Dear Colleague:

Yesterday, the California Department of Education released the results of the 2008 Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program that showed impressive gains in all subjects at nearly all grade levels. I am extremely proud of each and every classroom teacher, our students and all district employees who have worked together as a team to help our students achieve these results and improve their overall prospects for future academic and career success.

The test results were impressive at all levels. In English Language Arts (ELA), performance improved at all but two grade levels and gains were especially notable for grades 6, 8, and 9. In mathematics, performance improved at all but one grade level, with particularly notable gains at grades 4 and 8. For the district as a whole, ELA was up by 2 percentage points and math was up by 3%. What’s particularly important is that these scores illustrate a continuing upward trend. We’ve now had ELA improvements for five consecutive years and math improvements for the last two years.

Our students’ performance in science deserves particular praise. Marking a third year of improvement, our 5th, 8th, and 10th grade students this year achieved an overall 11 point gain. Since 2006, 8th and 10th grade scores rose by 20 and 21 percentage points, respectively. I would simply call that phenomenal.

What accounts for these results? I believe the answer is straightforward: the focus, dedication, and hard work of Team San Diego. I couldn’t be more proud of our teachers. And their success has been supported at every turn by the combined talents of our principals, school staff, parents, and district support staff as well as the efforts and work of our Board.

It should also be noted that these gains were achieved despite some stunningly adverse circumstances. We had huge disruptions related to last fall’s wildfires. There was a transition in the superintendency, the kind of change that creates major adjustments in any organization. On top of that, at the very time of testing, our district was in the midst of a massive and painful budget cutting crisis that could not help but distract and divert everyone’s attention. These realities make the results that much more impressive.

As we celebrate these gains, we also need to acknowledge that we have a long way to go. In ELA, 47% of students in grades 2-11 met or exceeded state standards, scoring at advanced or proficient levels. In math, that level is 42%. These scores are within range of performance across the state: we exceeded the statewide average of 46% in ELA, while running slightly below the statewide math average of 43%. Even as we recognize that California’s standards are among the highest in the nation, these achievement levels remain too low.

We also need to redouble our efforts to reduce the persistent achievement gaps between ethnic groups. In ELA and math, higher percentages of students in all ethnic groups reached proficient or advanced levels. Yet the gaps between white students and other ethnic groups remained largely unchanged and are especially substantial for our African American and Hispanic students. This year we’ll be focusing a number of programs on narrowing and eliminating these gaps, including reducing class sizes in all 9th grade English classes as well as in kindergarten through 2nd grade in 30 of our schools.

Let me close with one more piece of good news. Newly released American College Test (ACT) scores show that for the first time in recent memory, San Diego Unified’s scores beat the statewide average for California. That’s a tremendous accomplishment for the Class of 2008, underscoring the caliber of our students and the dedication they and their families have to education.

Our challenge now is to make every effort not just to maintain our level of progress, but to accelerate it. Our Board has articulated San Diego Unified’s mission and set student academic achievement and behavioral goals. By continuing exceptional teamwork throughout the district, we can sustain the focus on what matters most and provide enhanced support to our teachers and students as we all work together to reach those goals.

Terry B. Grier, Ed.D
Superintendent

P.S. I urge you to take a look at the specifics of the district’s STAR test results and the statewide results at http://star.cde.ca.gov/.