June 28, 19991998-99 SAT 9 Scores - By School
TEST SCORES SHOW SDCS STUDENTS ABOVE NATIONAL AVERAGE IN READING
English-speaking students in San Diego City Schools scored consistently above the national norm in reading and mathematics at nearly every grade level tested for the second consecutive year on the SAT 9 (Stanford Achievement Test, Ninth Edition), the state’s mandated achievement test.
The SAT 9 results are reported as national percentiles. A national percentile compares a student’s and the district’s results with scores at the same grade by students tested at the same time of the school year in a national sample. A percentile rank of 50 is established for each test based on the average score achieved by students in the national study.
Preliminary data show scores for English proficient students above average in all grades tested, second through eleventh, in mathematics and in reading in grades 2 through 8 and 11. Reading scores in grades 9 and 10 for English proficient students were slightly below the national norm, which is the 50th percentile.
Scores for English Proficient Students in Reading
GRADE 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1999 59 59 57 58 59 56 58 47 47 51 1998 53 52 54 57 57 56 55 47 43 48 CHANGE +6 +7 +3 +1 +2 0 +3 0 +4 +3
Scores for English Proficient Students in Mathematics
GRADE 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1999 64 66 56 57 62 55 53 59 54 58 1998 59 56 52 56 61 55 52 58 48 52 CHANGE +5 +10 +4 +1 +1 0 +1 +1 +6 +6 Scores for all students in the district, which includes English proficient students as well as limited English speakers (LEP), showed gains over last year, the first year of the test, at nine of the 10 grade levels tested in reading and all grade levels in mathematics.
Scores for All Students in Reading
GRADE 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1999 49 47 43 44 46 42 47 36 35 40 1998 43 39 41 42 44 41 44 36 33 39 CHANGE +6 +8 +2 +2 +2 +1 +3 0 +2 +1
Scores for All Students in Mathematics
GRADE 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1999 57 58 47 47 52 46 46 52 47 51 1998 50 47 43 46 49 45 43 50 43 47 CHANGE +7 +11 +4 +1 +3 +1 +3 +2 +4 +4 "It is still too early in our analysis to determine the factors that contributed to the increases," Bersin said, "but it appears that smaller classes in kindergarten through third grade and the implementation of the three-hour literacy block in elementary schools are paying dividends for San Diego students." The three-hour literacy block was introduced last September as the first major emphasis of the district’s Institute for Learning, which is charged with curriculum development and implementation and teaching, and requires all teachers in elementary schools to devote three hours daily to the teaching of reading and other literacy-based skills.
"The scores also show us that we are on the right track in secondary grades by developing two-hour literacy blocks for all sixth grade students at middle schools, and for seventh graders at junior high schools and ninth grade students who are below average," Bersin said. He noted that the lowest reading scores for the "all students’ category as well as for English proficient students are in grades 9 and 10. The new approach of two-hour blocks devoted to literacy in secondary schools will be implemented when school starts Sept. 7.
Scores for limited English speakers (also called English Language Learners or Limited English Proficient students) also showed gains over the previous year.
Scores for English Language Learners in Reading
GRADE 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1999 28 23 22 22 25 22 27 20 17 19 1998 22 17 18 16 17 13 16 10 7 10 CHANGE +6 +6 +4 +6 +8 +9 +11 +10 +10 +9
Scores for English Language Learners in Mathematics
GRADE 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 1999 42 41 32 32 34 33 33 39 34 39 1998 33 31 26 24 25 22 22 26 22 24 CHANGE +9 +10 +6 +8 +9 +11 +11 +13 +12 +15 Students took the SAT 9 earlier this spring as part of the state’s mandatory testing for students in grades 2 through 11.
Despite the district’s emphasis this past school year on literacy, scores in mathematics improved in the "all students" category. "We are very pleased to see the rise in math scores," Bersin said, "especially since some observers had feared our emphasis on literacy would curtail academic growth in this area."
The SAT 9 was introduced statewide in 1998 to help measure how well students are learning basic academic skills. It requires testing in English of all students in grades 2 through 11 using a nationally normed, multiple choice test. Spanish-speaking students who first enrolled in a California public school less than 12 months prior to the test, or who were enrolled in a Spanish Bilingual/Alternate Language Program or an English Language Immersion Program were given the state-mandated Spanish Assessment of Basic Education, Second Edition (SABE/2). Results of those achievement tests are not yet available.
Each student’s test results will be sent to parents in mid-July. In San Diego, the SAT 9 results are used with student grades, portfolios and other performance indicators to measure student achievement more accurately.
While Bersin was pleased with the moderate increases, he remains guarded about achievement levels for students who are not proficient in English. "Our community expects improved student achievement for all of our students, with no exceptions and no excuses. While the preliminary data indicates growth for most of our students above the national norm, we can and must do better, especially for students for whom English is not their native language."
The student population used for establishing the average score is markedly different from the student population in San Diego City Schools, the nation’s eighth largest urban school district. The national population contains 2 percent limited English proficient students, while 28 percent of San Diego’s students fall into this category. Nationally, 37 percent of the students are minority, compared with 72 percent in San Diego; 29 percent are economically disadvantaged, compared with 62 percent, and 4 percent are special education, compared with 8 percent locally.
