County Students Test Above Average : Writing: Although the eighth-graders scored well in statewide comparisons, they did not do as well as those the year before.

Ventura County eighth-grade students scored one point lower on the writing portion of the California Assessment Program test given last spring than their predecessors the year before, but still came out ahead of their classmates statewide, according to figures released today.

The county’s eighth-graders earned an average of 274 points on the test, contrasted with a statewide average of 259 points. However, only 47% of the county’s students scored average or better on the test.

During the 1988-89 school year, the average county score was 275 points.

Since the test was first administered in 1986-87, the average county score has risen 20 points, from 254 to 274.

Some of the most significant improvements over a four-year period were in Santa Paula’s Briggs Elementary District, where scores have risen 113 points; the Fillmore Unified School District, which showed an 80-point increase, and the Oak Park Unified School District, where scores rose by 64 points.

Compared to 1988-89, scores rose in the Rio Elementary, Ventura Unified, Conejo Unified, Moorpark Unified, Ocean View Elementary, Hueneme Elementary and Oak Park Elementary school districts.

“We’re celebrating CAP scores,” Oak Park Supt. Susan Hearn said.

Oak Park students scored 347 points on the test, the highest in the county. “It’s always rewarding to see that teachers and students are working hard, and you see that their work is paying off.”

The 45-minute test measures each student’s ability to write an essay in one of eight areas: autobiographical incident, evaluation, firsthand biography, observational writing, problem solution, report of information, speculation about cause and effect, and stories. Essays are evaluated for thinking and writing skills, and for spelling and grammar. Maximum score on the test is 400.

Countywide, 7,218 eighth-grade students took the test.

The report also showed the educational background of a district’s students, based on parents’ education. On a scale of 1 to 5, Oak Park parents measured 3.96, the highest rating in the county. Hearn said parents’ education is a factor in how well students perform on the test.

“Kids come to us with good language and, of course, if you’ve got the language to use, you’re many steps ahead,” Hearn said.

In Oak Park and other districts, however, officials said they are enrolling increasing numbers of students with limited English skills.

“We’ve been getting an awful lot of kids lately from impoverished situations, not just financially, but culturally,” Fillmore Supt. Marlene Davis said. She said many of those students did not attend school regularly in their native countries.

Of Fillmore students who took the test, 23.6% spoke English as a second language, figures showed.

Compared to 1988-89, scores in Fillmore dropped by four points. But the four-year trend in the district is toward better writing scores, all the more remarkable, Davis said, given the growing numbers of students who speak little English.

In Fillmore and other districts where scores have improved, teachers and administrators credit an emphasis on daily writing assignments, not only in English classes, but in mathematics, science and even physical education and music.

In several districts, scores fell in the 1989-90 year compared to the year before, although some still showed increases during the four-year period.

Compared to the previous year, 1989-90 scores fell in the Simi Valley Unified, Ojai Unified, Pleasant Valley Elementary, Santa Paula Elementary, Somis Union, Mesa Union and Fillmore Unified school districts.

In Simi Valley, after two years of increases, scores fell by 11 points, from 280 to 269.

“I think we need to look at why,” Associate Supt. Allan Jacobs said. “We’re not sure what to ascribe the drop to, whether it’s a particular class or anything instructionally we’re doing different.”

Scores fell most dramatically in the Mesa Union Elementary School District in Somis. In 1988-89, the 36 students who took the test scored in the 94th percentile statewide, with an average score of 328. By 1989-90, however, when 42 students took the test, the score had dropped to 224 points, putting the school in the 22nd percentile.

Mesa officials were not available to comment on the decline.

But test scores can fluctuate widely from year to year in small districts, where one or two students who score particularly well or poorly can affect a district’s overall score, said Tom Fong, a CAP research analyst with the state Department of Education.

In the Mupu Elementary School District in 1988-89, for example, only seven eighth-grade students took the test. Fong said that was not enough to generate a score.

Compared to 1988-89, scores fell by 39 points in the Santa Paula Elementary School District and by 34 points in the Somis Union School District.

Somis Union Supt. Dale Forgey said that writing scores in the district are affected by growing numbers of students who speak little English and that the trend is likely to continue. Limited English speakers increased by 6.5% in the 360-student district.

“In Southern California, I think there will be similar growth in every district, and it’s especially going to affect writing scores,” Forgey said.

Sample Essay Question

This is a sample of one of the eight different types of essay questions that make up the California Assessment Program’s writing test for eighth-graders. Each student is assigned one type of writing task, and the grades on all work done by students at a given school are combined to give the school a single “scaled score.” All essays must be completed within 45 minutes, and they are graded for thinking and writing process skills, as well as for such mechanics of writing as spelling and grammar.

Writing Situation: Your English class is putting together a project about incidents that individual class members have experienced at school. Think of a memorable incident that you would like to include in this class collection. It might be an incident that made you feel a sense of belonging at the school, a funny situation, an embarrassing one or any incident that is memorable to you.

Directions for Writing: Write about an incident that you have experienced at school. Things to consider include what was involved, what the people and surroundings looked like, what exactly happened, and how you felt about the incident. Try to make your readers, your classmates and your teacher understand why this particular event is memorable.

HOW TO READ THE SCORES

Here are California Assessment Program writing scores earned by eighth-graders in some Ventura County public schools last spring.

The previous year’s scores are also provided for comparison purposes, although CAP officials warn against reading too much into one-year variations.

The scaled score is a combination of results on each of the various types of writing tasks assigned. The average score in the state was 259, up four points over last year’s score, while the average for students in Ventura County was 274, representing a one-point decline.

Relative rank is a way to compare a district or a school with another that is similar in terms of student socioeconomic makeup and students’ ability to speak, read and write English fluently, as well as how often those students move from school to school. The value listed is the school’s percentile rank within its comparison group.

State rank shows the school or district’s ranking (on a score of 1 to 99), comparing its scores to those of every other school or district in California.

Other scores will be appearing in appropriate regional and suburban editions of The Times.

Related Story, Page A3

CALIFORNIA ASSESSMENT PROGRAM SCORES

Briggs Elementary

DISTRICT AVERAGE

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 278 90 68 88-89 274 97 69

BRIGGS

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 278 90 66 88-89 274 97 66

Conejo Valley Unified

DISTRICT AVERAGE

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 308 50 90 88-89 305 46 89

COLINA

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 302 43 82 88-89 318 60 91

LOS CERRITOS

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 314 56 88 88-89 301 41 85

REDWOOD

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 307 48 85 88-89 307 47 87

SEQUOIA

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 308 52 86 88-89 297 37 83

Fillmore Unified

DISTRICT AVERAGE

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 225 41 23 88-89 229 52 27

FILLMORE JUNIOR

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 225 41 24 88-89 229 52 28

Hueneme Elementary

DISTRICT AVERAGE

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 286 96 75 88-89 280 94 74

BLACKSTOCK

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 301 99 81 88-89 271 88 64

GREEN

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 272 88 62 88-89 289 97 77

Mesa Union Elementary

DISTRICT AVERAGE

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 224 2 22 88-89 328 92 94

MESA

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 224 2 23 88-89 328 92 93

Moorpark Unified

DISTRICT AVERAGE

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 300 85 82 88-89 276 55 70

CHAPARRAL

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 300 85 81 88-89 276 55 68

Mupu Elementary

DISTRICT AVERAGE

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 212 1 16 88-89 --- --- ---

MUPU

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 212 1 15 88-89 --- --- ---

Oak Park Unified

DISTRICT AVERAGE

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 347 85 97 88-89 323 66 93

MEDEA CREEK

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 347 85 96 88-89 323 66 92

Ocean View Elementary

DISTRICT AVERAGE

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 275 93 65 88-89 266 85 61

OCEAN VIEW

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 275 93 64 88-89 266 85 61

Ojai Unified

DISTRICT AVERAGE

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 306 68 89 88-89 311 71 90

MATILIJA

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 306 68 85 88-89 311 71 89

Oxnard Elementary

DISTRICT AVERAGE

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 214 34 17 88-89 210 38 18

FREMONT

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 212 20 15 88-89 189 18 9

HAYDOCK

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 224 52 23 88-89 233 56 32

Pleasant Valley Elementary

DISTRICT AVERAGE

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 302 60 83 88-89 308 62 90

LAS COLINAS

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 272 13 62 88-89 309 71 88

LOS ALTOS

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 303 68 83 88-89 290 44 78

LOS PRIMEROS

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 327 75 92 88-89 364 92 98

MONTE VISTA INTERMEDIATE

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 307 59 85 88-89 321 69 92

Rio Elementary

DISTRICT AVERAGE

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 253 68 44 88-89 222 25 21

RIO DEL VALLE

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 253 68 45 88-89 222 25 23

Santa Paula Elementary

DISTRICT AVERAGE

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 192 20 1 88-89 231 51 29

ISBELL

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 192 20 8 88-89 231 51 29

Simi Valley Unified

DISTRICT AVERAGE

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 269 28 59 88-89 280 43 74

HILLSIDE

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 268 36 58 88-89 289 54 77

SEQUOIA

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 261 18 51 88-89 265 22 60

SINALOA

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 271 30 61 88-89 279 48 70

VALLEY VIEW

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 278 28 66 88-89 292 52 80

Somis Union Elementary

DISTRICT AVERAGE

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 290 84 78 88-89 324 97 93

SOMIS

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 290 84 74 88-89 324 97 92

Ventura Unified

DISTRICT AVERAGE

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 287 83 76 88-89 281 67 74

ANACAPA

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 323 97 91 88-89 309 85 88

BALBOA

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 305 90 84 88-89 287 71 76

CABRILLO

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 265 38 55 88-89 262 8 57

DE ANZA

Scaled Relative State Year Score Rank Rank 89-90 237 42 33 88-89 258 81 54