California fourth-graders who fail to meet federal minimum proficiency standards in reading are passing the state’s reading test, according to a new federal study that lays bare the disconnect between state and federal education standards.

The U.S. Department of Education, which released its findings Wednesday, concluded that California, like 34 other U.S. states, allows fourth-graders who would be classified as “below basic” in federal reading assessments to pass the state’s standardized reading test with a “basic” designation. The study examined 2009 testing data.

“Basic,” which is considered passing, is defined as demonstrating “partial mastery” of essential grade-level skills, federal officials said.

“California is not compromising necessarily; it’s setting goals that are considered reasonable and reachable for the state,” said Jessica Valdez, the California Department of Education’s coordinator for the National Assessment of Educational Progress. “California is certainly not alone in this. (The federal standards) can be more aspirational because there aren’t high stakes affiliated with them.”

Indeed, under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, all students nationwide are expected to pass their state reading and math assessments by 2014, an unrealistic challenge that has pushed many states to lower testing standards in recent years.

Wednesday’s report noted that 19 U.S. states lowered the bar between 2005 and 2009.

Even with the lowered testing standards, however, states aren’t expected to hit their targets, prompting President Obama this week to call for an overhaul of No Child Left Behind – one that would grant a waiver to states that adopt his education reform agenda, including possibly evaluating teachers based on their students’ performance.

In Wednesday’s report, California was rated favorably in two of the other standardized testing areas that federal officials examined – fourth-grade math and eighth-grade reading, where a “basic” state designation correlated to a “basic” federal designation.

California’s eighth-grade math test was not evaluated in the report because it does not align with federal standards. California assesses mastery of eighth-grade math by subject, such as algebra and pre-algebra.

Contact the writer: 949-454-7394 or smartindale@ocregister.com