Test Scores

BURBANK — Student achievement improved at Burbank Unified, with one elementary school shedding its troubled status after two consecutive years of testing gains, according to standardized test data released Monday. Burbank Unified bettered its overall results by 16 points to 832 on the Academic Performance Index, a state measure that reflects district performance and helps determine property values. Scores range from 200 to 1,000 and state leaders have pegged 800 as the goal.

A McKinley Elementary teacher has been placed on administrative leave after a third-grade student reported that the teacher helped a class answer questions on state standardized tests this week. Burbank Unified Supt. Jan Britz, who made the announcement during Thursday's school board meeting, added that state officials are investigating the case. Still uncertain of the alleged infraction's full consequences, Britz said state officials could mark the test scores as invalid, and potentially strip McKinley of its Academic Performance Index, or API, score, later this year.

The Burbank Unified School District saw significant gains in standardized test scores when results were released Friday. The state's Standards Testing and Reporting (STAR) program evaluates student comprehension of English, math, science and history through multiple-choice tests administered during the school year. Student scores are ranked as “advanced,” “proficient,” “basic,” “below basic” or “far below basic.” At a Friday morning press conference in Pasadena, state Supt.

BURBANK — Standardized state test scores for school districts in Burbank improved this year over last year, showing sharp gains in history and science, according to the most recent Standardized Testing and Reporting figures released by the state Department of Education today. Burbank school officials praised the 2008 STAR results — a statewide student assessment program comprising five exams that test elementary, middle and high school students on core subjects — as a consequence of teachers collectively working throughout each district to improve scores on a holistic basis.

DOWNTOWN — Students in Glendale and Burbank made historic gains in standardized test scores for 2009, according to data released Tuesday by the California Department of Education. More students met the state’s proficiency marks than ever before for almost every testing category, according to the reports. Some grade levels made striking double-digit gains in some areas, particularly in the fourth grade. About 75% of Burbank Unified School District fourth-graders scored at or above the state’s proficiency rating for English and language arts, up from 66% in 2008 and 60% the year before.

The California Department of Education released Stanford 9 scores for Burbank schools Monday. The standardized exam is given to students in grades 2-11 each spring. Students in grades 2-8 are tested in reading, math, language and spelling. Grades 9-11 are tested in reading, math, language, social science and science. The chart below contains subject scores by grade for each school in the district, with 50 set as the national average. Also listed are 1999 scores and the percentage change between the two years.

Sarah Hill Students in the Burbank Unified School District are more proficient in English, math, history and science than they were last year according to California Standardized Test scores results released by the California Department of Education on Monday. The results of the California High School Exit Exam also show that the majority of the district's students continue to pass the exam on their first attempt. The California Standardized Test takes place in the spring and measures the proficiency of students in grades 2 through 11 in various subjects with scores categorized as advanced, proficient, basic, below basic, and far below basic.

Tim Willert College-bound students from John Burroughs High School who took the 2003 Scholastic Assessment Test scored 24 points lower on the math portion of the test than in 2002, and Principal Emilio Urioste is not happy about it. "It concerns me, because math is an area that we have invested some time in," Urioste said this week. "There's a concern that we need to ... take another look at our assessment tools to make sure we are providing kids with what they need to be successful on those standardized assessments."

GLENDALE — Schools could lose out on a chance to compete for $4.35 billion in federal grants unless teachers back a change in state laws that would allow educators to be evaluated based on student test scores, among other criteria, officials said. Fear of being ineligible for the federal Race to the Top program — a national competition for a pool of stimulus funds — has prompted Republican state Sen. Bob Huff, vice chairman of the Senate’s subcommittee on education, to launch a campaign pressing teachers to go along with one of President Obama’s key requirements for participation.

I am writing in response to your recent article about McKinley Elementary School, where a teacher was recently accused of giving answers to a student while administering the California Standards Test (“ Test scores under investigation ,” April 20). Our son, a McKinley student, is not in the third-grade class where the alleged cheating took place. He did not take the test at all because we decided to opt him out of testing, which is a parental right the California Education Code guarantees.

A McKinley Elementary teacher has been placed on administrative leave after a third-grade student reported that the teacher helped a class answer questions on state standardized tests this week. Burbank Unified Supt. Jan Britz, who made the announcement during Thursday's school board meeting, added that state officials are investigating the case. Still uncertain of the alleged infraction's full consequences, Britz said state officials could mark the test scores as invalid, and potentially strip McKinley of its Academic Performance Index, or API, score, later this year.

The Burbank Unified School District saw significant gains in standardized test scores when results were released Friday. The state's Standards Testing and Reporting (STAR) program evaluates student comprehension of English, math, science and history through multiple-choice tests administered during the school year. Student scores are ranked as “advanced,” “proficient,” “basic,” “below basic” or “far below basic.” At a Friday morning press conference in Pasadena, state Supt.

BURBANK — Student achievement improved at Burbank Unified, with one elementary school shedding its troubled status after two consecutive years of testing gains, according to standardized test data released Monday. Burbank Unified bettered its overall results by 16 points to 832 on the Academic Performance Index, a state measure that reflects district performance and helps determine property values. Scores range from 200 to 1,000 and state leaders have pegged 800 as the goal.

Significant gains in the state standardized test scores for Burbank Unified School District prove that a steady focus on underachieving students and a certain stick-to-it- ness, even in the reduced resources, can pay dividends. Latino students gained 20 points on the Academic Performance Index compared with the year prior, significantly closing the historical achievement gap between white and minority students. Gains among students with learning disabilities were nearly the same, making that segment proficient in English language arts and mathematics.

DOWNTOWN — Students in Glendale and Burbank made historic gains in standardized test scores for 2009, according to data released Tuesday by the California Department of Education. More students met the state’s proficiency marks than ever before for almost every testing category, according to the reports. Some grade levels made striking double-digit gains in some areas, particularly in the fourth grade. About 75% of Burbank Unified School District fourth-graders scored at or above the state’s proficiency rating for English and language arts, up from 66% in 2008 and 60% the year before.

GLENDALE — Schools could lose out on a chance to compete for $4.35 billion in federal grants unless teachers back a change in state laws that would allow educators to be evaluated based on student test scores, among other criteria, officials said. Fear of being ineligible for the federal Race to the Top program — a national competition for a pool of stimulus funds — has prompted Republican state Sen. Bob Huff, vice chairman of the Senate’s subcommittee on education, to launch a campaign pressing teachers to go along with one of President Obama’s key requirements for participation.

BURBANK — John Burroughs High School has secured a coveted California Distinguished School Award from the Department of Education, which every year recognizes the state’s most exemplary public schools. The California Distinguished School Award acknowledges unique accomplishments made by the high school in the 2007-08 academic year. Burroughs was the only campus in the Burbank Unified School District to win the award this year. “More than anything, the award validates the work being done by administrators, faculty students and the community at large,” Principal Emilio Urioste said.

BURBANK — John Burroughs High School has secured a coveted California Distinguished School Award from the Department of Education, which every year recognizes the state’s most exemplary public schools. The California Distinguished School Award acknowledges unique accomplishments made by the high school in the 2007-08 academic year. Burroughs was the only campus in the Burbank Unified School District to win the award this year. “More than anything, the award validates the work being done by administrators, faculty students and the community at large,” Principal Emilio Urioste said.