Eagle Rock Schools' Test Scores Are a Mixed Bag (Part II)

Eagle Rock public school principals spent most of Thursday at an LAUSD District 4 principals’ conference, where they discussed the 2011 California Standards Testing scores and compared how local schools fared.

As Eagle Rock Patch reported Wednesday in an overview of the community’s three leading schools, the 2011 CST scores—made public Monday by the California Department of Education and are aimed at measuring how suitably students have mastered specific skills defined for each grade by the state of California—reflected that education in Eagle Rock public schools proved somewhat inconsistent.

scores brought bad news and good news. The bad news: Students in all grades scored consistently below (or just at) state averages on English Language Arts and Math. The good news: Students in most grades here outperformed last year’s Toland Way students.

Second graders scored 46 percent proficiency for English Language Arts, bettering last year’s scores by 15 percent; in Math, they scored 49 percent proficiency, beating last year’s students by 20 percent.

Third graders also showed consistent improvement. Their English Language Arts scores were at 44 percent, 14 percent better than 2010 students. The students also earned a Math proficiency of 72 percent, up 15 percent from last year.

But the academic achievements of the 2011 upper grades were mixed.

Fourth graders scored a 55-percent English Language Arts proficiency, down 6 percent from 2010. Their Math proficiency, at 61 percent, went down by 2 percent.

Fifth graders both ascended and declined, with English Language Arts scores reflecting a 59 percent proficiency (up 11 percent from last year) and Math scores dropping sharply from last year’s 70 percent proficiency to this year’s 46 percent.

Sixth graders showed a 15 percent improvement in Math, earning a 49 percent proficiency rate. But their English Language Arts scores declined to 45 percent, down 9 percent from their 2010 counterparts.

At , proficiency scores were mostly a mixed bag, with students showing both losses and gains in their academic achievement.

Second graders scored a solid 73 percent English Language Arts proficiency, showing up 2010 students by 9 percent. Their Math proficiency was at impressive 87 percent, 14 percent up from last year.

Third graders faced a traditionally challenging year, scoring only 54 percent proficiency in English Language Arts, down 8 percent from 2010, and 74 percent proficiency in Math, down 15 percent.

Fourth graders fared well, earning an 83 percent English Language Arts  proficiency, up 7 percent from 2010, and an 89 percent Math proficiency, inching up 3 percent.

Fifth graders mostly lost ground. This year’s English Language Arts proficiency scores slipped 9 percent to 66 percent proficiency; Science also dropped 9 percent to 66 percent proficiency. But Math scores were up 2 percent, reflecting an 80 percent proficiency.

Six graders did fine, scoring a 78 percent English Language Arts proficiency, up 7 percent from 2010; and declined by only 1 percent in Math, earning a 72 percent proficiency.

Let’s hope that when Eagle Rock principals knocked heads together at their conference today they generated significant ideas and strategies that will bring about consistent improvement in all of our neighborhood schools. Check back for local educators thoughts on how they plan to improve learning in 2012.