to statewide scores—were posted in eighth grade, where 63 percent of all students earned proficient and advanced on the tests.

Students were tested in general mathematics through seventh grade. Third-graders appeared to do the best, with 84 percent of all students earning proficient and advanced. By seventh grade, 59 percent of students scored proficient and advanced.

In middle school, however, students attend different math classes, depending on their skills.

Testing for sixth- and seventh-grade standards in general mathematics demonstrated that 69 percent of students met the benchmark of proficient or advanced in LVUSD. Ninety-seven percent of eighth-grade students enrolled in Algebra I were graded proficient and advanced. It should be noted that students who take algebra in eighth grade are considered advanced from the start, since most students enroll in eighth-grade general mathematics.

About 22 percent of eighth-grade students in LVUSD qualified for algebra. Eighty percent of ninth- grade students met the state requirement in geometry.

Oak Park Unified

School District

Compared to other local districts, OPUSD posted the highest marks on the exam. In the language arts section, more than 70 percent of students at every grade level except 11th earned proficient or advanced. In 11th grade, the level dipped to 68 percent. Ninth-grade students posted the highest percentage of students meeting the requirement—83 percent.

Oak Park’s lowest scores were registered in seventh-grade math. Fifty-three percent of all students in this grade met the state proficiency goals.

Conejo Valley Unified

School District

CVUSD posted high scores in both language arts and math. Fourth-grade students did especially well in language arts—73 percent of students earned proficient or advanced on this section of the test. In fifth grade, 71 percent of the students met the state goal, while in sixth grade, 72 percent of met the requirement.

In math, more than 70 percent of all students in second, third and fourth grades met the state benchmark, while the majority of students in all other grade levels in the district met California’s math goals.

Moorpark Unified

School District

In six of the 11 grade levels that were tested, MUSD students scored at proficient or better in the language arts section of the California Standards Test, while 48 percent of second-grade students earned proficient or advanced. Sixty-two percent of fifth-grade and 61 percent of ninth-grade students met state goals.

In math, the majority of all students scored proficient or better from second through fourth grade. Forty-eight percent of Moorpark students in fifth grade met the state requirements in math, while proficiency dipped to 40 percent in sixth grade.

By eighth grade, however, 78 percent of students were proficient or advanced in Algebra I.

STAR taken by all

Under the history/social science category, students in all school districts were tested in social science in eighth grade, while sophomores were tested in world history and juniors were tested in United States history.

All students in grades two through 11 are required to participate in the STAR testing unless a parent submits a written request to opt out.

For further information on testing, visit http://star.cde.ca.gov/.