The preliminary standardized testing results for the Saugus Union School District presented at Tuesday’s board meeting showed significant improvement at several school sites, making progress toward the district’s goal of closing the achievement gap.
Among the district’s 15 schools, Skyblue Mesa Elementary School saw a 14.19% increase in the English Language Arts category for the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, according to data presented during the meeting, which was an “exceptional” improvement, Superintendent Colleen Hawkins said.
In mathematics, Cedarcreek Elementary School took the lead with a 9.47% increase, and Highlands Elementary came in second with a 7.2% increase, according to the data presentation.
Overall, the district saw 2.70% more students at least meet the standard in English than in the 2023-24 school year, jumping up to 68.93%, while 2.22% of students did so in math, rising to 64.34%. In science, there was a 0.16% increase.
“All of the schools worked at their goals,” Hawkins said during the board meeting as she and the governing board congratulated district staff for their commitment to improving test scores while also acknowledging some areas could use improvement.
The test also provides insight on performance of students from underserved groups including students with disabilities, English learners and socioeconomically disadvantaged students. Those subcategories saw an increase in ELA achievement and “it shows we’re really working to close the achievement gap,” said Carin Fractor, the district’s director of education services.
“That is a group that has historically been harder to close, and we’re seeing that continuously,” Fractor said, adding that the population of African American students also saw an increase in both ELA and math.
For school sites that did not perform as well as expected, staff members have already begun identifying problem areas and seeking solutions, Hawkins said, acknowledging them for their efforts.
“What I really admire is how the schools are taking it on as teams,” Hawkins said. “Because they want to see that same progress with their students … and then we get back to work.”
In ELA, more students within the district scored a Level 4, which is a key marker for meeting reclassification criteria, according to the data that was presented, and the reclassification rate jumped to 30% for the 2024-25 school year, the highest percentage in the past 10 years.
In math, grades 3-6 saw an increase in overall proficiency and almost all student groups saw math achievement levels increase. The English learner group declined in their proficiency in math, according to the data presented.
Fifth graders in the district were also tested in the California Science Test, which only had a 0.16% improvement compared to the previous school year, and showed a “continued need for integration,” Assistant Superintendent Edwin Clement said during the meeting.
The percentage for the science category last year was at 56.19%, and jumped to 56.35% for this year, according to the presented data.
As district personnel focus on science content integration within core content areas, the next steps they will take include targeted professional learning and co-teaching/coaching of the Next Generation Science Standards for grades 3, 4 and 5.
