HB schools score well on standardized tests

Huntington Beach’s elementary schools continue to surpass county averages in statewide testing, while the Huntington Beach Union High School District stayed mostly even with the county, lagging behind in math, according to results released today.

This year’s results from the statewide Standardized Testing and Reporting program were released today. Statewide data showed students still gaining on California Standards Tests, but not as much as in the first years of the federal No Child Left Behind program.

Of students tested in English in the Huntington Beach City School District, 70% got a “Proficient” or “Advanced” score. In mathematics, 69.3% got such a score. Subject-specific tests in science had a 66.4% proficiency rate, while in history it was 55.4%. That’s roughly 20% better than the county as a whole in English and math, and better in the other categories as well — though since the county figure includes districts of all grades, it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison.

The numbers are good news for the city school district, said Asst. Supt. of Educational Services Lynn Bogart.

“We continue to be a high-performing district, and even to improve on that performance,” she said. “It’s a reflection of the focus our teachers and administrators have on student learning. It’s a validation.”

The Huntington Beach Union High School District had 54% proficient or above in English, 50.5% in science, 44.2% in History and 32.7% in math. Those numbers roughly track the county as a whole, except for the math score, which is 16.3% below the county percentage. Math scores in the district have lagged behind the county average for a number of years.

Results for the high school district have stayed relatively consistent, with some modest gains but no shocking changes, said Connie Mayhugh, the district’s director of curriculum, instruction and assessment.

“I don’t think there’s any school that surprised us either way,” she said “Either in huge gains or huge losses. I think we look for consistent gains and continuous improvement.”

Asked about the low math score, Mayhugh said she could not yet discuss particular results or schools because her office had just begun breaking down results by subgroup.

Ocean View School District had 60.3% proficiency or above in English, 42.9% in history, 57.8% in science, and 42.9% in math. Officials were not available to discuss results Wednesday.

For detailed district results or results on particular schools, go to https://star.cde.ca.gov/star2007/Viewreport.asp.

The data available so far is the raw test averages; over the next few weeks, more processed information on school performance and improvement will come out from the state.