Elk Grove students ace Algebra 1 test as STAR scores rise

Every one of the 118 seventh- and eighth-graders in Mark Freathy and Mary Chung's classes at Elizabeth Pinkerton Middle School in Elk Grove was rated advanced or proficient in Algebra I, according to California Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) scores released Tuesday.

"I've never seen this in my career," said Principal Patrick McDougall. "I've had one in the high 90s, but it's the first time a school I've been associated with has had 100 percent."

And, of the 118 students in the school's Algebra I classes, 93 were rated advanced, including every single one of the 20 seventh-graders who were taking the course.

STAR scores measure how well students meet state standards in English-language arts, math, science and history-social science. Students in the second through 11th grades are scored as advanced, proficient, basic, below basic and far below basic.

The STAR results released this week show that California students made progress in math, science, English-language arts and history-social science, said state schools Superintendent Jack O'Connell.

He said half the state's students are now proficient in English-language arts, compared with 35 percent in 2003. Statewide, students gained four percentage points in English-language arts competency compared with last year.

The state's students increased their overall math scores by three percentage points compared with last year, with 45 percent scoring proficient or advanced. That is 10 percentage points higher than the 35 percent of seven years ago.

Since 2003, 655,826 more California students have become proficient in English-language arts and 509,220 more have become proficient in math, O'Connell said.

"Every year, more and more students have been attaining the skills and knowledge to help them compete not just in school but in the global economy," O'Connell said Tuesday.

The gap in achievement between whites and Latinos has narrowed a little statewide, but not between whites and African Americans. Latino students closed the gap in English-language arts by one percentage point, but still remain thirty-one percentage points behind white students. Latino and white students are 21 points apart in math for a second year.

African American students and white students made equal gains in English and math this year, leaving a 31-point achievement gap between them in English and 27 points in math.

O'Connell called closing the achievement gap the top priority of the state Department of Education and "the biggest civil rights issue of this generation."

Elizabeth Pinkerton Middle School has a diverse mix of students – 42 percent white, 18 percent African American, 18 percent Latino and 13 percent Asian, among others.

McDougall is proud of the inaugural STAR test scores for the school, which opened in 2008. But he credits teachers Freathy and Chung for the students' success.

"It's not by luck," McDougall said. "They work very well together and spend a lot of afternoons fine-tuning things and work really hard at their craft."

Algebra isn't required until the ninth grade, but recent discussions about making it mandatory in eighth grade may have helped ramp up instruction in early grades. McDougall says he knows of some fourth-grade classes where teachers are beginning to introduce elementary algebra.

"Students are definitely coming in more prepared than 10 years ago," he said.

English-language arts scores also rose this year, and the fourth-grade class at Miller's Hill Elementary in the Latrobe School District ranked among the highest locally. The class of 19 students had 89 percent rated advanced and 11 percent proficient.

Located in the Sierra foothills near El Dorado Hills, Miller's Hill School teaches fourth- through eighth-graders. Superintendent Jean Pinotti attributes the school's success to a consistent curriculum through grade levels and a dedicated staff that makes sure no child falls through the cracks.

"We recognize that each child is special and it takes the entire community to help them find success," she said.

Students at Miller's Hill are required to carry a daily planner and reading log and to take character education classes.

Pinotti said the school has focused recently on ensuring that every third-grader is reading at or above grade level. And summer school has been eliminated so that funding could be funneled into an after-school tutoring program.

"If you having a problem with a concept in September, what good does it do to wait until summer?" Pinotti said.

On Tuesday, O'Connell expressed concerns about next year's test scores. He said he hopes that recent budget cuts won't hamper efforts to narrow the achievement gap.

"We have world-class content standards. We have high expectations for all students. But we're funding education like a Third World country," O'Connell said.