What the STAR Results Show

Santa Clara County students scored higher than the state baseline in proficiency for English and math tests, according to new standardized test results, and Milpitas students are several percentage points above the county.

Some 4.7 million students took the 2011 Standardized Testing and Reporting assessment, known as STAR, last spring, and 54 percent of them scored proficient or better in English-language arts. 50 percent scored proficient or better in math, according to the California Department of Education.

The results were released to the public Monday.

Milpitas Unified School District students were above the baseline for proficiency, scoring 68 percent in English-language arts and 65 percent in math. Nearly 7,700 took the tests. (These specific results do not include the modified test for some students with disabilities.) 

"As a district, we've seen an increase in almost every area across the board," said Michelle Dimas, assistant superintendent of educational services. 

Students in second through 11th grades are tested in several subjects and ranked by the following levels: far below basic, below basic, basic, proficient or advanced. 

"All the shifts are where they should be," said Dimas. She added that districtwide improvements in English language arts are increasing in small but steady increments.

"We've had some real exciting results," she said. "Nothing horribly disappointing."

The district plans to go over the results at a Board of Education meeting in September.

Milpitas Unified School District

• 68 percent tested at grade level or higher in English
• 65 percent tested at grade level or higher in math
• Nearly 6,700 students took the test

View summary results for:

• Milpitas Unified School District (as a whole)
• Milpitas High
• Calaveras Hills Continuation High
• Rancho Middle 
• Russell Middle
• Burnett Elementary
• Curtner Elementary
• Pomeroy Elementary
• Randall Elementary
• Rose Elementary
• Sinnott Elementary
• Spangler Elementary
• Weller Elementary
• Zanker Elementary

Countywide Results

In Santa Clara County, 65 percent of students scored proficient or advanced in English, and 61 percent proficient or better in math.

Officials at the Santa Clara County Office of Education said that the numbers showed progress toward closing the achievement gap between Latino and white students. Since 2004, the gap in English has dropped from 43 percentage points to 38, and the gap in math for grades 2-7 has dropped from 39 points to 30. Both white and Latino students showed growth in all academic areas.

“These very encouraging results show that our efforts to eliminate the achievement gap are beginning to pay off,” Charles Weis, Santa Clara County Superintendent of Schools, said in a press release. “Now, we need to continue to build off of the strong momentum we’ve established, in order to achieve our goal of eliminating the gap by 2020.”

Both state scores are the highest since the program launched in 2003. That first year, just 35 percent of California students ranked as proficient in math and English.

“The significant and sustained improvements we’ve seen for nine consecutive years prove how hard teachers, school employees, administrators and parents are working to help students achieve, despite budget cuts that have affected our schools,” said state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson in a statement. “Their heroic teamwork is paying off for California.”

The number of county students taking the Algebra I test has increased since 2007, representing greater attendance in a subject that county officials said is essential to higher education. Specific growth was cited for Hispanic and African American students in seventh and eighth grades.

Racial, Economic Achievement Gap

Though overall test scores increased, an achievement gap remains.

Black and Latino students continue to lag behind their white and Asian peers. Students from low-income families or those for whom English is a second language also struggle to keep up, the numbers show.

STAR scores are used to calculate schools' Academic Performance Index and Adequate Yearly Progress report. Dropout and exit exam rates also factor into the API and AYP assessments.

Alejandro de Haro, Eric Gneckow and Adelaide Chen contributed to this report.