Conejo Students’ Scores Improve : Schools: Countering calls for a return to basics in curriculum, a study shows that test results in math, science and reading have risen.

Faced with demands to go back to basics in education, the Conejo Valley school district released a report Tuesday showing that Thousand Oaks students spent the bulk of their time on math, science and English instruction and have the high test scores to prove it.

“Back to basics” has long been a conservative cry when it comes to teaching in the public schools. But in the Conejo Valley Unified School District--where several parents are criticizing teaching styles and student achievement--school officials are showing that scores are up, more children are taking advanced classes than ever before, and students spend a great majority of their time learning reading, writing and arithmetic.

“It’s remarkable when you hear the data,” Supt. Jerry Gross said. “Why are some people saying that the roof is falling?”

The report shows that students in the district score consistently in the 60th and 70th percentiles on the Stanford Achievement Test in reading and writing and in the 70th and 80th percentiles in math.

And although the number of students taking Advanced Placement tests has grown by 500% in the past 10 years--a trend that normally means lower test scores--students have continued to improve their passing rate and outpace both the state and national averages in almost every subject.

For instance, six students took the AP physics test in 1985, and 50% passed, scoring an average of 2.17 out of 5. In 1995, 31 students took the test and 87% passed, scoring an average of 3.48.

SAT scores are well above the state and national averages and have continued to climb in recent years, and elementary school students spend more than 80% of their time learning basics in math, English, history and science, according to the report.

“We wouldn’t have the kind of test scores we have without teaching basic skills,” board President Dorothy Beaubien said. “It’s just common sense.”

But several parents and one board member have expressed concerns about how, and if, the basics are being taught in the local schools.

Trustee Mildred Lynch, who refused to be interviewed for this story, has repeatedly said at school board meetings that test scores are too low and that students these days lack comprehension and discipline skills.

At a recent meeting on school issues at the Evangelical Free Church of the Conejo Valley, she also expressed skepticism about School to Work, a program that teaches students work skills that they can use outside of the academic world.

“I’m always amused at the amount of time and money used . . . getting ready for the 21st Century,” she said. “Do you think that people sat around in 1897 and said, ‘Let’s get ready for the 20th Century?’ ”

And some parents at Meadows School, an innovative elementary school in the district, have complained that the school has no grades and has moved away from a textbook-based approached to learning, even though the school has some of the highest achievement scores in the district.

Also fueling the back-to-basics debate is a recent state report criticizing a trend in whole-language learning--stressing exposure to whole words and sentences--and urging schools to return to teaching phonics, spelling and basic reading skills.

On Tuesday, board members met to go over the district basics report. Board member Elaine McKearn--who has had five children pass through the district--urged a compromise between new programs and the basics.

“There has to be somewhat of a combination,” said McKearn, who has watched her daughter’s math scores skyrocket while her reading scores have dropped. “Before you can problem solve, you have to know how to add and subtract. You have to spell before you can write.”