Santa Maria Valley students' performance on standardized tests in science improved dramatically from the previous year, according to the statewide Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) results released Thursday.

Overall, students also made strides in English and math, though history scores took a dive in two local school districts.

The Santa Maria Joint Union High School District saw gains in all four subjects, while Santa Maria-Bonita and Orcutt Union School District students improved in every subject area except history, where their scores dropped.

Guadalupe Union School District students' scores fell slightly in the critical English/language arts category, though their history scores improved by the biggest margin in any local district.

The tests are a critical component when the state measures the progress of its students.

“We're looking to make sure we're making growth. That's one of the things with the scores that were released today, is that we're making progress,” Santa Maria-Bonita spokeswoman Maggie White said.

California Standards Tests (CST) produce separate scores to measure students' mastery of English/language arts, mathematics, science and history/social science.

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Under the STAR program, students' scores on their CST are assigned one of five proficiency levels: advanced, proficient, basic, below basic and far below basic.

The state's ultimate goal is for all California students to reach the proficient or advanced level for every subject in order to meet state growth targets and federal No Child Left Behind requirements, according to the California Department of Education.

Statewide, 45.8 percent of students were proficient or advanced in English/language arts, 35.7 percent in history, 42.7 percent in math and

46.2 percent in science.

In Santa Barbara County, 45.5 percent of students were proficient or advanced in English/language arts, 34.8 percent in history, 42.3 percent in math, and 47.8 percent in science.

Santa Maria-Bonita saw its biggest gains in science, with 38.5 percent of students testing at either the proficient or advanced level in the subject, up from 30.5 last year.

White attributes the growth to an alliance first forged with Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in 2006 through a $1 million Math and Science Partnership Grant.

The grant provided training in math and science instruction for teachers and paid for student tutors from Cal Poly to work with Santa Maria-Bonita students struggling in those areas.

Meanwhile, Santa Maria-Bonita students also improved in English/language arts, from 29.3 percent testing at proficient or advanced in 2007 to 31.4 percent in 2008, though history scores dropped from 19 percent to 17.7 percent.

Like Santa Maria-Bonita, Guadalupe also saw dramatic gains in science, with 28.9 percent of students testing at the proficient or advanced level, up from just 17.9 percent last year.

Bucking the local trend, Guadalupe's history scores improved nearly 10 percentage points, from 11.5 percent in 2007 to 21.4 percent in 2008.

However, scores in English/language arts dipped slightly from 28.8 percent last year to 28.3 percent this year.

“There has been a lot of pressure for us to improve ... and I think that the entire district is really embracing the challenge and has stepped up to the plate in terms of doing whatever it takes to get these kids to be successful,” said Linda Denton, director of curriculum and instruction in Guadalupe.

Denton added that the district will reassess whether it should continue to teach some of its kindergarten through second-grade students to read in Spanish rather than English, and plans to provide 30 hours of intensive training for teachers in English language development.

Santa Maria High School District students improved in every single area of instruction, making their biggest gains in math and science.

Math scores rose from 15.1 percent of students testing at proficient or advanced in 2007 to 20.1 percent in 2008.

In a science category that includes physics, biology and chemistry, scores rose from 24.7 percent of students testing at the proficient or advanced level in 2007 to 31.3 percent in 2008.

Orcutt also saw its most significant gain in science, and it had higher scores in every content area than any other district in the Santa Maria Valley.

In 2007, 60.6 percent of Orcutt students tested at proficient or advanced in science, which rose to 66.8 percent this year.

However, student scores in history fell slightly. Last year, 51.4 percent of students tested at proficient or advanced in the subject, which dropped to 50 percent this year.

The history test is especially challenging because it tests kids on three years' worth of history, Director of Educational Services Bob Bush said, adding that, with the statewide focus on math and science, history instruction often takes a back seat to math and science instruction.

“But overall,” Bush said, “we're very pleased with our scores.”

Natalie Ragus can be reached at 347-4580 or nragus@santamariatimes.com

August 15, 2008