Last week’s release of the scores from the state Standardized Testing and Report, or STAR, exams showed some drops and gains in certain categories for Malibu schools. But overall, the local elementary schools earned scores far higher than the state averages, while Malibu High School received numbers closer to the state averages, but mostly above them.
The standardized tests were given to students in grades two through 11 in the spring. They are tested in English and math in all grades, with science and history testing included in some of the higher grades. Middle school and high school students were tested in science, math and history only for the level courses they had taken that year, with the exception being a general science exam given to fifth-, eighth- and 10th-graders. The state released various statistics from the exams, including how students performed on a scale ranging from “far below basic” to “advanced,” with the categories of “below basic,” “basic” and “proficient” between them.
Malibu High School, including the middle school students, was above the state average in most categories for the percentage of students receiving either proficient or advanced scores. The school was significantly above the state average for the percentage of students with at least proficient scores in English. The Malibu High scores were at least 24 percentage points higher than the state average in each grade level. The school’s biggest weakness was in math. Although Malibu High were above the state average in most categories, the school had fewer students receiving at least proficient scores than the state average in basic math for eighth- and ninth graders, 10th-grade algebra I and II, 10th-grade geometry and 11th-grade algebra II. Malibu High also received significantly higher scores in the history courses.
Webster Elementary School, like all the Malibu elementary schools, earned above the state average scores in all categories. Third-grade math had the highest gain from 2006, with the number of students earning at least proficient scores rising from 81 percent to 96 percent. The biggest drop came in fourth-grade English (86 percent to 72 percent) and fifth-grade English (91 percent to 74 percent).
Webster Principal Phil Cott said he was not concerned about the fluctuations, commenting that with a small population of 275 students, it should be expected. He said he is more concerned by what he called “the big picture,” which is the Academic Performance Index scores. These scores will be released at the end of the month, and indicate the academic performance and growth of California schools, with the STAR numbers being the most significant element in the scores. Schools are ranked on a scale of 200 to 1,000, with the state target being 800. All the Malibu schools regularly score above 800, with Webster earning a 917 last year.
“I just can’t kill myself worrying about this [STAR numbers] year to year,” Cott said. “I don’t want to read much into them. I look into the overall trends … Overall we’re very proud of the high level of achievement at Webster.”
Juan Cabrillo Elementary School saw large drops in English (85 percent to 67 percent and math (85 percent to 73 percent) for second-graders. But that still placed the school above the state average (48 percent for English and 59 percent for math). Juan Cabrillo’s largest gain was in fourth-grade math, rising from 56 percent to 71 percent.
Point Dume Marine Science Elementary School, which last year earned the highest API ranking of the Malibu schools, had its only double-digit percentage drop with second-grade English (78 percent to 68 percent) and math (88 percent to 77 percent). Its most significant rise was in fifth-grade science (57 percent to 86 percent). A noteworthy statistic for Point Dume was with fourth-grade and fifth-grade girls, with 100 percent of the students scoring proficient and above.
The full list of scores can be obtained online at the California Department of Education’s Web site at www.cde.ca.gov; click “STAR Test Results for 2007” on the right-hand side.