State Releases 2010 Standardized Test Results

The state released Monday the results of the 2010 Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program, a report that showed overall improved scores for students in multiple subjects.

State Supt. of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell said that there has been a "significant gain" since the state began measuring student progress on such tests in 1998.

"For the eighth consecutive year, California's public school student performance has improved," O'Connell said in a statement. "Even as schools struggle with the ongoing state fiscal crisis, it is impressive that we are seeing sustained growth in proficiency."

The State Board of Education set five benchmarks to evaluate a student's score: "advanced," "proficient," "basic," "below basic" and "far below basic."

More than half of California students are proficient or advanced in English-language arts and nearly half scored at the same levels in math, O'Connell said.

The state will continue to focus on closing the achievement gap among students from ethnic minorities and low-income groups, O'Connell said.

He cited results that showed that the gap narrowed by 4 percent between Hispanic/Latino students and their white counterparts in English-language arts and math. The gap was 1 percent narrower for African American students for the same subjects.

"I remain concerned that we are not seeing similar narrowing trends among African American students and students of poverty," O'Connell said in the statement. "We must continue to seek and implement strategies that can help accelerate gains toward proficiency needed to narrow this academic chasm." 

The STAR test results measure English-language arts, mathematics, science and history-social science for grades 2-11.

About 4.7 million students participated in the 2010 program.

View Hermosa Beach schools' test results here at the California Department of Education website.

Coming soon: Patch is following up with local school results and reactions.