The Arcadia Unified School District's scores on the California Assessment Program went up in math for all grades this year, but down in reading in the 3rd and 6th grades, while 8th grade students showed an increase in reading. Other figures are also given in the article, as well as a chart of scores for each AUSD school on page A-2.
Results of the new state test called the CAT-6 (California Achievement Test), which replaces the old SAT-9 test, show that around 70% of the students at each grade level in the Arcadia schools are in the national norm of 50th percentile in reading, and half or more of these students tested at or above the 75th percentile. Each grade level has a breakdown, and comparison with Monrovia students.
Arcadia High School students are doing well on the high school exit examinations. 89% of 10th graders taking the math exam passed and 88% passed the English exam. Comparison of test scores with Monrovia, Pasadena, and Los Angeles County.
Arcadia Unified School District students show impressive scores on the Standard Achievement Test (SAT 9) and on advanced placement tests. See chart of scores from 1994-2001.
Among West Valley districts, the Arcadia Unified School District had the highest percentage of English-proficient students. 64% of the district's English learners scored at the "proficient" level on the English Language Development Test. That compares to 36 percent of English learners statewide who scored proficient on the test.
Area school districts did better than average on the 2004 California English Language Development Test of English learning students. Sixty-six percent of students tested in Arcadia Unified School District scored in the advanced categories.
All but one regular Arcadia school ranks in the top percentile of schools across California in the API ratings. A comparison to Monrovia and Pasadena schools is included.
The new CAS (2) program, an acronym for Curriculum Alignment System and Comprehensive Assessment System, will replace the California Assessment Program (CAP), the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS), and the District Minimum Proficiency Tests. CAS (2) testing will begin in November for high school seniors, with all other grades to take the test in the spring. Advantages of the new test are given in the article.
Due to errors in the data, the state Department of Education has pulled from its WEB site the list of schools subject to federal monitoring that were based on STAR scores. Arcadia district officials have discovered some anomalies in the data.
The California State Department of Education has released test scores and rankings. Every spring the state gives each public school two rankings from 1 to 10. A "statewide" rank compares each school in the state and the "similar schools" rank compares schools with similar demographics and populations. Oak Avenue Intermediate in Temple City Unified School District and Huntington Middle School and San Marino High School in San Marino Unified all got 10s in both categories. All schools in the Arcadia Unified School District earned a rank of 10 in the "statewide" category, but ranks varied in the "similar schools" category.
Arcadia schools receive grants for meeting or exceeding the target growth of 5 percent or increasing their Academic Performance Index (API) score by five points.
Fewer than half of the high school students statewide scheduled to graduate in 2004 have passed both the English language arts and mathematics portions of the California High School Exit Exam. Arcadia High School sophomores who took the test last year had the strongest showing in the local area with 89% of the 738 students tested passing math and 88% passing English.
Marilyn Daleo is the television channel manager for Channel 58/96 on Adelphia Cable. She broadcasts from school district headquarters programs such as "Reading Matters."