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 Closing the Achievement Gap - Initiatives, Projects, & Programs 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*

*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*

*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*

Table 4: Percentages of Not Economically Disadvantaged
Students Scoring at Proficient and Above*

*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*

*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*

*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*

*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*

Table 9: Percentages of Not Economically Disadvantaged
Students Scoring at Proficient and Above*

*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†

*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*

*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*

*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†

†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 artsGrades 2 – 11
• MathematicsGrades 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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