Santa Clara County Students Continue
Trend of Outperforming Peers Statewide
SAN JOSE, CA – Students in Santa Clara County continued
their trend of outperforming students statewide on the 2006 California Standards
Tests, according to results analyzed by the Santa Clara County Office of Education.
Fifty-four percent of Santa Clara County students in grades 2-11 were proficient or advanced in English/Language, compared to 42 percent statewide. Sixty-one percent of county students in grades 2-7 were proficient or advanced in math, as compared to 40 percent statewide. The same trend also was seen in science and social science results.
In addition to scoring higher than their statewide counterparts, county students also kept up a trend of improving in most grade-level scores from year to year. For example, in math, the number of third-graders scoring proficient and advanced has increased from 58 percent in 2003, to 68 percent in 2006.
Although the results were predominantly positive for Santa Clara County both in comparison to peers statewide, and in rate of improvement, a couple of areas of concern remain. The so-called achievement gap—the distance in performance among some ethnic groups—has not diminished. Also, in a couple of cases, some subgroups scored slightly lower than did their state counterparts.
"We can be proud that the performance of Santa Clara County students puts them among the elite of California schools," said Dr. Colleen Wilcox, county superintendent of schools. "But we also have to revitalize our efforts to close the achievement gap, and make sure that no group lags behind their fellow students."
The scores were for tests taken in spring 2006. The California Department of Education released the data to the public today. To view the SCCOE analysis, follow this link.
Date last updated: August 15, 2006
taken from:
http://www.sccoe.k12.ca.us/newsandfacts/newsreleases/2006-07/news081506.asp