When asked why they moved to the Santa Clarita Valley, many local residents cite the quality of education, safe schools and high test results. Students in the Hart School District have done very well compared to students in Los Angeles County and the state of California, according to results of last spring’s testing cycle reported by the California Department of Education.
Even though test results across the state have been reported to be flat, more Hart District students than ever are testing at or above the Proficient level in English/language arts and math, as measured by the Standardized Testing and Reporting Program (STAR) tests. At the same time, fewer students are testing at the bottom two levels on the STAR.
Test results also look at the performance of students in various subgroups, including ethnic minorities, those from low-income families, English learners and students with disabilities. The goal is to have all students achieving at the Proficient and Advanced levels.
In yet another benchmark of local education, 88 percent of Hart District tenth graders passed the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) on the first try. Those who did not pass on the first try will have up to six more chances before graduation to pass both the English/language arts and math portions of the test. Less than one percent of Hart District seniors failed to receive diplomas in 2007 because they did not pass one or more sections of the exit exam.
Both the STAR tests and the CAHSEE are factored into yet another set of indexes released by the state. In the state’s Academic Performance Index (API), the Hart District increased eight points over its previous score, making steady progress toward a state goal of 800 points. The Hart District’s current API is 791, while six individual schools were well over the state’s 800 goal. The district’s most significant increase came from Placerita Junior High, with a gain of 40 points over last year.
Hart District schools also did well in meeting Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), a federal standard established by the No Child Left Behind Act. The Hart District met 37 of 38 AYP criteria, missing only in the area of English/language arts for the Students with Disabilities subgroup.
The Hart District shares a statewide concern about the achievement gap between students in these subgroups and the general student population. We’ve provided after-school academies, intervention programs and acceleration classes geared to helping these struggling students catch up with their peers.
The bottom line is that every student must be provided with the skills necessary to achieve at the highest possible level. That’s our district goal, a target much more complex than just high test scores.