SCCOE working toward closing the achievement and opportunity gaps
SCCOE
SAN JOSE, CA – On Tuesday, October 2, the California Department of Education (CDE) released results from the fourth year of the student assessment system known as CAASPP (California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress) show that Santa Clara County students continue to outperform their state counterparts.
Every year, California students in grades three to eight and grade 11, participate in the annual CAASPP testing to measure each student’s ability write clearly, think critically, and solve problems, skills to help prepare students for college and careers in the 21st century.
“It is significant to note that test scores are just one of many ways in which student performance is measured. It is very tempting to judge school and student performances by these quantifiable factors, but there are many qualitative measures as well,” said Dr. Mary Ann Dewan, County Superintendent of Schools.
“When we can track individual student progress over time, CAASPP results will begin to show its value,” added Dewan.
Staff from the Department of Assessment and Accountability of the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) did an in-depth analysis of the results and noted the following highlights:
- For the ELA assessments, 63 percent of Santa Clara County students reached the Standard Met or Standard Exceeded achievement levels compared to 50 percent of students statewide.
- For the mathematics assessments, 56 percent of Santa Clara County students reached the Standard Met or Standard Exceeded achievement levels compared to 39 percent of students statewide.
- Santa Clara County students met or exceeded standards at higher rates than their statewide counterparts at all grade levels (grades three to eight and 11) on the ELA and mathematics assessments.
The results also show that some challenges remain:
- A substantial achievement gap exists between Hispanic/Latino students and white and Asian students in the county.
- For ELA, there is a 46 percentage point difference between the percent of Hispanic/Latino and Asian students that reached the Standard Met or Standard Exceeded achievement levels. Math results show a 57 percentage point difference.
- Within Santa Clara County there is a substantial achievement gap between Economically Disadvantaged and Not Economically Disadvantaged students.
- For ELA, there is a 39 percentage point difference. The gap is even larger in math, where there is a 43 percentage point difference.
“Many of the challenges we faced in the previous year, still exist, and we are working toward closing achievement and opportunity gaps,” said Dewan.
“One of the best things parents can do to help their child is by taking an active role in their child’s education. Reinforce school learning at home, monitor your child’s progress, and supporting your child by being their advocate. Developing a strong relationship with your child’s school will greatly improve your child’s opportunity for academic success,” added Dewan.
“SCCOE also has a robust Parent Engagement Program. This program provides parents with the tools to support their child’s academic achievement. The Parent Engagement Program teaches parents strategies to support their child’s needs. We host two free events per year at various sites throughout the county. Our next event will be at Matsumoto Elementary. We will focus on empowering students and parents to take informed action,” added Dewan.
The entire analysis and other information relating to CAASPP can be found at www.sccoe.org/caaspp.
