Friday, Sep. 03, 2010

English trips up more than math on state test

One vice principal says parent involvement is the key

Eighty-three students across the entire school district scored a perfect 600 on at least one portion of a standardized state test last spring.

Every year, the math portion of the California Standards Test tends to draw more perfect scores, 66 this year, than that of the English Language Arts, 5, and science, 10, portions. Last spring also saw two high school students score 600 in world history.

Students begin taking the ELA and math test in the second grade and continue through the eleventh, picking up science and world history as they move up in school year.

Steve Tietjen, superintendent of the Los Banos Unified School District, said he would soon be signing certificates that will be awarded to those students.

Tietjen said the ELA tests have a degree of subjectivity to them, and thus students often have a harder time with them. However, the answer to a math question has no wiggle room.

"The reading comprehension has questions of interpretation of the passage that students are reading," Tietjen said. "That's why it's difficult."

Vice Principal Antonio Rosales of R.M. Miano Elementary School, the school with the most perfect scores, said the number of perfect scores for his school was nearly double that of last year's.

The increase from seven perfect scores on one segment of the CST to 13, can often be attributed to one thing, Rosales said.

"Parents being involved with their child's education, and teachers keeping the parents informed of what's going on in the classroom has greatly contributed to the success of our students this year," Rosales said.

The students at Miano Elementary were awarded with a presentation, in front of their individual classes, of the Principal's Award, and were treated to pizza for lunch.

Rosales said presenting an award to the students in front of their classmates is a way to encourage other students to aspire to the same goals. The students were also recognized during the morning announcements, where the entire student body could hear.

The one student, fourth-grader Irais Garcia Jimenez, with a perfect score on the ELA portion is the only student to do so at Miano Elementary during Rosales' four-year tenure.

Paula Mastrangelo, principal of Miano Elementary, spoke to Irais' class before presenting her with the reward.

"Sometimes it's not so easy, infering and predicting," Mastrangelo said to the fourth-grade class. "And, that language arts test is a bit tricky, but Irais proves to us that it's not impossible to get that perfect score."