Latinos, blacks, poor lag on tests

[George Sheridan <learn@jps.net>]

Latinos, blacks, poor lag on tests
Student performance gap remains despite gains by all groups.
By Deepa Ranganathan -- Bee Staff Writer
Published Wednesday, August 16, 2006
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/education/v-print/story/14298199p-15157075c.html


Latino, African American, and low-income children trailed far behind their 
peers on state tests this spring, despite modest gains by all demographic 
groups in both reading and math.

The results of the state's Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) 
program, released to the public Tuesday, paint a picture of a population 
inching unequally toward widespread proficiency in reading and math.

Among results released this year, 42 percent of all students statewide 
scored proficient or better in English-language arts, and 40 percent did 
the same in math. That's an improvement of two percentage points since last 
year in each subject, and an increase of 7 percent and 5 percent, 
respectively, since 2003.

However, those in the rear of the pack are improving without moving closer 
to the front. Gaps persist among students of different ages, races, and 
economic backgrounds.

Statewide, 4.7 million public school students took a battery of tests in 
the spring. The California Standards Tests, administered annually in grades 
2-11, are at the heart of the program, testing how well students are 
meeting state academic standards. Students are grouped into five categories 
based on their performance: advanced, proficient, basic, below basic and 
far below basic.

Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, school districts are 
accountable for making all students proficient or better in reading and 
math by 2014.

This year's scores show that African American, Latino, and low-income 
students made progress on the standards tests, boosting proficiency scores 
seven percentage points in reading and five to seven points in math since 2003.

However, the gap between those students and their peers persists, and in 
some cases is actually getting bigger, according to an analysis by 
Oakland-based Education Trust-West.

"What we do is we take kids who have less to begin with, and we give them 
less of everything that research says works," said Russlynn Ali, the 
organization's executive director.

In a news conference in Glendale Tuesday morning, State Superintendent of 
Public Instruction Jack O'Connell said he was "extremely disheartened" by 
the achievement gap, calling it "unacceptably wide." He pledged to make the 
problem a priority.

However, O'Connell said he was pleased to see overall improvement 
statewide. "To me, the real test of sustainable academic achievement is 
steady gains over multiple years," he said. "It's now clear that after 
almost 10 years of standards-based reform ? public schools in California 
are clearly making meaningful, sustained improvements.

"No one should be satisfied or complacent with our current position," he 
continued, "but reforming an entire education system is certainly slow."

On tests this spring, 30 percent of Latino and socioeconomically 
disadvantaged students scored at the proficient level in math, compared 
with 24 percent of African American students.

Meanwhile, 53 percent of white students, 54 percent of Filipino students, 
and 67 percent of Asian students reached the state's goal for math proficiency.

In reading, the gap was just as pronounced. Latino, socioeconomically 
disadvantaged, and African American students trailed white students by more 
than 30 percent.

Another gap that has proved trenchant -- and that appears to be widening -- 
is that between younger and older children. While young children have shown 
marked progress toward widespread proficiency over the last four years, 
older students, especially those of high school age, have made slow 
improvements or stalled.

Statewide, second-graders have leapt 11 percentage points in reading 
proficiency since 2003, while 11th-grade proficiency has increased only 
four percentage points.

State officials say long-term attention to early education -- including 
class-size reduction, professional development, and careful control of 
curriculum -- has paid off for younger students.

But performance in middle and high schools remains a tough nut to crack, 
although it's the focus of intensive funding and plenty of effort nationally.

"The biggest impact we can have on kids is by getting them successfully 
launched in the lower grades," said Paul Warren, a senior analyst for the 
nonpartisan Legislative Analyst's Office. "It's very difficult to take 
lower-performing kids in the ninth grade and bring them up to grade level 
by the time they graduate."

O'Connell said the state will increase professional development and boost 
the number of counselors in needy middle and high schools -- both major 
features of this year's education budget.

O'Connell pointed out 215,000 more students took the state's basic algebra 
test this year than in 2003, and advanced algebra saw a big boost in 
enrollment, too -- a sign, he said, that students are choosing more 
rigorous courses.

For the most part, districts in the Sacramento area mirrored state trends. 
Half of Sacramento County's second-graders were proficient in reading, up 
nine percentage points since 2003. In math, 58 percent of second graders 
were proficient, an increase of four percentage points.

As for older students, 35 percent of 11th-graders countywide were 
proficient in reading, a gain of four percentage points since 2003.

Among 10th graders, 36 percent scored proficient, a three-point gain.

Sacramento showed encouraging gains in basic algebra, a statewide 
graduation requirement. In that subject, 28 percent of students were 
proficient, up six points from last year. Like their peers statewide, 
Sacramento students slipped one point in advanced algebra.

About the writer: The Bee's Deepa Ranganathan can be reached at (916) 
321-1962 or deepa@sacbee.com.

*

Setting it straight: A chart accompanying a Page A1 story Wednesday about 
scores on the state's Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program 
should have shown that for Sacramento County seventh-graders, scores in 
English and language arts in the "proficient or above" category declined 
one percentage point from 2005 to 2006. Statewide in the same category, 
scores remained the same.


George Sheridan