STAR results at-a-glance

California's Standardized Reporting and Testing, or STAR, exams are two tests wrapped into one: The California Achievement Tests, or CAT-6, measures students against a national sample, while the California Standards Test, or CST, test students against the state's academic standards. The scores are broken down into subgroups to measure how well all students are performing.

Here's how some of the subgroups in California performed on the test:

^All students:<

50 percent of California students scored at or above the national average in math on the CAT-6 test.

43 percent of students scored at or above the national average in reading.

Eighth-graders were the only grade where the number of proficient and advanced students dropped, from 32 percent last year to 31 percent this year.

The largest gain was among second graders 53 percent were proficient or advanced in math, up from 43 percent last year.

Among fourth graders, 45 percent scored proficient or advanced on math, compared to 38 percent last year.

^Minority students:<

12 percent of black students and 16 percent of Hispanic students scored proficient or advanced on seventh grade math tests, compared to 60 percent of Asian students and 44 percent of white students.

About 8 percent of black students and 14 percent of Hispanic students scored proficient or advanced. That's compared to 64 percent of Asian students and 49 percent of white students.

Most subgroups and grades boosted English Language Arts scores. White students, however, in third-, fourth- and eighth-grades saw their scores drop.

Students in second- through seventh-grade also boosted their math scores, with Hispanics making the most progress early on. Performance on math tests in the higher grades was mixed.

On the Net:

Check out STAR test results at: http://star.cde.ca.gov

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)