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City Beat
STAR test results look good for schools
Officials predict that nearly all of SJUSD schools will meet performance goals
By Chantal Lamers
Teachers, principals and administrators from San Jose Unified School District have been patting themselves on the back since scores from the statewide STAR test were released by the California Department of Education on July 17. Scores show that students are slowly improving districtwide, but the real stars of this test are elementary students.
Students in grades two through 11 take the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) each spring. The scores are used to measure each school's progress under the state's Public Schools Accountability Act, passed in April 1999. STAR scores will be used to determine each school's Academic Performance Index.
Index scores are used to determine whether schools meet state-mandated goals. PSAA requires that schools increase scores by 5 percent each year. Schools that close that gap could be rewarded with a $150 bonus per student. Schools that continue to lag behind could face a state takeover.
Aaron Buchanan, SJUSD director of educational accountability, predicts that this year almost all of SJUSD's 30 schools will meet their API. Buchanan says several schools have made huge gains in the API, including Willow Glen Elementary School.
According to SJUSD, the percentage of students scoring at or above national average on the STAR test increased by 4 to 5 percentage votes. Though district officials boast this score is notable since 30 percent of SJUSD students aren't proficient in English.
Within a week or so, the state is expected to release STAR scores that are broken down by ethnic group or by English proficiency, Buchanan says.
While SJUSD high school students only increased their scores by 1 percent and middle school students raised their scores 3 percent, elementary students scored above the national average and increased their scores 7 to 8 percent.
Willow Glen Elementary School students raised their overall math and English scores significantly. Students raised their English scores 2 to 7 percent. Math scores were increased from 1 to 9 percent.
Willow Glen Elementary Principal Anita Senseri says students in grades three through five have really focused on improving math skills. Senseri says that in addition to their regular math program, students take practice tests throughout the week and real tests each Friday.
Senseri says teachers at Willow Glen Elementary have also focused on improving students' vocabularies. Teachers and administrators believe that if a student's vocabulary skills improve, reading skills will follow.
Senseri says that teachers meet once a month and discuss test-taking, standard-building strategies that have been successful in the classroom. Senseri says her teachers' teamwork has a lot to do with the school's improving scores.
Other schools making significant English and math improvements include Booksin and River Glen Elementary schools.
SJUSD Board Member Carol Myers says district administrators and teachers have been working hard to keep scores rising. "The pressure on everybody is really unfair," she says.
Myers says when scores don't go up, it's easy to become discouraged. "What do you do? You keep going back to the drawing board and look at the areas where you need to work harder."
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
