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Public School Kids Did A Little Better This Year On Statewide Tests. See Those Scores
Middle school students in the L.A. Unified School District work on an assignment. (Photo by Kyle Stokes/KPCC)
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The results are in from the standardized tests students in California public schools took last spring -- and overall, kids across the state scored a little better this year than they did in 2017.
Let's look at what that means:
THE BOTTOM LINE
On both English and math tests, a majority of students in the state are still falling short of the state's expectations. Just under half of the state's students met or exceeded state standards in English language arts. Roughly 38 percent of students met or exceeded state standards in math.
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(KPCC/Google Charts)
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That does mark a very modest improvement over last year's results. In both subjects, the percentage of students who met expectations rose by roughly 1 point, according to numbers the California Department of Education made public Tuesday morning.
[Full results: Want to know how your school or district fared? Search here, on the state's website for official results.]
(KPCC/Google Charts)
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CLOSING THE DIVERSITY GAP (OR NOT)
While California's students showed a slight uptick in scores, the "achievement gaps" in the results for students of different races barely narrowed.
The race gaps in math remained particularly wide. Asian students outperformed black students by 53 percentage points.
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(KPCC/Google Charts)
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"We're encouraged by what we see, especially since these tests are more rigorous than previous paper and pencil tests," said California state schools superintendent Tom Torlakson in a statement announcing the results.
"However," Torlakson added, "we need to make sure all students continue to make progress. We must continue our work to narrow achievement gaps as we raise the bar for our students."
(KPCC/Google Charts)
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A CLOSER LOOK AT LOCAL DISTRICTS
The state's largest school district -- Los Angeles Unified -- saw its scores ticked up just under 2 points in math and just under 3 points in English. But the district's overall results still trail the state as a whole.
Long Beach Unified, the second-largest school district in Southern California, saw its scores increase 3 points in English and 4 points in math. In both subjects, LBUSD's results are slightly higher than the state overall.
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(KPCC/Google Charts)
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More than 50 percent of students met or exceeded standards in English in 98 school districts in the L.A., Orange, Ventura, San Bernardino and Riverside counties. In math, a majority of students met expectations in just 60 districts out of nearly 200 in the region.
(KPCC/Google Charts)
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