HIGH SCHOOL EXIT EXAM PLANNED DISTRICTWIDE.

Byline: Erik Nelson Staff Writer

A day after Stanford 9 scores showed dramatic improvement among elementary schools, officials said Tuesday they plan to boost stagnant secondary school results by developing a high school exit exam and reducing class sizes.

While districtwide third-grade scores increased by as much as 7 percentile points for language and math over last year, average ninth-grade scores nudged up by only 1 or 2 points in the same subjects. Districtwide scores for all grades, however, remain below state averages on the multiple-choice exam, which is taken by all California public school students in grades two through 11.

``What it shows is we have a lot of work to do,'' board member Caprice Young said. ``Especially in the high schools, the facilities crisis is impacting achievement. We've got teachers who have to travel from classroom to classroom. We've got students who are in (year-round schools) 163 days a year instead of 180, and I think that impacts learning.''

Plans are already under way to pump up academic achievement in secondary schools by creating a high school exit exam that will be taken voluntarily next spring, said Leslie Fausset, chief deputy superintendent of public instruction for the California Department of Education.

By 2004, all students will need to pass the test to get a diploma.

``I think this will have a serious impact on middle and high school curriculum and instruction,'' Fausset said.

Officials also hope to boost test scores by cutting class sizes, which now number more than 30 students per teacher in secondary schools. The state already has financed reduction in class sizes for eighth- and ninth- grade classes in certain subjects.

Deborah Leidner, superintendent of the Northwest Valley minidistrict, said she plans to examine successful schools to find out ways to duplicate the results at struggling schools.

Monroe Principal Greg Vallone said administrators and teachers will focus on specific categories such as spelling and capitalization - to be released next month - to look at areas which need improvement.

Despite their best efforts, educators said raising older students' test scores is more difficult because they must absorb more material than younger pupils.

Preparing secondary students for the test is a ``much heavier burden,'' said Mary McKee, assistant superintendent of instructional services for the Glendale Unified School District.

KENNEDY HIGH RESULTS

Stanford 9 scores for Kennedy High School in Granada Hills were inadvertently excluded from Monday's list of school results.

The results are: This year, ninth-graders scored in the 26th percentile for reading, and the 43rd percentile each for math and language. Last year, ninth-graders scored in the 26th percentile for reading, the 39th percentile for math, and the 41st percentile for language.

Daily News Staff Writer Jennifer Hamm contributed to this story.