DATE: Wednesday, July 16, 1997              TAG: 9707160501

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: A1   EDITION: FINAL  

SOURCE: BY ALETA PAYNE, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   94 lines

CORRECTION/CLARIFICATION: ***************************************************************** A story Wednesday about school test scores should have said that, in eighth-grade and 11th-grade social studies, African-American students in Virginia Beach performed better than 50 percent or more of eighth- and 11th-graders nationwide. The story erroneously stated that 50 percent of the nationwide students did better. Correction published in The Virginian-Pilot, Thursday, July 17, 1997, page A2. ***************************************************************** BEACH TEST SCORES REVEAL RACIAL GAP THE SPRING TEST SHOWS BLACKS PERFORMING UNDER U.S. AVERAGES

While Virginia Beach students overall performed above average on the nationally standardized Stanford Achievement Test, scores for black students overwhelmingly fell below the national average.

In addition, black students at the city's highest-achieving schools performed at the same level as white students at the lowest-achieving schools.

Only in eighth-grade and 11th-grade social studies did African-American students perform at or above the 50th percentile, meaning that 50 percent of eighth- and 11th-graders nationwide did better.

Black students ranked in the 28th percentile for 11th-grade math, the lowest performance at any grade by a racial group in any subject in the city. That means that 72 percent of 11th-graders nationwide performed better.

The performance of Asian students was comparable to that of white students. While Hispanic students scored lower than whites, they were still above average.

Of the almost 21,000 Virginia Beach students who took the Stanford this spring, about 5,000 were African-American.

Superintendent Timothy R. Jenney, in an interview Tuesday, said the numbers were cause for concern.

``Clearly it points out our weaknesses,'' Jenney said. ``And while there is no prescription for what needs to be done, clearly we need to respond.''

The test results come almost exactly a year after a group of black parents came forward with concerns about the treatment of African-American children in the division. The division is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights on a number of issues, including the rate at which black students have been disciplined.

After receiving the test results at their Tuesday night meeting, School Board members asked a handful of questions about them.

Board member Tim Jackson suggested that the division look into a comprehensive study of its under-achieving students, possibly with the help of a local university.

Rosemary Wilson suggested that any such study also look into ways to help improve those students' performance.

Delceno C. Miles, vice chairwoman of the board, asked whether the smaller number of African-American students tested could affect the results. She was told it could.

However, even smaller numbers of Asian and Hispanic students were tested. The state switched from the Iowa Test of Basic Skills to the Stanford in the spring, and statewide numbers have not been released yet.

The Stanford is considered a more up-to-date and comprehensive test, more in line with the state's renewed emphasis on assessment and accountability.

Students are tested at the third, fifth, eighth and 11th grades in reading, math, language, science and social studies. Specific abilities are tested within each subject. For instance, comprehension and vocabulary are subtests within reading.

This is the test's first year in Virginia. Tracking scores over time is considered a more accurate indicator of achievement.

Overall, the division performed above the national average in every subject except 11th-grade math. School officials attributed that performance to the inclusion of calculus and geometry, subjects many 11th-graders have not taken. Future math scores could change, since new state standards increase the high school math requirement.

In some subjects, the division's students performed at particularly high levels. In science, for instance, more than 30 percent of students scored in the top quartile, or top fourth of scores, nationally at every grade. At the eighth-grade level, almost half the city's students were in the top quartile.

And, with all the tests taken as a group, 27 percent of the city's third-graders, 31 percent of the fifth-graders, 32 percent of the eighth-graders and 30 percent of the 11th-graders were in the top quarter of performers, meaning that their scores were better than those of three out of four students nationally.

All of this, however, underscores the performance of the city's black students. Critics of standardized testing have long argued that they don't accurately measure ability for all students, and that many underlying factors affect student achievement on these tests.

Most experts agree that, when factors such as socioeconomic status and the level of parents' education are factored in, race alone should not affect scores, if students are receiving the same quality of education.

But in Virginia Beach, at schools where scores were high, black students still fared poorly. KEYWORDS: TEST SCORES STANDARDIZED TESTING STANFORD

ACHIEVEMENT TEST STANFORD 9

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