Tests show a gap
Erin Kennedy
While California's English-speaking students score above the national average on assessment tests in almost all subjects and grade levels, Fresno Unified's students lag well behind their peers. The state Department of Education released Stanford 9 test scores Monday for student subgroups by gender, income level, and English proficiency. It shows wide gaps in achievement between poor and advantaged students and those who speak English and those who do not. In addition, girls scored slightly better than boys. "The statewide results -- released in mid-July -- did not provide a complete picture of how well our students fare as compared with those of other states," said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin. "By disaggregating the test data, we can see how well various student populations are achieving academically. California's results are more comparable nationwide when shown this way." The Stanford 9 test is mandated for grades 2-11, and results are used to rank schools statewide and as a basis to reward schools and their staffs for improved student performance. The state has $677 million to give away in rewards. Eastin noted that 25% of California students have limited English skills, compared to 1.8% nationwide. In Fresno, 32% of students have limited English skills and 73% of students qualify for free and reduced-price lunches, a measure of poverty. Statewide, English-speaking students scored as high as 61% in second grade on reading and as low as 39% in 10th grade on reading. Math scores ranged from 51% in 11th grade up to 65% in second and third grades. State Standardized Testing and Reporting GreatSchools.net Fresno Unified's districtwide average for English-speaking students falls as much as 20% below the California average on reading and math, with no grades testing above 50% on reading and only sixth, ninth and 11th grade average scores hitting above 50%. There were similar gaps between the state average and Fresno Unified for students qualifying for free and reduced-price lunches and those who do not. The exception was among students with limited English proficiency. Fresno's eighth-, ninth-, 10th- and 11th-graders pass their California peers by 3 to 9 percentile points, although they still test in the dismal 7% to 29% range on math and reading. Rose Patron, Fresno Unified's executive director of multilingual, multicultural education, attributes the higher test scores in English to Fresno's long history of aggressive bilingual education, especially in lower grades. "Research shows that if you learn your primary language well, you'll do well in the secondary language," she said. Patron worries, though, that with new state regulations requiring English immersion unless parents specifically make a written request for bilingual education, those test scores may fall. "We've seen a dropoff in those requests," she said. Fresno Unified Interim Superintendent Dolphas Trotter cited modest gains across grade levels as evidence that student achievement is improving, but said no one is satisfied with scores yet. "There are not many districts in the state that have as many students on free and reduced lunch, and research shows the lower the socioeconomic level the lower the performance rate on standardized tests," said Trotter, explaining the difference between statewide averages and Fresno Unified's. "But we hate to use that as a reason. It comes out looking as an excuse....We don't want to use poverty to defend low test scores." |