Monterey County CAASPP Scores 2015 

For Immediate Release – September 9, 2015
Contact: Barry Brown / Communications Officer / 831.784.4245

First-Time Results of California’s New State Test - Monterey County Results

Salinas, CA – Results from the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) tests were released today by the California Department of Education.

In English language arts/literacy, 32 percent of Monterey County students met or exceeded standards, compared to 44 percent statewide, and 20 percent met or exceeded standards in mathematics compared to 33 percent statewide. Only 1-in-3 Monterey County students are meeting or exceeding the new standards in English language arts, and 1-in-5 in mathematics (Tables 1 and 5).

There is a lot of work to do to support students, parents, teachers and schools in order to meet new, more rigorous academic demands. “In order for students to be prepared for college and 21st century careers, students now have to explain how they solve problems, think critically and write analytically. These new tests ask a lot more of students than previous tests. While these skills take time and effort to master, our students need them to succeed in today’s world,” said Dr. Nancy Kotowski, Monterey County Superintendent of Schools.

The new standards and tests present major changes in education for students, teachers and schools. The first year’s scores identify a starting point for this new era in public education on which we are embarking. Low scores were expected across the state because of these major changes in teaching and learning.

College Readiness
All of California’s state universities and most community colleges are now using 11th grade results as an early signal of readiness to take credit-bearing college level courses upon enrollment.

According to these test results, 48 percent of Monterey County’s 11th grade students are ready or conditionally ready for college work in English language arts/literacy (Table 3 and Figure 1). In mathematics, 18 percent are ready or conditionally ready (Table 7 and Figure 2).

Math scores were lower than English language arts/literacy in Monterey County and California. Looking at other states, Connecticut, Idaho and Kansas to name a few, math scores are similarly lower than English language arts.

The students in upper grades have not had access to, or practice in, these standards from kindergarten through 10th grade. School districts are transitioning to the new mathematics curriculum. These early results show how students who have not received a California Math Standards education through the earlier grades perform on a test designed to measure the results of the more rigorous standards that are now in place. Instruction and tests are no longer procedurally based.

Computer Based Tests
In contrast to the previous state assessments, the CAASPP English language arts/literacy and mathematics tests consist of two computer-based parts. One part challenges students to apply their knowledge to real world problems to measure students’ depth of understanding, writing and research skills, and complex analysis. The second part is a computer adaptive test that is customized to each student. During the computer adaptive part of the test, the difficulty of each subsequent question changes, based on the individual student’s responses. The adaptive tests provide more precise information about an individual student’s knowledge than traditional paper and pencil tests in which all students see the same set of questions.

The Achievement Gap
The initial CAASPP results reflect the serious achievement gap among students who are English learners and students from economically disadvantaged families.

Overall, 7 percent of English learners in all grade levels met or exceeded standards in English language arts/literacy, and 6 percent in math, compared with 59 percent and 40 percent for those subjects, respectively, for students proficient in English.

Overall, 23 percent of economically disadvantaged students in all grade levels met or exceeded the standard in English language arts/literacy, and 14 percent in math, compared with 57 percent and 41 percent, respectively for those subjects, for students not economically disadvantaged.
The tables below indicate the profile of Monterey County students and the test results for student subgroups.

The tables below indicate the profile of Monterey County students and the test results for student subgroups.

Monterey County has the largest migrant student population in the state and a significantly higher percentage of English learners and economically disadvantaged students than the state.

All but one student subgroup in Monterey County performed lower than the state average. Monterey County’s African American students outperformed African American students statewide in meeting or exceeding the standards in English language arts, and were within one percentage point of the state average in mathematics.

To address the achievement gap statewide, the state’s new Local Control Funding Formula provides additional resources to support school districts’ LCAPs for addressing the needs of identified student subgroups. In Monterey County, school districts are receiving $131,776,426 in supplemental and concentration grants. These funds are being targeted by schools districts to improve the academic achievement of English learners, economically disadvantaged and foster youth, and the Monterey County Office of Education is supporting student academic improvement by providing leadership, support and service focused on addressing the goals identified in Monterey County school districts’ recently-approved Local Control Accountability Plans.

California Standards Test for Science
The California Department of Education also released results of the California Standards Test (CST) for science, which is administered to students in grades five, eight and ten.

Table 9 indicates that Monterey County students scored lower than the state. Similarly, there was a drop in scores statewide.

This year’s difficulty is that there is a transition underway from the old California Standards Test for science and the new Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Many schools are currently teaching the new NGSS standards. However, the students were tested on the old standards. The tests aligned to the new NGSS standards are currently in development.

Tables 1-10 and Figures 1-2