SCORES TOP STATE AVERAGE AREA SCHOOLS CONTINUE TO PRODUCE STRONG STANDARDIZED TEST RESULTS.

Byline: Amy Raisin Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - Students across the Santa Clarita Valley continue to score higher than the state average on standardized tests, despite little or no improvements over last year at the high school level.

Statewide Standardized Testing and Reporting results were released Wednesday. The exams are required of all California public school students in second through 11th grades as part of the Department of Education's push for school accountability.

The William S. Hart Union High School District surpassed the state average in all grades and subjects, but ninth through 11th grades showed slight improvements at best over last year's district scores in reading, math, language and science.

``I'd say we broke even,'' compared with last year, said Gary Wexler, director of curriculum for the Hart district. ``But our seventh and eighth grades continue to rise.''

Eighth-graders improved the most overall, besting last year's results by 4 percentile points in spelling, 3 points in language and 2 points in reading.

While ninth-graders in the Hart district scored 14 percentile points better in math than the state average, the freshman class fell three notches from its score last year, to the 68th percentile.

Third-graders in the Castaic district scored 15 percentile points higher in math than the state average, while Castaic fifth-graders jumped 9 percentile points in math.

And like their counterparts in the Hart district, seventh- and eighth- graders in Castaic eclipsed the state average in reading, math and language by between 9 and 21 percentile points.

Sixth-graders in the Newhall School District improved their scores 2 to 4 percentile points in reading, math and language over last year, a jump Superintendent Marc Winger is proud of.

``It's amazing, especially the fact that it's happening in sixth grade,'' Winger said. ``That means if we've had a student from the beginning, they are getting better by the time they reach sixth grade.

``We're very proud of our scores and I credit it to good teaching, but also intervention. The intervention programs for the lower-achieving students really help bring them up.''

Saugus Union School District students improved between 1 and 2 percentile points in nearly every subject - except in fourth-grade math, as students fell from last year's 77th percentile to 74th.

``Saugus is proud of its students,'' said Joan Lucid, assistant superintendent of instruction. ``All our national percentiles in all areas demonstrated that (students) are reading well and are applying math concepts.''

And while scores in the Sulphur Springs School District dipped slightly in third through sixth grades, district officials said they are pleased with the increase in test scores since the STAR began four years ago.

``As long as we're making progress, I'm pleased,'' said Kathy Wright, assistant superintendent of instruction. ``We've spent three years now really immersed in the standards. I know how hard our teachers and students are working and we're moving forward.''

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SANTA CLARITA VALLEY REPORT CARD