Schools

San Ramon Valley Students Improve Their Standardized Test Scores

STAR scores continued to increase for East Bay students, though an achievement gap persists between white and Asian students and their black, Latino or low-income peers.

San Ramon Valley students scored remarkably higher than the state average in English and math, according to just-released standardized test results.

The overall region also came out ahead in the 2011 Standardized Testing and Reporting assessment known as STAR, which evaluated 4.7 million California students in core subjects like language, math, history and science.

Fifty-four percent of East Bay students scored proficient or better in English-language arts and 50 percent were proficient or better in math, according to figures released Monday by the California Department of Education.

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students left those averages in the dust. More than 84 percent of them scored at grade-level or higher in English and 78.5 percent in math.

In Contra Costa County, where 128,000 students were tested, 61 percent scored at least proficient in English and 55 percent proficient or better in math. Alameda County scores were nearly the same: 60 percent were proficient or better in language and 55 percent in math among the 162,410 tested.

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Students in second through 11th grades are tested in several subjects and ranked by the following levels: far below basic, below basic, basic, proficient or advanced.

Both state and East Bay scores are the highest since the program launched in 2003. That first year, just 35 percent of California students ranked proficient in math and English.

“The significant and sustained improvements we’ve seen for nine consecutive years prove how hard teachers, school employees, administrators and parents are working to help students achieve despite budget cuts that have affected our schools,” State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson said in a statement. “Their heroic teamwork is paying off for California.”

Racial, economic achievement gap

Though overall test scores increased, an achievement gap remains.

Black and Latino students continue to lag behind their white and Asian peers. Students from poor families or those for whom English is a second language also struggle to keep up, numbers show.

STAR scores are used to come up with schools' Academic Performance Index and Adequate Yearly Progress report. Dropout and exit exam rates also factor into the API and AYP assessments.

The San Ramon Valley district clocked a dropout rate of 2.3 percent. That's compared to a statewide rate of 18.2 percent.

Dropout rates were released Friday; those for the California High School Exit Exam are due out next week and the AYP and API scores will be released on Aug. 31.

San Ramon Valley Unified

  • 84.7 percent tested at grade-level or higher in English; 78.5 percent in math;
  • 22,621 students took the test;
  • Click this link for Cal High's scores; and this one for Dougherty Valley High's scores; and keep clicking to see those for San Ramon Valley and Monte Vista high schools.
  • Among the 5,838 Asian test-takers, 92.3 scored proficient or higher in English and 95.8 in math
  • Of the 488 black test-takers, 65.3 ranked grade-lever or higher in English and 62.5 in math

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the dropout rate for SRVUSD as 12.9 percent. The correct figure is 2.3 percent.


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