ENCINITAS - Encinitas school districts fared well in the second year of a new statewide test, scoring above the national average overall in both reading and math. Students in the three districts running from Carmel Valley to south Carlsbad received high scores across the board. School officials cited similar reasons for the above-average performances. Most California students in grades two through 11 took the standardized test in spring. Known as the Stanford Achievement Test-Ninth Edition, the test scores are shown as "percentiles" ranging from 1 to 99 instead of a percentage of the number of correct answers. A score of 70, for example, shows the student scored better than 70 percent of a national sample of test-taking students in the same grade level. Students from North County's wealthier areas generally scored above the national average - or 50th percentile - in most subjects. Socioeconomic status has long been considered a significant factor in student performance, several school officials said. Only reading and math scores were available for the exam, which also tested the language and speaking abilities of students. A glitch has been found in the system for Limited English Proficient scores, which mistakenly included students who had been re-designated as fluent in English. All results included test scores of Limited English Proficient and special education students.

San Dieguito Union High School District students continued to perform well, with overall scores ranging from 61st to 75th percentile in reading and 71st to 83rd percentile in math. Superintendent Bill Berrier said the district was pleased with the results of its 9,600 students, but there was a slight drop of 3 percentile points in upper-grade reading and ninth- grade math scores compared to last year's results. An additional 984 students took the test this year, which could have contributed to the small decrease. Berrier said the district made a strong effort to test as many students as possible, and was pleased with the increased participation. Many students opt out of the exam, with parent permission, because of the large volume of testing - such as Advance Placement tests or college entry exams - going on, during the same time period. Those tests directly impact the students, determining university acceptance and whether they can receive college credit for a high school course, Berrier said, "We do have to point out how important one's attitude is toward taking the test" he said, adding some student's may not take the test as seriously because it does not determine letter grades. "We will continue to place an emphasis (on the Stanford Achievement Test)," he said. "Not only does it evaluate each individual student, it evaluates the district and each school." School officials are still wading through data. They all said the test can provide useful information and can be a tool for gauging their progress against other school districts. "We turn the test results inside-out to look for clues in what we're doing in curriculum itself and the delivery of instruction," Berrier said. "We use it to see what kind of progress we're making on a year-to-year basis."

Interim Superintendent Julie Parker cited a strong emphasis on early intervention as one reason for high test scores. A focus on district standards, a consistency across grade levels and community and parent support also were important factors, she said. Overall scores in math from the 73rd to 90th and reading ranged from the 62nd to 79th percentile. Second-grade reading scores were the highest of all 43 school districts in the county. Second-grade math scores were the third highest. The Cardiff School District serves 900 students at two elementary schools. Despite the relative affluence of the area, the district has a higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students than the neighboring districts of Solana Beach, Del Mar and Rancho Santa Fe. "We're very pleased with the progress of our students," Parker said. Test scores improved or stayed the same as last year in both subjects. Parker is also raving about results of second-grade students who are English Language Learners. The glitch in the scoring system will not impact Cardiff because none of the second-grade students have been re-designated as fluent. The students, who are considered to have limited English skills, scored in the 88th percentile in math and the 54th percentile in reading, meaning they scored above 88 percent and 54 percent of students taking the test nationwide. They are the first group of Cardiff children to go all the way through the district's English language development program implemented three years ago. The teaching methods basically mirrors the provisions of Proposition 227, the year-old state law that virtually ended bilingual education. But Cardiff continues to teach students in sheltered environments, with a specially trained bilingual teacher, until third grade. Under Prop. 227, a majority of students are supposed to be placed in classes with their native English-speaking peers after 180 days, or one school year. "I'd say it has been effective" Parker said. "The goal is to have students at grade level or above by the end of third grade and able to compete with their English-speaking counterparts." "I'm proud of them, I'm proud of the teachers," she said. "It's just evidence that the instructional program we have in place here is working for our students?"