Standardized Tests

Did you ever feel as if you were left out of the process? Did you ever think, “Wow, if only I could somehow let them know how I feel?” The Newport-Mesa Unified School District is giving the community that chance. Thousands of parents and residents in the district are being asked to complete a questionnaire that should take about 15 minutes. They have until March 24 to do so. After the survey is completed, district Supt. Jeffrey Hubbard and the Board of Education plan to look at the answers and try to incorporate them into an overall strategic plan.

Throughout our years as students, we are all required to take a multitude of tests and exams. In addition to all of these, students these days also have to take part in a number of additional standardized tests that are given to them through their schools. The reasons why students are given these tests are wide and varied. Some of them test the reading level or basic skill of the student. Others are given to students in order to rank individual schools and supposedly separate the "good" from the "bad."

The Newport-Mesa Unified School District posted overall gains on its standardized tests this year. English scores rose at nearly every grade level, although math scores dipped from a year ago. The state released the results Tuesday for this year's Standardized Testing and Reporting program, which compiles scores from a number of tests. Newport-Mesa surpassed the state average in most categories and saw a number of its schools improve across the board. Every class in Newport-Mesa boosted its English scores during 2005-06 except for the seventh grade, which fell by one percentage point, and the 11th, which stayed the same.

The next round of SAT tests are being handed out Saturday, and for 11 students in the Newport-Mesa school district, thousands of dollars in scholarships hinge on their scores. The students are among 16,000 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists in the country. From there, the list will be whittled down to roughly 15,000 in February and ultimately about 8,200. Three Corona Del Mar High School students and eight Sage Hill School students were named earlier this semester as National Merit Scholarship semifinalists.

o7The following schools made the largest gains this year in the percentage of students scoring as proficient or advanced on standardized tests. f7 SCHOOL GRADE 2003-04 2004-05 INCREASE ENGLISH Paularino Elementary 2 30% 62% 32% Killybrooke Elementary 5 26% 54% 28% Andersen Elementary 2 63% 87% 24% Eastbluff Elementary 2 64% 84% 20% Newport Coast Elementary 3 51% 70% 19% TeWinkle Middle School 6 25% 37% 12% Corona del Mar High School 11 48% 70% 22% Corona del Mar High School 8 56% 70% 14% Costa Mesa High School 8 27% 47% 20% MATHEMATICS Killybrooke Elementary 5 14% 46% 32% Mariners Elementary 5 62% 87% 25% Victoria Elementary 3 40% 63% 23% Ada Middle School 4 27% 48% 21% Wilson Elementary 3 34% 54% 20% Pomona Elementary 3 15% 34% 19% Eastbluff Elementary 2 75% 94% 19% Eastbluff Elementary 5 60% 78% 18% Kaiser Elementary 5 36% 54% 18% TeWinkle Middle School 6 19% 31% 12%

Marisa O'Neil New federal education policies announced Thursday that aim to take pressure off immigrant students will have little effect locally. The changes are designed to give students a year to learn English well enough to take standardized tests without penalizing schools that have high immigrant populations. But the amendments, which take place immediately, won't help most Newport-Mesa, or even California, schools, according to Rick Miller, director of communications for the California Department of Education.

Marisa O'Neil Nearly all district schools showed improvement on last year's statewide tests, according to scores released Monday. The base scores of the 2003 Academic Performance Index, on a scale of 200 to 1,000, represent the latest data based on last year's standardized tests in California schools. In the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, 22 of 29 schools showed improvement over last year's base scores. The lowest-performing schools in the district -- Whittier, Wilson and Pomona elementary schools and Estancia High School -- all showed the biggest improvements.

Deirdre Newman The check is in the mail. Seriously. The 11 schools in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District that qualified for Governor's Performance Awards for the 2000-01 school year will finally get their financial rewards, which have been on hold since January. The announcement was made Monday by state Secretary for Education Kerry Mazzoni. The awards were delayed because of the ongoing state budget negotiations, said Hilary McLean, chief deputy press secretary for Gov. Gray Davis.

COSTA MESA — Dan Monahan knows that when kids reach a certain age, they prefer not to be referred to as boys and girls. But that isn’t stopping the youth leader from creating a space for teens at the Boys & Girls Club. Monahan, the executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of the Harbor Area, watched proudly Saturday morning as crews from DPR Construction installed new paint, walls and flooring in the aged building on Tustin Avenue. DPR renovates a different venue every year for free.

Why do some schools fail to continually meet academic expectations? And how do you break the pattern? The response, at least to the second question, was clear and simple during Tuesday's school board round table: time. There's not enough of it. "I've come to the conclusion that it really isn't rocket science," said Costa Mesa High School Principal Phil D'Agostino. "There are just some very simple things we need to do. " Principals of Newport-Mesa Unified's 11 Program Improvement schools focused on extending school days and years as they presented proposals to bring their students up to grade-level proficiency.

COSTA MESA — The number of Newport-Mesa Unified students scoring proficient or advanced on state standardized tests continued its upward trend in 2011, according to data released Monday. The 2011 Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) statewide results shows the percent of students with an adequate or superior grasp of the curriculum increasing from the previous year by an average of 2% in English-language arts, math, history and science, according to the state Department of Education.

Meet, quite possibly, the future writers of America. In only the first grade, Katie Crinella, 6, and Ethan Graber, 6, took first and third places, respectively, in the annual PBS Go Kids writing contest. Of nearly 150 grammar school students who submitted their essays in Orange County, this pair from St. Joachim Catholic School in Costa Mesa came out on top. And their prose wasn’t anything like, “See Spot Run” or “Look at Dick and Jane.” They actually came up with some pretty complicated plots.

Did you ever feel as if you were left out of the process? Did you ever think, “Wow, if only I could somehow let them know how I feel?” The Newport-Mesa Unified School District is giving the community that chance. Thousands of parents and residents in the district are being asked to complete a questionnaire that should take about 15 minutes. They have until March 24 to do so. After the survey is completed, district Supt. Jeffrey Hubbard and the Board of Education plan to look at the answers and try to incorporate them into an overall strategic plan.

Hey parents, it’s about that time of the year again. The kid has to take a standardized test that’s going to help dictate what college they get into. So, like they said in “Ghostbusters,” who you gonna call? How about James Fletcher, who coaches students to take those dreaded exams?   You help people prepare for standardized tests. Which ones do you cover and is this a busy part of the season? I work with students who are preparing for the SAT, ACT, SAT II, GRE (for grad school admission)

The annual state schools standardized testing progress report won’t be complete for some Newport-Mesa District schools when the scores are released to the public today after a data error omitted some results, district officials said. Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and Academic Performance Index (API) scores are used by the state to determine school performance. The AYP data will be released today, showing how schools have progressed on standardized tests. As part of No Child Left Behind, schools and districts must meet certain standards of achievement or face sanctions.

Newport-Mesa Unified School District schools showed improvements from a year ago districtwide on 2008 California Standardized Testing and Reporting, better known as STAR, and also showed higher rates of students testing at or above state standards for math and science compared with county and state totals, testing results released today show. Elementary and middle schools from second to seventh grades, on a whole, saw improvement with the amount of students meeting or exceeding state standards in English-language arts at every level except second grade.

COSTA MESA — Dan Monahan knows that when kids reach a certain age, they prefer not to be referred to as boys and girls. But that isn’t stopping the youth leader from creating a space for teens at the Boys & Girls Club. Monahan, the executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of the Harbor Area, watched proudly Saturday morning as crews from DPR Construction installed new paint, walls and flooring in the aged building on Tustin Avenue. DPR renovates a different venue every year for free.

The next round of SAT tests are being handed out Saturday, and for 11 students in the Newport-Mesa school district, thousands of dollars in scholarships hinge on their scores. The students are among 16,000 National Merit Scholarship semifinalists in the country. From there, the list will be whittled down to roughly 15,000 in February and ultimately about 8,200. Three Corona Del Mar High School students and eight Sage Hill School students were named earlier this semester as National Merit Scholarship semifinalists.

Have you used the self-checkout machines at the library? If you're in a hurry, have only a few items or wish to side-step a line, self checkout is your answer. Fast, easy to operate and issuing itemized receipts, these machines allow library visits to be quick as a flash. It's perfect for picking up popular items such as personally reserved books, DVDs or CDs. Look for the self checkout machines in various locations of the Central and Crean Mariners Libraries. Staffers will be pleased to demonstrate the ease of use in order to make your next trip to the library even more enjoyable.