After several years of marked gains, most public elementary schools in California posted lower scores or showed no improvement this year on standardized English and math tests, according to data released Monday.
State officials tried to make the best of the disappointing results, pointing out that scores remained significantly higher than they did at the beginning of the current testing program four years ago.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Wednesday August 18, 2004 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 35 words Type of Material: Correction
Test scores -- In Tuesday's California section, a chart that accompanied an article about California's public school test results contained an incorrect Web address for obtaining more information about the results. The correct address: www.latimes.com/schoolscores
But fewer than half of the state's elementary schools showed any increases this year, compared with the nearly 90% that improved last year, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis that combined English and math scores.
Middle schools showed little change this year on the tests that are tied to the state's academic content standards. High schools continued to struggle; only one-quarter did better this year, significantly worse than the previous year.
The slowdown put a dent in the state's efforts to meet new demands under the federal No Child Left Behind education law. It requires all students to be proficient in English and math within a decade.
Even after the increases of the last several years, far less than half of California students are proficient in English-language arts or math. For example, just 30% of third-graders were proficient in English, down three points from last year. And only 35% of sixth-graders were proficient in math, up one point from last year.
"This is not where we want to be. This is not where we hoped we would be," said Jack O'Connell, state superintendent of public instruction. "These scores should be viewed as a wake-up call for us all."
Educators cited several factors to explain the lackluster performance, including budget cuts that have eroded teacher training programs and increases in the numbers of students who are still learning English.
Experts also said the results followed a familiar pattern found in other testing programs across the country: Scores begin to trail off about three years after new exams are introduced as schools' initial focus and enthusiasm begin to fade.
"The first year or two it was brand new. People were really trying to make it work," said Eva Baker, co-director of UCLA's Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards and Student Testing. "Now the motivation is at a different place. No matter how hard we work, we're getting incremental" change.
