Scores illustrate disparities among district schools
Results of state-mandated tests taken by all Santa Monica students last school year revealed scores have improved steadily at all grade levels and in each subject matter over the past four years.
The results of the SAT-9 — a state-mandated exam administered to students to gauge their understanding of subject matter in math, language and reading — were released this week by the Santa Monica- Malibu Unified School District. The tests indicated the district’s students were performing at or above the national average in almost every grade and subject matter.
“We are going to be focusing even tighter on certain programs, such as literacy in K-12,” said Superintendent John Deasy. “We have a sense of what is working now and how to bring that to scale to all children.”
“We have a sense of what is working now and how to bring that to scale to all children.” — — JOHN DEASY SMMUSD Superintendent
The mean national percentile scores from the exam taken in the district's ten elementary schools ranged from the 81st percentile in fifth grade math to the 70th percentile in fourth grade reading. These scores significantly exceed those of most school districts in the nation, according to district officials.
Scores continued to rise at the district's middle schools at all subject grade levels compared to four years ago. The mean national percentile scores ranged from the 76th percentile in sixth grade math to the 66th percentile in eighth grade math. The percentage of middle school students scoring at least at the 50th national percentile ranged from 77 percent in the eighth grade language exam to 66 percent in eighth grade math exam.
While a few scores only held constant at both Santa Monica and Malibu high schools, the vast majority improved. Malibu 10th graders, for example, improved by double digit scores when compared to four years ago.
The mean national percentile scores ranged from the 73rd percentile in ninth grade math to the 47th percentile in 10th grade reading.
When compared to four years ago, scores at the high schools improved in six of the nine grade categories and held essentially stable in the others. The percentages of students scoring above the 50th national percentile ranged from 71 percent in ninth grade math to 51 percent in 10th grade reading.
Stephen Frankel, the district’s director of standards, assessment and data, said the increases would have been more drastic if compared to lower test scores from five years ago.
“This is a very conservative presentation,” he said. “But since 1999 was when our efforts became focused at all schools, we opted to use that year as our baseline (for comparisons).”
The test scores also illustrated the disparities between schools within the school district.
For example, students from Franklin Elementary School, which is located in one of Santa Monica’s wealthiest neighborhoods, posted scores in the high-80s and low-90s. Meanwhile, students at Edison Elementary, a bilingual school located in one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods, scored in the low-to-mid 40s to the low-60s.
However, Edison — along with John Muir Elementary — also had some of the district’s greatest gains in test scores over the past four years. There were double-digit gains in at every grade level except for third grade students at Edison, and math scores at John Muir improved by more than 30 points in every grade.
At this rate of improvement, Deasy said he has high expectations for the district’s students.
“We would expect to see us achieve our long-term goal of (having test scores) in the low 90s for all students,” he said. “That would be a phenomenal achievement for us to do.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 29, 2002. Read the original PDF.