Economic, social status big factors in test scores

Valerie Miller

Thursday, May 4, 2000 | 11:03 a.m.

Apparently money not only talks, it also makes a difference in children's learning.

Students' economic and social status are bigger factors than race or gender in their performance on standardized tests, Clark County School Board members were told Wednesday.

The School Board had asked for a study looking at how race and gender affected the scores of the TerraNova, a national standardized test taken by Clark County students in the fourth, eighth and 10th grades. Results of the 1999 test, released in March, showed local students were at about the national average and scored close to 1997 test scores.

Overall test scores for math computation rose in all groups of students for the first time in recent memory in that test, Judy Costa, district director of testing and evaluation, said. All groups of students needed to improve their science scores.

But when it came to breakdowns, race and gender had an effect, but not a major one.

"Across the board, the biggest single factor seems to be the socioeconomic status of the student. It's things that occur outside of school," Superintendent Brian Cram said. "This cuts across all ethnic groups and subjects areas."

The scores are used by the state Department of Education to determine which schools to label "in need of improvement." Schools get the designation if 40 percent of their students score in the lowest 25 percent.

When broken down by socioeconomic status, or SES, students with low SES consistently scored much lower in all areas than students of average SES, Costa said.

"The most profound difference we see in (test scores) is in the different SES of students," Costa said. "This isn't just in the Clark County School District, but nationwide."

For example, in reading, students with average SES or better scored in the 57 percentile, while students with low SES scored only in the 35 percentile. The 50 percentile indicates the national average.

Scores for science, math, and language are also far lower for students from families with less money compared with students who come from more financially secure homes, Costa said.

Cram emphasized that the difference in tests scores is not a reflection of the ability of the students who come from poorer backgrounds. Rather it is an indicator that they don't have the advantages to aid in learning that more privileged students might have.

"It's not to say these students can't achieve, but they may not have access to libraries, museums or the money to pay for summer school or private tutors over the summer to catch up like kids from wealthier homes would," he said.

In hopes of narrowing the gap between poorer and wealthier students in the district, Cram said the district plans to ask the 2001 Legislature to fund summer school to make it free for all students.

Valerie Miller is a reporter for the Sun. She can be reached at (702) 259-2319 or by e-mail at valerie@lasvegasun.com