The state released students’ standardized test scores for third- through 11th-grade students online Wednesday, with local school officials particularly pleased with students’ progress in math and science.
“We are pleased to see some promising improvements in our statewide assessment data – especially in the areas of math and science,” said Mike Kuhlman, superintendent of the William S. Hart Union High School District. “While our English language arts scores generally maintained or saw some moderate declines, the students of the Hart district continue to significantly outpace county and state averages.”
While the district’s scores across the board were higher than the state averages, less than half of all of the district’s junior high and high school students who were tested met state standards in math or science.
Districtwide, the Hart district had 68.5% of students’ English language arts scores from all grades tested meet or exceed the state standard, a slight decline from last year’s 69.24% and its prepandemic scores in which 73.21% of scores met or exceeded the average in 2018-19. Seventh-, eighth- and 11th-grade students are the only ones who are tested in the Hart district. There was no data available from the state for scores from the two interceding school years.
For math scores, 44.68% of students met or exceeded the state average, which is a nearly 3-point improvement from last year’s 41.96%, and about seven points below the 2018-19 scores in which 52.94% met or exceeded the state standard.
The students’ scores reflected a second consecutive year “following the significant challenges posed by the pandemic,” according to officials in a release Wednesday that was timed to coincide with the state’s release of the scores.
“The data from these assessments affirms the hard work of our teachers and students while also helping us to identify areas for focused intervention to ensure increasing student achievement,” Kuhlman added in his statement.
Local academic achievement scores mirrored state and national trends, according to officials.
State officials issued a statement on the historic investment made in education during the pandemic but also how the scores indicate that and more is what’s needed going forward.
Statewide, 46.66% of students met or exceeded the standard for English language arts and 34.62% met the standard for math. For L.A. County, the figures were 47.18% and 34.75%, respectively.
“The (California Department of Education) is developing strategies to identify measurable outcomes based on these historic investments and is working on more alignment and cohesion of resources to promote growth and improvements in the future,” said Mary Nicely, chief deputy superintendent of public instruction, in a state Department of Education news release. “These data show signs of improvement for our students, but we know that our students and local educational agencies will continue to need sustained support.”
