The test-score achievement gap between various racial groups in California schools remains wide, and state officials say a lack of progress in bridging that gap is cause for concern.

On Wednesday, the state released the results of the 2007 Standardized Testing and Reporting Program, or STAR, the first in a flurry of student academic-test-score reports that will come out this month.

Statewide, 43 percent of students scored at a proficient level or better in language, up 1 percent from last year. In math, it was 41 percent, the same as last year. The relatively stagnant scores come after several years of growth.

Ventura County's scores generally were higher. Nearly 51 percent of county students scored at a proficient level or better in language and 46 percent did so in math.

While scores on the annual achievement tests showed students from all racial groups have improved in most subjects and grades since 2003, the gap between white students and their black and Latino counterparts has remained relatively unchanged for the past five years.

Poverty not sole explanation

"We know all children can learn to the same high levels," Jack O'Connell, state superintendent of public instruction, said in a statement released today. "So we must confront and change those things that are holding back groups of students."

State officials said the achievement gap cannot be solely attributed to poverty level, which has often been associated with low performance.

On average, black and Latino students who are not poor are achieving at lower levels in math than their white counterparts who are poor, according to the state data.

State education officials could not pinpoint what's causing the gap. O'Connell said a summit will be held later this year to work on identifying root causes and strategies to close the gap.

Statewide, a 33 percent gap has persisted for the past five years between the percentage of Latino and white students scoring proficient or better in language. The gap was calculated based on scores from all students taking the tests in grades two through 11. In math, the gap has decreased by only 1 percent — from 24 to 23 percent — over the past five years.

County's lag about the same

The achievement gap did not fare much better in Ventura County, where 33 percent of Latino fifth-graders scored proficient or better in language, compared with 72 percent of white fifth-graders. The 39 percent difference was only 2 percent less than the gap registered in 2003.

In math, 36 percent of Latino fifth-graders in the county scored proficient or better this year, compared with 71 percent of white fifth-graders. The 35 percent difference is only 1 percent less than in 2003.

To narrow the gap, educators must address all the needs students bring to the classroom, said Trudy Tuttle Arriaga, superintendent of the Ventura Unified School District.

Some students need help with English, she said. Others need after-school tutoring, classroom computers or field trips to enrich their education.

"We have to change our system so we're looking at the complexities of our students and giving every student every opportunity," Arriaga said.

Parents should receive their children's individual STAR scores in the mail in the next few weeks. The scores are based on the California Standards Test, California Achievement Test, California Alternate Performance Assessment, and Aprenda, a test in Spanish.

The exams test students in language, math, history and science. Scores on the California Standards Test, the main component of the STAR results, fall into five categories: advanced, proficient, basic, below basic and far below basic.

Proficiency is goal for all

The goal is for all students to reach the proficient level or better.

Scores for schools, districts and counties are available at star.cde.ca.gov.

Test-score reports scheduled for release later this month are:

n Aug. 23: California High School Exit Exam results for 2007. Seniors must pass the high school exit exam, which covers math and language, to get a diploma.

n Aug. 31: Academic Performance Index, or API. These are state school rankings, based on the STAR results and high school exit exam. Schools are ranked on a scale of 200 to 1,000, with the goal being 800.

n Aug. 31: Adequate Yearly Process, or AYP. These are test results required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. A certain percentage of students at each school must score proficient or better, or the school could face sanctions.

— Staff writer Jean Cowden Moore contributed to this report.