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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

Thursday, August 16, 2007