| | Published September 14th, 2011
| California STAR Test Results Review
| | By Nina Mohan | | |
The California Department of Education has posted the results for the 2011 Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) exams. Students are tested in math, reading, writing, history and science, and the results are used to improve student learning.
The state uses five performance levels to assess student learning: Advanced, Proficient, Basic, Below Basic and Far Below Basic.
With the exception of math, Lamorinda scores were generally consistent with those of 2010 and once again the majority of students in the Lamorinda districts tested at Advanced levels.
The Orinda Union School District saw moderate drops but impressive gains in its math scores. Eighth grade geometry performance dipped from a perfect 100 percent of students testing at Advanced to a still-impressive 82 percent at Advanced, and 18 at Proficient.
Eighth graders improved significantly on the General Mathematics test: in 2010, no students were Advanced, 27 percent were Proficient, 38 percent tested at Basic levels, 19 percent were Below Basic and 15 percent were at Far Below Basic levels. The 2010 scores seem low for the top-rated school system and OUSD turned it around in 2011 with 25 percent of students testing at Advanced levels, 37 at Proficient, 27 at Basic, and only 8 and 3 percent testing at Below and Far Below Basic levels.
Math scores in the Moraga School District also fluctuated. In the General Mathematics test eighth graders improved with 25 percent scoring Advanced compared to last year's 8 percent. The number students who tested at Basic dropped from 44 to 27 percent.
The Lafayette School District's scores also differed greatly from last year. Algebra 1 scores improved, with 95 percent of seventh, and 54 percent of eight graders earning an Advanced score, up from 78 and 41 percent.
High school scores were consistent with 2010's excellent scores and again the majority of Acalanes, Campolindo and Miramonte students ranked Advanced in English Language Arts, World History, History and in the sciences.
This year, the number of student earning Advanced scores in English Literature Arts, World History and Earth Science was up by an average of 13 percentage points.
As was the case at the elementary level, math scores varied at Acalanes, some improving, others falling.
Generally, math proved more challenging, particularly the Summative High School Mathematics test with numbers in the Advanced percentiles dropping from 81 to 56 for tenth graders, 38 to 28 for eleventh graders and 43 to 33 for students taking the End of Course (EOC) exam.
However, the number of students who understand geometry at an Advanced level nearly tripled from 6 to 17 percent.
Scores in Algebra 1 and 2 fluctuated across grades 9 - 11 and consistent with last year they continue to be low, though the number of students testing at Below and Far Below Basic levels decreased overall.
Campolindo's scores stayed relative to last year's, with the exception of changes in math and science with scores both improving and falling.
Like Acalanes, Campolindo students scored lower on the 2011 Summative High School Mathematics exam with Advanced scores dropping from 81 to 57 percent. Geometry scores improved and the number of students at Far Below Basic dropped from 22 to 9 percent.
Biology scores also fell: 80 percent of students earned an Advanced score, compared to 99 percent in 2010. Meanwhile, Advanced chemistry scores nearly doubled, increasing from 22 to 41 percent.
Scores at Miramonte remained high with math scores either staying low or going down. In both 2010 and 2011 nearly a quarter of sophomores were Far Below Basic in Algebra 1. Algebra 2 scores fell with Below Basic scores rising from 26 to 45 percent, and Far Below Basic doubling from 8 to 16 percent. Eleventh grade Biology scores also dropped with 70 percent of students testing at Advanced, down from 100 in 2010.
Complete results can be found online at http://star.cde.ca.gov/.
| The State also recently released the 2011 Academic Performance Index, composite numbers based on test results from the STAR Program, the California High School Exit Examination, and the California Alternate Performance Assessment.
Go to http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ap/apireports.asp
for more information.
High Schools: 2011 Score 2010 Score Growth
Acalanes 910 897 +13
Campolindo 923 919 +4
Miramonte 923 929 -6
Lafayette School District
M.H. Stanley Middle School 907 909 -2
Burton Valley Elementary 926 928 -2
Happy Valley Elementary 965 962 +3
Lafayette Elementary 939 940 -1
Springhill Elementary 921 917 +4
Moraga School District
Joaquin Moraga Intermediate 941 934 +7
Camino Pablo Elementary 966 961 +5
Donald Rheem Elementary 976 971 +5
Los Perales Elementary 961 953 +8
Orinda Union School District
Orinda Intermediate 946 938 +8
Del Rey Elementary 968 969 -1
Glorietta Elementary 961 966 -5
Sleepy Hollow Elementary 977 975 +2
Wagner Ranch Elementary 959 965 -6
| Lamorinda's High School Grads are
College-Bound
According to an eight-year study just released by the Acalanes Union High School District (AUHSD), 97 percent of the 10,602 students who graduated from the District's schools from 2004 to 2011 were college-bound the year after graduation. The study was based on self-reporting by graduates. On average over 8 years:
- 22% of graduates attended the University of California (UC)-25% went to Davis, 18% to both Santa Cruz and Berkeley, and 13% to Santa Barbara. The number attending UC has dropped significantly since its peak in 2006. UC tuition has more than doubled since 2004.
- 17% attended a California State University (CSU) -24% went to Cal Poly, 20% to Chico, and 12% to San Francisco. These numbers have been relatively stable, although CSU tuition has increased by about 250%.
- 9% went to private colleges/universities within California; an average of 10 grads per year attended Stanford.
- 24% of AUHSD graduates left California for an out-of-state college or university; about 20 graduates per year were bound for Ivy League schools and roughly two graduates per year chose an Academy. Attendance at out-of-state schools has been increasing.
- About 25% of graduates attended a community college or trade school.
- In addition to UC and the CSUs, some of the favorite schools selected by AUHSD grads include: University of Oregon, University of Arizona, University of Colorado at Boulder, University of Southern California, Loyola Marymount, University of San Francisco, Chapman, and Lamorinda's own Saint Mary's College.
For more information, go to the AUHSD website, ww.acalanes.k12.ca.us. The study was presented to the Board on September 7. |
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA