(August 30, 2002) -- Highly anticipated test rests (2002 "Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program) for 4.7 million CA students in grades 2 through 11 were released yesterday and LB Unified School District's results were not among them...but will be in about a month.

"The 2002 district and school results will not be available until the second Internet posting on September 27. To test all students within the state required testing window, some schools were testing during July and August. Tests submitted for scoring after July 1, 2002, are still being processed," says the CA Dept. of Education web site.

The thirty day delay reflects LBUSD's multi-track school schedule. Last year, LBUSD explained (as reported by LBReport.com) that a state law lets school districts wait until 85% of the school days in the school year have actually been taught before testing students. LBUSD noted last year that the "impact of later testing is later test results" and the delay in reporting the results is part of an effort to measure more fairly what students have been taught.

Last year, LBUSD was the only CA school district to do this. This year, four others (plus LBUSD) have.

In spring 2002, students in grades 2 through 8 took the reading, mathematics, language arts, and spelling parts of the SAT-9 (Stanford Achievement Test, 9th edition). In grades 9, 10, and 11, students didn't take spelling but took tests in science and history-social science.

The CA Dept. of Education notes that results include first-year data for standards-based tests in mathematics in grades 2 through 11, and science and history-social science in grades 9 through 11. Results are reported as "advanced," "proficient," "basic," "below basic," and "far below" basic, with "proficient" as the goal for all students.

However statewide, only about 30% percent of students scored at the proficient level or higher.

In a comment some parents and taxpayers may find remarkable, a CA Dept. of Education press release says of roughly 70% of students scoring at less than proficient level:

"While this may seem, at first glance, somewhat disappointing, it reflects the state’s rigorous standards and high expectations for student performance, and sets the baseline for comparing student performance on state standards in future years."

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin is quoted in the release as saying:

"Significantly, the percent of students performing at the lowest levels decreased in grades 2 through 5. This shows that our low-achieving students are moving up in the elementary grades where the biggest reform efforts have taken place."

The release notes that statewide, scores on the Stanford Achievement Test, 9th edition, Form T (SAT-9) for 2002 "generally improved compared to 2001. Reading scores improved in grades 2 through 6, with more than 54 percent of all students scoring above the 50th percentile in grade 2. Student reading scores in the middle and upper grades were essentially flat. In mathematics, SAT-9 scores were higher in every grade, with 3 and 4 point increases common in elementary school. Three elementary grades showed more than 60 percent of students scoring above the 50th percentile. Increases in middle and high schools were more modest, but consistent."