Low-income students warrant high praise for state test scores
By PAM WIGHT Special to the Daily Press
Local students, particularly from low-income families, are getting smarter.
That’s according to recently released results from the California High School Exit Exam and state assessments, which show Santa Monica and Malibu students had significantly higher averages in passing exams than students statewide.
The largest difference between the district and state scores came in the category of “low income,” with the Santa Monica-Malibu School District showing a 23-point higher pass rate than the state averages. The group also showed a significant improvement between 2003 and 2004 in fourth grade through seventh grade, as well as ninth grade.
“We will not be satisfied,” said Superintendent of Schools John Deasy, “until we reach the point where every child has access to high quality and rigorous coursework — and then achieves proficiency on the state standards. We emphatically believe that every child in the district can and will be wholly successful in their educational career.”
The California Standards Test is the primary component of the exams and is seen nationally as one of the most rigorous. Results showed that overall, 89 percent of district students passed mathematics and 91 percent passed English-Language Arts, while state and county scores were 15 to 18 percentage points lower. give detail to a bland statistical picture. Students are scored in categories, such as language and income level. It reveals that English as a Second Language (ESL) students, or those whose first language is not English, also performed better than the state averages. In the math and English tests, local students passed at rates about 15 percent higher than state and county students.
California Schools Superintendent Jack O’Connell notes that the scores should also be seen in the context of large budget cuts to education over recent years.
“K-12 education has been cut in California by $49 billion over the last three years,” he said. “This is a significant loss to our system and next year’s budget offers no relief.”
Deasy credits the Santa Monica and Malibu communities with helping to prevent a portion of the state funding loss through last year’s Measure S initiative, or the “Parcel Tax.” The tax, which will generate $6.5 million annually for six years, will help pay for specific educational programs, which were discontinued in many other cities.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 1, 2004. Read the original PDF.