Berkeley Students Score Above Average On State Tests

For the most part, Berkeley Unified School District students scored above the statewide averages in the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) test results released Thursday by the California State Superintendent of Schools office.

Overall, the 2013 STAR scores decreased slightly statewide from the 2012 results.

Across California, 56.4 percent of students scored proficient or above in the English language arts section. That was 0.8 percent lower than a year ago.

In math, 51.2 percent of students scored proficient or above, a decrease of 0.3 percent.

In science, 59.1 percent of students were proficient or above, down 0.4 percent. In history and social sciences, 49.4 percent scored proficient or above, up 0.6 percent.

Superintendent Tom Torlakson said the results were satisfying given the budget cuts and other problems schools faced this past year.

“As you would expect for a school system in transition, results varied from grade to grade, subject to subject, and school to school, but the big picture is one of remarkable resilience despite the challenges,” Torlakson said. “While we all want to see California’s progress continue, these results show that in the midst of change and uncertainty, teachers and schools kept their focus on students and learning. That’s a testament to the depth of their commitment to their students and the future of our state.”

In the Berkeley school district, the results were divided up by grade level.

In English language arts, every grade was higher than the 56 percent statewide average except for the 11th graders who had 50 percent at proficient or above. The highest score was the 4th graders at 75 percent.

In mathematics, all the grade levels were above 70. The highest were the 3rd and 4th graders, both at 78 percent. The lowest was the 7th graders at 71 percent.

The 8th through 12th grade scores were separated by subject matter such as algebra I, algebra II and geometry.

The history, social science and science scores are also divided up by subject matter.

This year's Berkeley Unified scores were similar to the 2012 results at most grade levels.