Morgan Hill – Local students are continuing a trend of improving performance on STAR results, although district-wide math scores, which include tests in general math, algebra I and II and geometry, slipped slightly.
The STAR, or Standardized Testing and Reporting program, results from testing in the spring were released Aug. 15, rating students at each grade level in one of five rankings: advanced, proficient, basic, below basic and far below basic. Students are tested in math, English/language arts, and, at some grade levels, science and social studies.
According to calculations by The Times’ staff using numbers from the California Department of Education Web site, www.cde.ca.gov, 49 percent of Morgan Hill Unified School District students in second grade through 11th grade in the 2005-2006 school year scored in the “proficient” or “advanced” rankings in English/language arts, compared to 48.5 percent last year.
In math, adding the percentages from the different math disciplines for grades two through 11, 38 percent scored “proficient” or “advanced,” compared to 43 percent last year.
Calls to the district office for comment on Monday were not returned by press time.
The scores released last Wednesday do not include calculations of Adequate Yearly Progress or Academic Performance Index, which will be released later in the month or in early September. These two measures are yardsticks for a school’s “No Child Left Behind” progress. A school can be labeled “program improvement” if it fails to meet guidelines for progress; if so, the school is subject to sanctions. There are no program improvement schools in MHUSD.
“I think we are seeing more rigor, higher standards in the classroom, and I think that is what we need to see,” parent Janet Boyd said. “The standards have changed since I went to high school, maybe moved up a year, with courses like biology and geometry. I think our kids, in order to compete in a world market, have to have higher standards to meet.”
Boyd has three children in the district: P.J., a junior at Sobrato High, Mary Beth, a sophomore at Sobrato and Andrew, an eighth grader at Martin Murphy Middle School.
Statewide, students are making progress.
Forty-two percent of students statewide scored at the proficient or advanced level in English-language arts, an increase of 2 percentage points over last year, and 40 percent of students scored at the proficient or advanced level in mathematics, also an increase of 2 percentage points over last year.
Since 2003, when all state tests were completely aligned to state standards for the first time, the number of California students who scored proficient and above in English-language arts has grown by 7 percentage points, and the number of students who scored proficient or above in mathematics grew by 5 percentage points.
“I am extremely pleased that these results show that California’s public school students continue to make steady gains in nearly every subject and grade level,” State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell said. “Since our state adopted rigorous standards for what every student should learn in every grade, and began systematically integrating those standards into classroom materials and instruction, student achievement has continued to improve.”
STAR results 2005-2006
Percentage of total district students scoring ‘proficient’ or ‘advanced.’
English 49 percent
Math 38 percent
Social Studies 43 percent
Science 38 percent
Stay with us for a more in-depth look at STAR test results and individual schools’ performances later in the week.
Marilyn Dubil covers education and law enforcement for The Times. Reach her at (408) 779-4106 ext. 202 or at
md****@mo*************.com.
