Test Scores

The ongoing SAT cheating scandal, where 20 former high school students from a wealthy Long Island community allegedly accepted money to impersonate current high school students for the purposes of taking the test for them, has cast a bright spotlight on the enormous pressure high school students feel to gain admission to the top colleges and universities. As an educator who works closely with high school-age students on a daily basis, this is a matter I have paid close attention to. While I in no way condone the alleged actions, a part of me can understand the driving force behind their decision.

Huntington Beach’s elementary schools kept their test scores significantly above county averages, with a spike upward in science results, while the Huntington Beach City School District inched upward across the board, according to results released this week. Results from this year’s Standardized Testing and Reporting, better known as STAR, program were released by the state last week. Only the raw test results are available now, but processed information based on these scores will be released over the weeks to come; that data is used by the state to judge academic progress of schools and districts, and it can affect their funding.

Andrew Edwards A new round of test scores released by the California Department of Education on Monday show almost all Surf City schools are improving their marks. The Annual Yearly Progress report is used to measure compliance with the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The report evaluates schools on performance on the Standardized Testing and Reporting test, the California High School Exit Examination, English and math proficiency and on updated statewide Academic Performance Index scores, also released Monday.

The Newport-Mesa Unified School District showed gains in most of its standardized test scores this year, with English and mathematics scores rising even as high school science scores took a distinct drop. District administrators hailed the scores as a sign of progress, noting that schools showed growth in English and math at every grade level and that some schools more than doubled their percentages of proficient and advanced scores from a year ago. "The magic of it all, the secret, is hard work -- making sure standards are taught at every grade level," said Supt.

Angelique Flores HUNTINGTON BEACH -- The Ocean View School District made mighty leaps in the state's standardized test scores released last week. The two schools with the highest jumps, Oak View and Sun View elementary schools, are the same schools that were identified as under-performing last year. From tests taken in the spring, the Academic Performance Index measured academic performance and growth in the schools from 200 to 1,000. The state's performance target is 800. If a school surpasses the state target, it's goal is to improve by 5% the next year.

Andrew Wainer ISSUE: AT-RISK STUDENTS Vote: None Summary: Students with failing grades who registered national percentile ranks below 40 on the Stanford Achievement Test were classified as being seriously at risk of retention. Those who had low test scores were also identified as being potentially at risk. Assistant Supt. Catherine Follett said teachers meet with parents of at-risk students in the fall to alert them to the problem. Principals are now reexamining their lists of seriously at-risk students and have removed those who have improved their grades to a C or better.

What is the biggest issue facing the school district? The biggest issue facing the school district is the state "borrowing" education funds and not funding schools at Proposition 98 levels. What can be done to keep test scores on the rise? To keep test scores on the rise students must receive the education that enables them to meet standards. As a trustee I would insure the resources of the district are directed to the classroom, and that funds are maintained for class size reduction.

RACE FOR HUNTINGTON BEACH UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT Name: Andrew Scott Patterson Age: 25 Occupation: Businessman, Auto Insurance Specialist Family: Fiancee, parents and sister. Community activities: Volunteer mentor at the Orange County Juvenile Hall; associate member of the Huntington Harbor Republican Women's Federation; volunteered in voter registration for Latin American Voters of America and registered voters for the Republican Party of Orange County; interned with Congressmen Ed Royce between 1998-99 and participated in breast cancer awareness by sponsoring annual fund-raisers.

The Huntington Beach Central Library and Kaplan are joining forces to hold a free full-length practice SAT/ACT practice test from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the library, 7111 Talbert Ave. The practice test will be followed by a workshop night, in which the test scores will be released, at 7 p.m. Aug. 20 for students and their parents. Only 50 students will be allowed to participate, so reservations are required. To make a reservation or for more information, call John Peterson from Kaplan at (949)

The ongoing SAT cheating scandal, where 20 former high school students from a wealthy Long Island community allegedly accepted money to impersonate current high school students for the purposes of taking the test for them, has cast a bright spotlight on the enormous pressure high school students feel to gain admission to the top colleges and universities. As an educator who works closely with high school-age students on a daily basis, this is a matter I have paid close attention to. While I in no way condone the alleged actions, a part of me can understand the driving force behind their decision.

Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley schools compared favorably to the state average in yearly academic performance rankings released Wednesday. The local school districts surpassed the state target score of 800 on the Academic Performance Index, which measures students' performance based on standardized tests. The Huntington Beach City School District rose from 889 to 895, the Huntington Beach Union High School District from 828 to 834, and the Ocean View School District from 857 to 868. The Fountain Valley School District fell slightly from 893 to 892. Across California, 55% of elementary schools, 43% of middle schools and 28% of high schools met or surpassed 800, according to a state news release.

A parent in the Ocean View School District has legally challenged the candidate statement of incumbent Trustee John Briscoe, who accused the district of declining test scores, illegal secret meetings and more in his filing with the Orange County Registrar of Voters. Parent Mary Beth Arnold petitioned for the registrar to change Briscoe's statement for the November ballot. The registrar has until Sept. 2 to make changes to ballot materials. An Orange County Superior Court judge heard the case Friday, although a court clerk said Tuesday that the order to change Briscoe's statement had not been officially signed yet. In the proposed order, the court ordered a number of comments removed from Briscoe's candidate statement, including repeated uses of the phrase "We can do better," plus references to the district having "declining test scores," "thievery of teaching minutes" caused by furlough days, "secret spending of public money," "illegal secret meetings" and more.

One of the more maddening stories I’ve covered as a reporter was the one about the school that got slapped with federal sanctions because one student failed a test. Under Adequate Yearly Progress, the tracking system implemented under No Child Left Behind, a certain percentage of students at each school must score as proficient or higher on standardized tests, and that goes for subgroups of students as well. At the school I covered, one too many students in the English-learner subgroup failed the English test, and because that left the subgroup just short of the required percentage, the entire campus was forced to make changes or risk federal takeover.

The Huntington Beach Central Library and Kaplan are joining forces to hold a free full-length practice SAT/ACT practice test from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the library, 7111 Talbert Ave. The practice test will be followed by a workshop night, in which the test scores will be released, at 7 p.m. Aug. 20 for students and their parents. Only 50 students will be allowed to participate, so reservations are required. To make a reservation or for more information, call John Peterson from Kaplan at (949)

With students back to school across Huntington Beach, data released by the state showed most schools made the cut, but two districts didn’t quite meet all state and federal targets. The state released its Growth Academic Performance Index (API) and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) reports Thursday, a significant measure of school success. The reports measure whether schools and districts improved enough on standardized tests in a variety of areas to meet federal No Child Left Behind targets.

Whenever you read about a well-spoken, successful student from your hometown, you can’t help but be proud. As any parent knows, much goes into producing a child who will foster that kind of reaction, continually surpassing expectations. Students, teachers and parents in the area should receive a pat on the back after recently released test results show that, on the whole, scores are improving Huntington Beach school districts, with a few exceptions in some subjects, kept their Standardized Testing and Reporting above county averages.

Huntington Beach’s elementary schools kept their test scores significantly above county averages, with a spike upward in science results, while the Huntington Beach City School District inched upward across the board, according to results released this week. Results from this year’s Standardized Testing and Reporting, better known as STAR, program were released by the state last week. Only the raw test results are available now, but processed information based on these scores will be released over the weeks to come; that data is used by the state to judge academic progress of schools and districts, and it can affect their funding.

It was 20 years ago when Sunday Heppner decided she had enough. “I went to the principal and told him that if I had another class like this I’d have to quit teaching,” she said. “I’d be a nervous wreck.” Her class of third-graders at Gilbert Elementary in Buena Park was like a runaway train, she recalled. The kids were more than just rowdy: They were unmanageable, she said. That was, until Heppner, a Huntington Beach resident, decided to take matters into her own hands.

How pleasant to see a positive, happy headline grace the top of the front page of the Pilot on Aug. 16. "Local schools post gains in test scores," the headline declared and was followed by: "District sees strong increases in math and English...." Let's give the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, principals, teachers and students some well-deserved credit. Critics may claim that the schools taught to the tests. But that is not a bad thing if you believe that success in today's ever more complex and rapidly changing society requires that people be competent in English and basic mathematics and that California educators designed their tests to assess these required skills.