Roseville High School’s 2010 California Standards Test scores show an overall improvement from previous years. From 2009-2010, RHS improved its scores in 10 of 14 subjects.

     Administered in the spring, the CST (commonly referred to as Standardized Testing and Reporting) is the state’s way of measuring students’ abilities in English, history, science and math.

     RHS principal, Brad Basham, attributes much of the progress to teacher collaboration.

     “Our success is tied to professional learning teams and Monday collaborations,” said Basham. “Teachers have looked at the CSTs and incorporated them into learning targets.” 

     AP language and composition teacher, Anna Marie Clark, agrees that examining test data can enhance performance.

     “When teachers analyze tests and test data and adjust to student needs, student learning improves,” said Clark.

     Such improvement has been evident in the RHS English department. The percentage of students that scored proficient or advanced in English 9 rose from 65 percent in 2009 to 70 percent in 2010. In English 11, scores rose from 56 percent in 2009 to 59 percent in 2010, though English 10 scores dropped from 56 percent to 54 percent.

     However, all of these scores have increased from those in 2006, when the percentage of students that scored above average or proficient in English 9 was 56 percent, in English 10, 49 percent and in English 11, 46 percent.

     AP literature and composition teacher, Cecil Morris, thinks teachers in the English department have worked hard to improve test scores. 

     “We definitely prepare for STAR testing,” said Morris. “We’ve worked hard to align what they [English 9, 10 and 11 teachers] teach in class with what’s on the test.” 

     Social science teacher, Mark Andreatta, described similar preparations in the history department, but he also acknowledges that there is no way to master all of the CST standards.

     “We’ve structured [our] curriculum toward the STAR test standards, but the standards are so broad that it would take three to four years to learn them all,” said Andreatta.

     World history scores increased seven percent from 2009-2010 with 64 percent of students scoring proficient or advanced in 2010. World history scores have increased a total of 35 percent since 2006. World history is also the subject with the largest number of students scoring “far below basic” with a five year average of 11 percent.

     The percentage of students that scored proficient or advanced in United States history rose from 64 percent in 2009 to 66 percent in 2010.

     Andreatta emphasizes that the history department’s planning and progress is due to a collaborative effort.

“It’s a concert of everyone working together,” said Andreatta. “It’s definitely a team effort.”

     The science department has also improved test scores in each subject with the exception of earth science which has shown a four percent decrease since 2007. This year, chemistry scores have increased significantly up to 47 percent from 35 percent in 2009.

     According to science teacher Mike Purvines, the science department is pleased with their scores in chemistry. However, Purvines does not feel the CSTs are the best way of measuring student ability.

     “I would honestly like to see one test, instead of the SATs, ACTs, CSTs, district assessments and the CAHSEE, that is applied to high school graduation and in class grade and college admissions,” said Purvines.

     RHS’s mathematics scores have, for the most part, remained stagnant, rising and falling a little each year. Mathematics scores have remained the lowest across the board since 2006. This year, 25 percent of students scored proficient or advanced in algebra. Subsequently, 21 percent did so in geometry and 29 percent in algebra two. However, summative math scores are much higher, coming in at 59 percent in 2010.

     Math scores are similar throughout Placer County.

     “Math is holding steady,” said Basham. “It is about the same county wide.”

     Based on CST scores, RHS is ranked fourth out of five schools in the district.

     “We can’t get too caught up in terms of trying to rank one school against another school,” said Basham. “Some schools must meet the needs of students with greater challenges.”