Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Poor English fluency and parent income, education drive down O.C. scores - The Orange County Register

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Poor English fluency and parent income, education drive down O.C. scores

By FERMIN LEAL / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

An analysis of Orange County student subgroup performance on the California Standards Test math and English language arts exams shows a slew of expected factors driving down local scores -- English fluency, family income and parental education.

The scores were released as part of the state's annual Standardized Testing and Reporting program, known as STAR. The math and English CST exams are just two of dozens of tests encompassed by the program, but perhaps the best known.'

Article Tab: Follow the slideshow to try some of the questions faced by students in spring testing. See how you fare.
Follow the slideshow to try some of the questions faced by students in spring testing. See how you fare.

Click here to review a comparison chart of O.C. student subgroup performance.

The subgroup with the lowest performance on the state's English test was English learners who had attended a U.S. school for less than a year. Their score: 17.7 percent scoring proficient or advanced, compared with the county's overall score of 62.9 percent.

Click here to review scores for all students in O.C.

In all, 24.5 percent of all English learners passed the test -- the second-worst showing by a student subgroup.

Some 36.2 percent of students whose parents have only a high school education passed the English arts test as did 45.4 percent of those whose families are considered poor -- meaning