Newport-Mesa receives results of new state test

Deirdre Newman

NEWPORT-MESA -- The results of a new state education test to identify

English-language learners, monitor their progress and help decide when

they are proficient is providing the school district with valuable

information, officials said.

Almost 5,000 Newport-Mesa Unified School District students who do not

speak English at home took the California English Language Development

Test, commonly known as CELDT, over a six-month period that spanned from

May 2001 to October.

The results, released by the state Tuesday, show 1,680 -- or 37% -- of

those students are probably fluent. But that doesn’t mean their programs

will change right away, said Peggy Anatol, the district’s director of

assessment.

“It’s just one measure,” Anatol said. “I think next year, when we can

compare data, it will have a little more meaning for us.”

The test assesses three areas -- listening and speaking, reading, and

writing. Students are given a proficiency level for each skill area and

an overall proficiency level ranging from beginning to advanced.

Anatol said the individual skill results would be especially useful

for teachers to target the areas where their students need specific help.

Ultimately, the scores will be weighed with other assessment measures,

including the Stanford 9 testing the students are now taking and district

tests, Anatol said.

* Deirdre Newman covers education. She may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at o7 deirdre.newman@latimes.comf7 .