Local schools perform well in state tests

Mountain Area schools continue to perform well above the 50th percentile as evidenced in the 2002 STAR [Standardized Testing and Reporting] released last week by the state Department of Education.

The tests making up the STAR program, the Stanford Achievement Test, Ninth Edition [SAT 9]; the California Standards test; and the Spanish Assessment of Basic Education, were taken by students last spring. The accompanying grid shows the scores, for comparison, for both the 2001 and 2002 tests for schools in Eastern Madera County.

The scores reflect the estimated percentage of students scoring in the top half of students nationwide. Schools in Eastern Madera County not shown on the chart either did not take the test or had fewer than 11 students taking the test in a least one grade in the school.

Bass Lake School District did very well for the sixth year in a row, said Michael MacChesney, superintendent of Bass Lake School District.

“We are proud of Oak Creek Intermediate again for being one of the highest-scoring intermediate schools in the San Joaquin Valley,” he said.

Overall, added Dr. MacChesney, “we have a pattern in growth so students achieve more as they go through the grades, so by the time they get to seventh or eighth, they are scoring comparable or better than Clovis Unified.”

Naturally, he said, “our goal is to have every child on grade level.

Chawanakee District

Bob Owen, acting superintendent of Chawanakee School District, said that the STAR reporting is in a new form this year and that districts should not to make comparisons. He said many components go into the California Standards test and those components change each year causing ups and downs from year to year.

The scores, he said, “should be treated with a healthy dose of skepticism.” While Chawanakee’s scores are “fairly good and in line with other districts in the area, I don’t think anyone should over-interpret them.”

He also cautioned people not to “judge any school or child on a set of numbers. We are more than the sum of a numerical report.”

Missing from the Minarets High School scores on the accompanying grid are the science and social science scores for 2002 which are 37 and 47, respectively; and for 2001, which are 54 and 58 respectively. Minarets unified with Chawanakee this summer.

Coarsegold reports

“As a district were are very pleased with the outcome of the STAR test results,” says Bill McCabe, superintendent of Coarsegold Elementary School District. “There are areas of growth that can be contributed to our staff, parents and students and areas of improvement where we will have work on to maximize every student’s potential.”

He says the tests go “up and down all over the place. We will look at the highs and lows and develop means to improve.”

All districts credited the support of parents, principals and teachers who focus on academic achievement for the good scores. Additonally, Dr. MacChesney said, “We have great kids, how can you go wrong.”

The Academic Performance Index [API] test results have not yet been computed. This year there will be two APIs. The first will be this fall and will compare this year’s most recent test to that of 2001. Then in February there will be a base 2002 API what will be compared to next year’s score.

“It has to do with the evolving nature of what is in the test,” said Mr. Owen of Chawanakee. “The content of the test is shifting.”