OC students take 2007-08 star exam

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/students-percent-passed-2123357-tests-algebra
Orange County’s public school students in 2007-08 made modest gains for the sixth straight year on slew of standardized tests aimed at measuring how well they are learning math, English and other core subjects, according to figures released today.
Between 44 and 63 percent of students in grades two through 11 scored proficient, the passing rate, or better in English on the California Standards Tests. Between 50 and 65 percent of students in math in grades two through seven passed.
On average, that’s an improvement of about 2 percentage points over the previous year in both subjects.
Students were also tested in world history, biology, chemistry, physics and other subjects. Students in grades 8 through 11 were tested in Algebra I, Algebra II, geometry or in the other math courses they were enrolled in.
About 380,000 across the county took the standards tests this spring, while about 4.8 million students statewide were tested. Orange County students outperformed peers statewide – with a passing rate 5 to 10 percentage points higher – in English and math.
In other subjects, the differences were more drastic:
Local eighth-graders passed Algebra I at a 59 percent rate, while about 42 percent of eighth-graders passed statewide.
In chemistry, 50 percent of county students passed, but only 32 percent of state students did. And 66 percent of local students passed physics, while 42 percent passed across the state.
Both state and local figures showed that the passing rates in high school in English, sciences and advanced math decreased in the higher grades. For example, 59 percent of freshman in the county passed in English, but only 47 percent of juniors did.
The results also showed that more students are taking higher math courses like algebra and geometry at an earlier age. The number of students tested in the eighth-grade in Algebra I, 17,000, is nearly double the number from 2003.
Last month, the state board of education approved a plan to require all eighth-graders to be enrolled in Algebra I within the next three years.
The standards tests are the main component used by the state to measure if students are learning grade appropriate skills. The tests are also a key ingredient in a schools Academic Performance Index. API scores will be released Sept. 4.
Also released today were scores for the California Achievement Test, Sixth Edition, which measures how students compare nationally, and tests designed for students with disabilities and those still learning English.
All the tests are part of the state’s Standardized Testing and Reporting system, or STAR.