RBUSD Posts Gains on STAR Tests

Students in posted gains across the board this year in STAR test scores, according to results released Friday by the California Department of Education.

About 6,500 students took the tests in 2012, and 78.6 percent scored proficient or advanced on the English-language test this year, a 3.2-point gain over 2011 scores.

In second- through seventh-grade math, the district posted a 2.4-point gain from 67.4 percent in 2011 to 69.8 percent in 2012.

The district also posted gains on the history and science tests.

According to the Daily Breeze, the 2.4-point increase in math scores moved RBUSD up in the rankings to become the fourth-highest scoring district in mathematics in the South Bay.

"In spite of the state obliteration of public school funding, Redondo's education community once again rises above expectations," Superintendent Steven Keller told Breeze reporter Rob Kuznia. "We're proud and hopefully next year will be a better year (financially)."

The Redondo Beach Board of Education on Tuesday approved a handful of furlough days for the 2012-2013 school year to close a $2 million budget gap. The number of furlough days could increase to 17 if neither of the two tax measures on the statewide ballot pass in November.

Across Los Angeles County, students continued improving their scores on standardized tests, with higher percentages scoring advanced or proficient in math and English.

The improvement in Los Angeles County scores on the 2012 Standardized Testing and Reporting Program mirrored increases seen across the state, according to state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson.

"In less than a decade, California has gone from having only one student in three score proficient to better than one student in two," Torlakson said. "That's nearly 900,000 more students reaching proficiency now than in 2003—a remarkable achievement that represents real, sustained improvements in learning."

More than 1.1 million students in Los Angeles County were tested, with 54.4 percent scoring advanced or proficient in English-language arts and 49.4 percent in mathematics, according to figures released by the state. Last year, 51 percent of county students scored advanced or proficient in English and 47.9 percent achieved those levels in math.

The Los Angeles County numbers all lag behind the statewide average, which shows 57.2 percent scoring advanced or proficient in English and 51.5 percent in math.

About 4.7 million students took part in the 2012 STAR program, which includes California Standards Tests, California Modified Assessment, California Alternate Performance Assessment and Standards-based Tests in Spanish for Spanish-speaking and English-learner students.

—City News Service contributed to this report.