Thursday, August 16, 2007

CDE News Release: STATE SUPERINTENDENT JACK O'CONNELL RELEASES 2007 STAR RESULTS SHOWING ENCOURAGING, TROUBLING TRENDS



News Release

Contact:
Rel #07-98

Pam Slater

communications@cde.ca.gov

916-319-0818
August 15, 2007


State Superintendent Jack O'Connell Releases 2007 STAR
Results Showing Encouraging, Troubling Trends

INGLEWOOD/SAN DIEGO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today released the results of the 2007 Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program that show California students are continuing to improve academically in most subjects and grades.

"This year's results offer both encouragement and reason for serious concern," O'Connell said. "We can be pleased that gains in student achievement made over the past five years are either increasing or holding steady. This progress means that hundreds of thousands of California students will have a better shot at success. But the data also show the persistent achievement gaps in our system that California simply cannot afford to accept – morally, economically, or socially."

Compared with 2003, when all the California Standards Tests (CSTs) were for the first time completely aligned to state standards, the percentage of students scoring advanced or proficient in 2007 increased by 8 points in English-language arts (ELA) or from 35 percent to 43 percent, (Table 1) and 6 points in math, from 35 percent to 41 percent (Table 5).

The percentage of students scoring at the proficient and advanced levels on the fifth grade science test has increased by 13 points since 2004; the first year the test was given (Table 10).

The percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced in grades two, four, seven, and eight have increased in ELA by double digits over the four-year span beginning in 2003 (Table 1).

The greatest improvement over the four-year period for math was made by students in grades three, four, five, and seven with the proficient and advanced percentage increasing by 12, 12, 14, and 10 points, respectively (Table 5).

O'Connell pointed out the lack of progress made in closing the achievement gap among racial groups. While all student subgroup populations have continued to improve since 2003, the gap in achievement between African Americans or blacks and whites and the gap in achievement between Hispanics or Latinos and whites remain relatively unchanged.

"Once again, these annual test scores shine a glaring light on the disparity in achievement between students who are African American or Hispanic and their white or Asian counterparts. We know all children can learn to the same high levels, so we must confront and change those things that are holding back groups of students."

This achievement gap cannot always be explained away because of the poverty that has been so often associated with low performance, he said.

"The results show this explanation not to be universally true," he said. "In fact, African American and Hispanic students who are not poor are achieving at lower levels in math than their white counterparts who are poor. These are not just economic achievement gaps, they are racial achievement gaps. We cannot afford to excuse them; they simply must be addressed. We must take notice and take action."

In response to this pressing issue, O'Connell early this year charged the statewide P-16 council – including leaders from all segments of education as well as business, labor, and community leaders – with examining factors contributing to achievement gaps and strategies for closing those gaps. He is calling on all those interested in this issue to attend the Achievement Gap Summit scheduled for November 13-14, 2007, in Sacramento.

"The intent of this working Summit is to create an inclusive, interactive, and collaborative environment where educators will gather to share best practices and learn strategies immediately useable to address their daily challenges," he said.

"I'm committed to addressing this issue, to creating the partnerships, sharing the information and employing the strategies that will ensure success for all California students," O'Connell said. "I am excited about this challenge because I know it is one we can overcome. I believe in the ability, in the talent, and in the dedication present in our public schools."

Under the STAR program, California students attain one of five levels of performance on the CSTs for each subject tested: advanced, proficient, basic, below basic, and far below basic. The State Board of Education has established the proficient level as the desired achievement goal for all students. This goal is consistent with school growth targets for state accountability and the federal No Child Left Behind requirements. The state target is for all students to score at the proficient or advanced level. Approximately 4.8 million students participated in 2007 in the STAR program, which is comprised of five components:

  • California Standards Tests (CSTs) are standards-based tests that measure the achievement of state content standards in English-language arts, mathematics, science, and history-social science.
  • California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA) is for students who have significant cognitive disabilities.
  • California Achievement Tests (CAT/6) are nationally norm-referenced tests, taken in grades three and seven only.
  • Aprenda: La prueba de logros en español, Tercera edición (Aprenda 3) is a nationally norm-referenced achievement test of general academic knowledge in Spanish for Spanish-speaking English learners (for grades five through eleven in 2007).
  • Standards-based Tests in Spanish (STS), are designed for Spanish-speaking English learners to measure the achievement of state content standards in reading-language arts and mathematics in Spanish, for grades two, three, and four in 2007.

The STAR Program data released today is preliminary because a small number of school districts have not yet completed testing and have not yet had time to complete a review of the results to verify their accuracy. A second posting of preliminary results that will include all students tested is scheduled for September. Final results after local corrections are incorporated are scheduled for posting during December.

School, school district, county, and state level results for the 2007 STAR Program have been posted on the California Department of Education's Web site at http://star.cde.ca.gov/.

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Attachments

Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program
California Standards Test Results, 2003-2007

English–Language Arts
Table 1: Percentages of Students Scoring at Proficient and Above*
Grade 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Change in Percentage
2006–2007
Change in Percentage
2003–2007
2 36 35 42 47 48 1 12
3 33 30 31 36 37 1 4
4 39 39 47 49 51 2 12
5 36 40 43 43 44 1 8
6 36 36 38 41 42 1 6
7 36 36 43 43 46 3 10
8 31 33 39 41 41 0 10
9 38 37 43 43 47 4 9
10 33 35 36 37 37 0 4
11 32 32 36 36 37 1 5
State Total 2 - 11 35 35 40 42 43 1 8

*Data for 2003 through 2006 are final statewide results. The 2007 data are preliminary and include results for approximately 99% of the students in grades two through eleven. Complete results will be available during September 2007. Percentages included in this table may differ from the percentages printed on the Internet reports due to rounding.

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California Standards Test and California Alternate
Performance Assessment Results, 2003-2007

English–Language Arts
Table 2: Percentages of Students Scoring at
Proficient and Above by Subgroup*
Subgroup 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Change in percentage 2003-2007
All Students
35 36 40 42 44 9
Gender
Female
39 40 44 46 48 9
Male
31 32 36 38 40 9
Ethnicity
African American or Black
22 23 27 29 31 9
American Indian or Alaskan Native
31 31 36 37 39 8
Asian
55 57 61 64 66 11
Filipino
48 50 55 58 60 12
Hispanic or Latino
20 21 25 27 29 9
Pacific Islander
31 31 36 39 41 10
White
53 54 58 60 62 9
Economic Status
Economically Disadvantaged
20 21 25 27 29 9
Not Economically Disadvantaged
49 50 57 58 60 11
Disability Status
Students Received Special Education
Services
9 14 16 17 18 9
English Proficiency
English Only Students
44 44 49 51 52 8
Initially-Fluent English Proficient (I-FEP)
46 48 53 56 58 12
Reclassified-Fluent English Proficient
(R-FEP)
40 42 48 50 51 11
English Learners
10 10 12 14 15 5

*Data for 2003 through 2006 are final statewide results. The 2007 data are preliminary and include results for approximately 99% of the students in grades two through eleven. Complete results will be available during September 2007. This table includes results from the California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA), and the percentages included in this table may differ from the percentages printed on the Internet reports.

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English–Language Arts
Table 3: Percentages of Economically Disadvantaged
Students Scoring at Proficient and Above*
Ethnicity 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Change in percentage 2003-2007
African American or Black 16 17 21 23 24 8
American Indian or Alaskan Native 20 21 26 27 29 9
Asian 35 37 42 46 48 13
Filipino 37 39 45 48 49 12
Hispanic or Latino 16 17 21 24 26 10
Pacific Islander 21 21 26 29 30 9
White 32 32 37 39 41 9
Table 4: Percentages of Not Economically Disadvantaged
Students Scoring at Proficient and Above*
Ethnicity 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Change in percentage 2003-2007
African American or Black 31 32 36 38 40 9
American Indian or Alaskan Native 41 41 46 48 49 8
Asian 69 70 74 76 77 8
Filipino 53 55 60 62 64 11
Hispanic or Latino 32 33 38 40 42 10
Pacific Islander 40 40 45 48 50 10
White 58 59 64 66 67 9

*Data for 2003 through 2006 are final statewide results. The 2007 data are preliminary and include results for approximately 99% of the students in grades two through eleven. Complete results will be available during September 2007. These tables include results from the California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA), and the percentages included in these tables may differ from the percentages printed on the Internet reports.

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California Standards Test Results, 2003-2007

Mathematics
Table 5: Percentages of Students Scoring at Proficient and Above*
Grade 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Change in Percentage
2006–2007
Change in Percentage
2003–2007
Grade 2 53 51 56 58 59 1 6
Grade 3 46 48 54 57 58 1 12
Grade 4 45 45 50 54 57 3 12
Grade 5 35 38 44 48 49 1 14
Grade 6 34 35 40 42 42 0 8
Grade 7 30 33 37 41 40 -1 10
General Mathematics 20 20 22 22 21 -1 1
Algebra I† 21 18 19 23 23 0 2
First time test takers 26
Repeat test takers 15
Geometry 26 24 26 26 24 -2 -2
Algebra II 29 24 26 25 27 2 -2
Summative High School Math 43 41 45 46 48 2 5
Integrated 1 7 7 7 9 9 0 2
State Total Grades 2 - 7 and End-of-Course tests 35 34 38 41 41 0 6

*Data for 2003 through 2006 are final statewide results. The 2007 data are preliminary and include results for approximately 99% of the students in the states. Complete results will be available during September 2007. Percentages included in this table may differ from the percentages printed on the Internet reports due to rounding.

†Prior to 2007, algebra I was an end-of-course test for grades eight through eleven students. In 2007, students in grades seven were allowed to take the algebra I test.

Note: The results for integrated 2 and 3 are not reported due to the small numbers of test-takers.

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Mathematics
Table 6: Numbers of Students Tested*
Test
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Change in Number
2006-2007
Change in Number
2003-2007
General Mathematics 451,126 417,946 374,900 340,335 305,413 -34,922 -145,713
Algebra I 505,883 614,347 681,924 707,285 741,152 33,867 235,269
Geometry 270,560 301,112 333,334 359,926 370,120 10,194 99,560
Algebra II 162,672 181,883 196,079 213,770 230,881 17,111 68,209
Sum. High School Math 76,560 80,574 90,983 99,348 108,769 9,421 32,209
Integrated 1 14,359 9,679 8,716 6,771 7,010 239 -7,349
Integrated 2 9,733 7,905 6,698 4,273 3,626 -647 -6,107
Integrated 3 10,043 4,424 3,558 2,223 1,657 -566 -8,386
Total 1,500,936 1,617,870 1,696,192 1,733,931 1,768,628 34,697 267,692

*Data for 2003 through 2006 are final statewide results. The 2007 data are preliminary and include results for approximately 99% of the students in the state. Complete results will be available during September 2007. Percentages included in this table may differ from the percentages printed on the Internet reports due to rounding.

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California Standards Test and California Alternate
Performance Assessment Results, 2003-2007

Mathematics
Table 7: Percentages of Students Scoring at
Proficient and Above by Subgroup*
Subgroup
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Change in percentage 2003-2007
All Students
35 34 38 41 41 6
Gender
Female
34 34 38 40 40 6
Male
35 35 39 41 41 6
Ethnicity
African American or Black
19 19 23 25 25 6
American Indian or Alaskan Native
29 28 32 34 34 5
Asian
60 60 64 67 67 7
Filipino
44 45 50 53 53 9
Hispanic or Latino
23 23 27 30 30 7
Pacific Islander
31 31 35 38 38 7
White
47 46 51 53 53 6
Economic Status
Economically Disadvantaged
24 25 29 31 31 7
Not Economically Disadvantaged
45 44 49 52 52 7
Disability Status
Students Received Special Education Services
13 16 18 20 20 7
English Proficiency
English Only Students
39 39 43 45 45 6
Initially-Fluent English Proficient (I-FEP)
45 45 49 52 53 8
Reclassified-Fluent English Proficient
(R-FEP)
37 37 41 43 42 5
English Learners
20 20 24 26 26 6

*Data for 2003 through 2006 are final statewide results. The 2007 data are preliminary and include results for approximately 99% of the students in the state. Complete results will be available during September 2007. This table includes results from the California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA), and the percentages included in this table may differ from the percentages printed on the Internet reports.

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Mathematics
Table 8: Percentages of Economically Disadvantaged
Students Scoring at Proficient and Above*
Ethnicity 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Change in percentage 2003-2007
African American or Black 16 16 20 22 22 6
American Indian or Alaskan Native 23 23 27 29 28 5
Asian 45 46 51 53 54 9
Filipino 40 41 46 49 48 8
Hispanic or Latino 21 22 26 28 29 8
Pacific Islander 25 25 30 32 33 8
White 33 32 37 38 38 5
Table 9: Percentages of Not Economically Disadvantaged
Students Scoring at Proficient and Above*
Ethnicity 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Change in percentage 2003-2007
African American or Black 24 24 27 30 30 6
American Indian or Alaskan Native 35 34 38 40 40 5
Asian 71 70 73 76 76 5
Filipino 46 46 52 55 55 9
Hispanic or Latino 29 29 33 36 36 7
Pacific Islander 37 36 40 43 44 7
White 51 50 54 57 56 5

*Data for 2003 through 2006 are final statewide results. The 2007 data are preliminary and include results for approximately 99% of the students in the state. Complete results will be available during September 2007. These tables include results from the California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA), and the percentages included in these tables may differ from the percentages printed on the Internet reports.

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California Standards Test Results, 2004-2007

Science—Grade Level Tests*
Table 10: Percentages of Students Scoring at Proficient and Above†
Grade 2004 2005 2006 2007 Change in Percentage
2006-2007
Change in Percentage
2004-2007
5 24 28 32 37 5 13
8 NA NA 38 43 5 NA
10 NA NA 34 35 1 NA
State Total 5, 8, & 10 NA NA 35 38 3 NA

*The Grade Five California Science Standards Test was first administered in spring 2004. The Grade Eight California Science Standards and the Grade Ten California Life Science Standards Tests were first administered during spring 2006.

†Data for 2004 through 2006 are final statewide data. The 2007 data are preliminary and include results for approximately 99% of the students in the state. Complete results will be available during September 2007. Percentages included in this table may differ from the percentages printed on the Internet reports due to rounding.

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Science—End-of-Course Tests (Grades Nine Through Eleven)
Table 11: Percentages of Students Scoring at Proficient and Above*
Test 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Change in Percentage
2006-2007
Change in Percentage
2003-2007
Earth Science 21 22 23 23 26 3 5
Biology 37 30 32 35 37 2 0
Chemistry 31 28 27 27 31 4 0
Physics 29 29 31 32 36 4 7
Integrated 1 7 5 8 9 11 2 4
Integrated 2 8 8 6 5 7 2 -1
State Total for End-of-Course Tests 29 24 27 28 31 3 2

*Data for 2003 through 2006 are final statewide results. The 2007 data are preliminary and include results for approximately 99% of the students in the state. Complete results will be available during September 2007. Percentages included in this table may differ from the percentages printed on the Internet reports due to rounding.

Note: The results for integrated 3 and 4 are not reported due to the small numbers of test-takers

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Science—End-of-Course (Grades Nine Through Eleven)
Table 12: Numbers of Students Tested*
Test 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Change in Number
2006-2007
Change in Number
2003-2007
Earth Science 89,676 134,953 173,958 195,394 206,192 10,798 116,516
Biology 334,005 397,909 453,685 498,204 505,316 7,112 171,311
Chemistry 153,491 181,420 196,700 213,387 227,435 14,048 73,944
Physics 44,878 52,586 59,382 61,088 63,357 2,269 18,479
Integrated 1 62,008 101,824 111,366 107,068 96,235 -10,833 34,227
Integrated 2 25,983 24,654 20,629 17,407 13,787 -3,620 -12,196
Integrated 3 10,621 5,870 3,414 2,540 1,973 -567 -8,648
Integrated 4 1,515 1,601 1,040 817 951 134 -564
Total 722,177 900,817 1,020,174 1,095,905 1,115,246 19,341 393,069

*Data for 2003 through 2006 are final statewide results. The 2007 data are preliminary and include results for approximately 99% of the students in the state. Complete results will be available during September 2007. Percentages included in this table may differ from the percentages printed on the Internet reports due to rounding.

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History–Social Science
Table 13: Percentages of Students Scoring at Proficient and Above†
Grade 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Change in Percentage
2006-2007
Change in Percentage
2003-2007
8
27 27 31 34 35 1 8
11 (U.S. History)
34 32 37 35 35 0 1
World History (End-of-Course)*
27 27 31 30 29 -1 2
State Total 8, 11 Plus End-of-Course Test
29 28 33 33 33 0 4

†Data for 2003 through 2006 are final statewide results. The 2007 data are preliminary and include results for approximately 99% of the students in the state. Complete results will be available during September 2007. Percentages included in this table may differ from the percentages printed on the Internet reports due to rounding.

*Prior to 2007, the world history test was an end-of-course test for grade ten students only. In 2007, students in grades nine through eleven took the end-of-course world history.

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Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program
Summary of 2007 Results

Background
  • The 2007 STAR Program consists of five components, including the California Standards Tests (CSTs) and the California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA).
  • In spring 2007, the following CSTs were required for all students:
  • English–language arts Grades 2 – 11
  • Mathematics Grades 2 – 9
  • Science Grades 5, 8, and 10 (life science)
  • History–social science Grades 8 and 11 (U.S. history)
  • Students were also able to take end-of-course tests in math and science in grades 9 through 11 if they were enrolled in the corresponding courses.
  • Students who were unable to take the CSTs with accommodations or modifications took the CAPA in ELA and mathematics.
Reporting STAR Program Results
  • The CST and CAPA results are reported using five performance levels: advanced, proficient, basic, below basic, and far below basic. The state target is to have all students score at the proficient level or above. The percentages of students scoring at each performance level are reported by grade and subject for all students and for subgroups of students.

Summary of CST Results

A summary of statewide student performance on the CSTs is provided below by content area. (CAPA results are included in the English–language arts and mathematics subgroup tables 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, and 9.) Note that while final data are available for the years 2003 through 2006, the results reported for 2007 are preliminary and include only the results for students tested through June 30, 2007.

English–Language Arts (ELA)
  • The percentage of students in grades two through eleven scoring at proficient and advanced levels increased approximately 8 percent between 2003 and 2007. The one-year increase, however, was a modest 1 percent (see Table 1).
  • Notably, since 2003, the percentage of students scoring proficient and advanced in ELA in grades two and four, has increased by 12 percent; in grades seven and eight by 10 percent (see Table 1). While all student subgroups have continued to improve since 2003, the gap in achievement between African Americans or blacks and whites and the gap in achievement between Hispanics or Latinos and whites remain unchanged (see Table 2).
  • Since 2003, the student subgroups showing the greatest improvement in achieving proficient and advanced were Asians (11percent), Filipinos (12percent), and Pacific Islanders (10 percent) (see Table2). The student subgroups whose performance showed the least improvement in achieving proficient and advanced were African Americans or blacks (9 percent), American Indians or Alaskan Natives (8 percent), Hispanics or Latinos (9percent), and whites (9 percent).
  • The results listed in Tables 3 and 4 show that the performance of African Americans or blacks and Hispanics or Latinos continues to lag behind whites regardless of economic status. In fact, for 2007, the percentage of not economically disadvantaged African Americans or blacks (40 percent) and the percentage of not economically disadvantaged Hispanics or Latinos (42 percent) achieving proficient and advanced are nearly the same as the percentage of economically disadvantaged whites (41 percent) achieving proficient and advanced.
Mathematics
  • Overall, students in all grades and courses scoring at proficient and advanced levels in mathematics showed an increase of approximately 6 percent between 2003 and 2007 (see Table 5). However, the overall percentage of students scoring at proficient and advanced remains unchanged from last year.
  • The greatest improvements over the four-year period in achieving proficient and advanced were made by students in grades three (12 percent), four (12percent), five (14 percent), and seven (10 percent).
  • Modest declines were observed in grade 7 (-1), General Mathematics (-1), and Geometry (-2) from last year.
  • Nearly three-quarters of a million students took the algebra I test (see Table 6). Of the 741,152 students who took the algebra I test, 26 percent of the first-time test-takers scored proficient and advanced and 15 percent of the repeat test-takers scored proficient and advanced (see Table 5).
  • While all student subgroups have continued to improve since 2003, the gap in achievement between African Americans or blacks and whites and the gap in achievement between Hispanics or Latinos and whites remain unchanged (see Table 7).
  • The results listed in tables 8 and 9 show that the performance of African Americans or blacks and Hispanics or Latinos continues to lag behind whites regardless of economic status. In fact, for 2007, the percentage of not economically disadvantaged African Americans or blacks (30 percent) and the percentage of not economically disadvantaged Hispanics or Latinos (36 percent) achieving proficient and advanced is below the percentage of economically disadvantaged whites (38percent) achieving proficient and advanced.
Science
  • The percentage of students scoring at the proficient and advanced levels on the grade five science test has increased by 13 percent since 2004, and the percentages of students scoring at the proficient and advanced levels on the grades eight and ten science tests increased by 5 percent and 1 percent respectively since the tests were first administered in 2006 (see Table 10).
  • Overall, an increase of 2 percentage points was observed in the four-year period for the science end-of-course tests. Gains were noted in physics (7percent), earth sciences (5 percent), and integrated 1 (4 percent). No gains were seen for students taking the biology and chemistry tests, and a 1 percent loss was seen for students taking integrated 2 (see Table 11).
  • An overall 3-point increase in the percentage of students scoring at the proficient and advanced levels in the end-of-course tests was noted from last year.
  • Approximately 1.1 million students in grades nine through eleven took end-of-course tests in science in 2007. Since 2003, the number of students taking biology, chemistry, earth science, physics, and integrated 1 increased by 414,477 (see Table 12).
History–Social Science
  • The results for students on the history–social science tests were mixed. Since 2003, students taking the grade eight history–social science test scoring at proficient and advanced levels showed an increase of 8 percent, while students taking the grade eleven (U.S. history) test and the end-of-course world history test showed modest gains with increases of 1 and 2 percent respectively (see Table13).
  • Overall, the percentage of students scoring proficient and advanced remains unchanged from last year. Please note: prior to 2007 the world history test was a grade-level test for students in grade ten only. In 2007, students in grades nine, ten,and eleven took this test if they were completing a world history course.

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JACK O'CONNELL - STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
COMMUNICATIONS DIVISION - ROOM 5206 - 916-319-0818 - FAX 916-319-0111

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