Schools

Piedmont Students Score Well Above Average In State Tests

The district's 2013 STAR scores were similar to last year's results

For the most part, Piedmont Unified School District students scored well 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 Piedmont school district, the results were divided up by grade level.

In English language arts, every grade was significantly higher than the 56 percent statewide average. The lowest score, in fact, was the 80 percent tallied by the 3rd graders. The highest was the 4th graders with 96 percent at proficient or above.

In mathematics, the all the grade levels were above 90, except for the 7th graders who had 88 percent at proficient or above. The highest were the 4th graders, again with 96 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 Piedmont Unified scores were similar to the 2012 results at most grade levels.

Randall Booker, the district's assistant superintendent, said they're pleased with the STAR scores but emphasize it's not the only educational measuring stick.

"Piedmont Unified's students continue to perform at very high levels across the subject areas. This is a direct result from the efforts of our teachers, staff, students, and active parent community," said Booker. "The STAR Exam is only one measure of assessment. As a teaching community, we value the educational data it provides, but also spend considerable time examining a variety of other assessment indicators to give a full picture of student performance."

He added Piedmont educators also use the test results to help identify areas where they "better support student learning."



Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here