Laguna Beach Unified School District Students' Test Scores Increase

News release from the Laguna Beach Unified School District:

District-wide, 2011-12 California Standards Test (CST) scores for LBUSD students showed an increase in the combined percentage of students scoring proficient and advanced in virtually every core content area.

Students’ scores for English-Language Arts (ELA) increased from 81.8 to 86% in the advanced and proficient categories. In mathematics, students’ advanced and proficient scores moved up from 73 to 77%. These impressive numbers place LBUSD in the top tier of high performing districts.

The CSTs are a component of the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program that are administered to public school students in grades 2-11. The tests were developed to determine students’ academic achievement as related to the State’s content standards. The results assess if a student has an advanced, proficient, basic, below basic or far below basic knowledge of the core content at grade level. The goal is for California students to score proficient or above (advanced).

Superintendent Sherine Smith states, “I am very pleased with the stellar results our schools have achieved on the California STAR exams.  Results like these are possible only because of the hard work of our educators and an unrelenting focus on our core business – education. Laguna Beach Unified School District is proud to offer the gold standard of education.”

Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services Deni Christensen agrees.

“Laguna Beach Unified School District has again demonstrated outstanding student achievement, as demonstrated by data recently released for the 2011-12 STAR assessments. Thanks to exemplary teachers, outstanding students, supportive parents, effective site administrators, and a Board of Education committed to excellence, the percentage of LBUSD students scoring ‘proficient’ and ‘advanced’ increased in virtually every core content area.  As a result, we anticipate that each of our schools will see a resulting increase in Academic Performance Index (API) when those numbers are calculated and released by the state in early October. We are certainly very proud of our schools’ performance; and yet, as is the case with the start of every school year, we are once again focused on ensuring the success of every student this year.”