SMMUSD improves on CAASP test scores

In the 2016-2017 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP), the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District improved over last year in both English and Mathematics. The CAASPP is conducted each year, and tests students across California in grades three through eight and eleventh. The assessment is delivered in two parts: English (Language Arts and Literacy) and Mathematics. SMMUSD regularly exceeds both the county and the nation’s average scores in both of these fields. 74.04% of SMMUSD students in all grade levels met or exceeded standards on English tests, compared to LA County’s average 47.2% and California’s 48.56%. On Mathematics tests, 61.79% of SMMUSD students met or exceeded standards, greatly surpassing the state average of 37.56% and county average of 35.89%.“The test results reflect a high rate of success amongst SMMUSD students compared to their peers, which is a testament to our teachers, staff and administrators at our schools, along with parent support,” Superintendent Dr. Ben Drati said to the Santa Monica Lookout News. Most notably, 80.27% of participating eleventh graders met or exceeded the standard on Language Arts/ Literacy tests. This marks a significant improvement over last year’s 65%, and places SMMUSD a full twenty points ahead of the 2016-2017 eleventh grade state average, 59.2%. Samo English Department Chair Nathan Fulcher accredits this change to a number of factors, including a earlier testing date that didn't conflict with AP test stress, renewed focus by the English department on writing and student familiarization with the new computer interfaces. "As a department, we've really put a lot of focus on helping all of our students, especially with writing, and so the last couple of years we've had Cindy Milwe working as a writing coach for our students," Fulcher said. "A lot of the eleventh grade teachers were sending kids to her two or three times a week and getting extra help in class, so having a specialist giving specialized instruction in English was really helpful."Fulcher also notes that a renewed incentive for student success may have also buoyed the scores. For the first time last year, the English department used CAASPP results to determine which English class students could take senior year. "For the very first time, students felt there were stakes involved," Fulcher said. "For years, when we've looked as a department at the state testing results, we've always thought that our students could perform a whole lot better than they were… All of those factors played into our students finally performing up to the level that we knew that they could, and the results were fantastic."In the eighth grade, however, scores declined in both English and Mathematics by 0.2% and 5.54%, respectively. This is likely in part due to the smaller sample size of eighth graders tested last year. But this decline was sufficiently offset by improvements at every other grade level to mark an improvement in district averages.While the scores show growth, Drati warns that the district can’t just relax. This year’s CAASPP also brings to light a clear disparity in scores, as three in five students classified as ‘disadvantaged’ minority students failed to meet standards in English or Mathematics.“We are continuing to focus on access and opportunity for all students as we face an achievement gap within some of our subgroups, including Latino, African American, English Learner and students with disabilities,” Drati said.