Oak Park stellar in STAR school tests

The Oak Park Board of Education is celebrating the school district’s high marks on both of the state-mandated standardized tests that were given to students during the past school year.

Last week, the California Department of Education released the scores of the California Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) test and the California High School Exit Examination.

The STAR test, taken by all students from second to 11th grade, was created to ensure students throughout California “are achieving state-adopted content standards in English language arts, mathematics, history, social science and science,” according to state officials.

Based on their scores, students are either considered advanced, proficient, basic, below basic or far below basic. The overall scores are then used to determine the school’s Academic Performance Index rating. That index number, which is due out later this month, helps ensure a school is making sufficient growth from one year to the next as mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act.

If a school does not make sufficient growth, students at the school may transfer to a higher performing school. An underperforming school that does not show the needed improvement may also be taken over by the state.

In Oak Park, however, high performance is standard.

Over 78 percent of Oak Park students from second to 11th grade were considered proficient or above in English. The fourth grade posted a remarkable 88 percent English proficiency. No grades had less than 70 percent of the students proficient in English.

Among students between second and seventh grade, 76 percent were proficient or better in math. The type of math test taken by students between the eighth and 11th grades is determined by the math class the student is currently taking.

A majority of eighth graders took the Algebra I test and scored nearly 85 percent proficient or above. The majority of ninth graders taking the same test posted 47 percent proficiency.

Statewide, only 40 percent of students were proficient or above in English. Only 38 percent were proficient or higher in math.

The high school exit exam is a relatively new state-mandated exam that students must pass to earn a high school diploma. The exit exam was created in an effort to raise students’ overall high school achievement, as well as to certify that graduates “can demonstrate competency in reading, writing and mathematics,” according to the state officials. It is also used to help determine a school’s Academic Performance Index rating.

The exit exam covers both English and math. The English portion of the exam tests for vocabulary and reading comprehension. In addition, students must write an essay.

The math portion of the test covers a broad range of topics, including questions about Algebra I, statistics, measurement and geometry. Students must also show a basic understanding of decimals, fractions and percentages.

At Oak Park High School, 96 percent of the students passed the English portion of the test, while 99 percent passed the math. The exit exam results include the school’s special needs students.

The district also has students at Oak View High School, the continuation high school, and Oak Park Independent School, the school that oversees homeschooled students.

Combined, 83 percent of the students in the district passed math and 96 percent passed English.

In Ventura County, 71 percent of all students passed the math and English portions of the exit exam. In California, 63 percent passed the math and 65 percent passed the English portions of the exit exam.