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SAN DIEGO – Fourth and eighth graders in San Diego Unified have improved test scores in the last four years by as much as 15 percent according to results of the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) test released November 15.
Called the “Nation’s Report Card,” the exams, which are designed to measure math and reading proficiency nationwide, showed that since 2003 San Diego Unified’s fourth graders have raised their scores 15 percent in math and 3 percent in reading. Eighth graders have increased scores by 8 percent in math and 3 percent in reading from 2003-07.
Of the 11 school districts participating in 2007, only the Charlotte-Mecklenburg (N.C.) Schools and Austin (Tex.) ISD districts had better scores on the 2007 exams than San Diego Unified.
The tests, part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress by the US Department of Education, have been given on odd-numbered years to a sample of students in 11 districts across the nation. The standardized exams are designed to provide consistent information nationwide on student achievement. San Diego Unified has had 71 schools participating. The district’s participation is voluntary.
Participating districts are: Atlanta City, Austin ISD, Boston School District, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, City of Chicago School District 299, Cleveland Municipal School District, Houston ISD, Los Angeles Unified, New York City Public Schools and San Diego Unified.
In San Diego Unified, grade 4 students at proficient or above in mathematics increased from 20 percent in 2003 to 35 percent in 2007; an 8-percentage point gain was reported for public schools nationally and for large central city schools, while overall California public schools only increased by 5 points.
Grade 8 proficiency rose from 18 percent in 2003 to 24 percent in 2007, surpassing gains nationally and in California, while equaling growth demonstrated by large school districts. San Diego proficiency levels in mathematics, at or below state and national large central city levels in 2003, equaled or surpassed those of both groups in 2007.
In reading, San Diego Unified’s fourth graders at proficient or above increased from 22 percent in 2003 to 25 in 2007 while in grade 8, the increase was from 20 to 23 percent.
Out of 11 participating urban districts nationwide, San Diego’s scale score averages were either fourth or fifth highest overall for both grades and subject areas. In general, districts performing better than San Diego (Charlotte, Austin, New York City for Grade 4; Charlotte, Austin, Houston, Boston for Grade 8) had smaller percentages of English learners and tended to exclude more students with disabilities and English learners from testing.
More information is available on the web site of the National Center for Educational Statistics, http://nces.ed.gov/.
