Source: The Sacramento Bee
California K-12 students are faring slightly better than the year before, but more than half are still not meeting state standards, according to recently released annual standardized test results.
While making up some ground, students are still lagging behind pre-pandemic achievement levels. Gov. Gavin Newsom touted the “significant gains” in student test scores at a news conference Thursday morning as he signed new legislation which he says will give teachers critical tools to effectively teach California’s students to read.
Assembly Bill 1454, authored by Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, and Assemblymembers Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance, and Blanca Rubio, D-Baldwin Park, will fund paid professional development for TK-5 teachers and require new training standards for administrator and reading specialist programs. School districts will also be required to choose from a new list of English instructional materials to be adopted by the State Board of Education.
“With AB 1454 every elementary and middle school classroom in this state is going to have instructional materials that are aligned with what the science and research says are the most effective way for children to learn to read,” Marshall Tuck, CEO of education policy nonprofit EdVoice.
The newly-signed legislation is a part of the governor’s Golden State Literacy Plan which seeks to implement several reforms over the next several years to improve reading achievement among California students.
“At a time when our federal government is focused on dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, in California, we’re doubling down on our efforts to support our schools, students, and teachers,” Newsom said Tuesday. “Through significant investments in initiatives like community schools, universal meals, and literacy coaches — and legislative action like the bill I signed today — we’re working to provide students with the resources they need to succeed. And California’s promising test scores show our efforts are paying off.”
Newsom included $200 million in one-time funding to support the legislation in his 2025 budget. What California K-12 test results show Students in the 2024-25 school year met or exceeded state standards in English language arts and math at a rate of 1.8% higher over the previous year, and about 2% higher in science. Statewide, students met or exceeded state standards at a rate of 48% in English and 37% in math, leaving significant room for improvement among most demographics.
The state is boasting improved performance in all grade levels and among most demographic groups, including across socioeconomic, migrant, homeless and disability statuses, but significant gaps remain.
The racial group that saw the most progress were Black/African American students, followed by Hispanic/Latino students, while achievement among white students was nearly identical to the year before. However, Black and Latino students are still up to 30 percentage points behind their white peers, and around 40 percentage points behind Asian students.
These results come from the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress. Students in grades three through eight and grade 11 take the assessment for English language arts and math while students in just three grades (in fifth, eighth and one in high school) are assessed for science. Students with significant cognitive disabilities take alternate assessments and English language learners take an English Language Proficiency Assessment which measures their initial proficiency or their progress toward English proficiency.
Roseville Joint Union High School District in Placer County was highlighted by the California Department of Education as one district that saw notable gains in student achievement — with students meeting or exceeding the proficiency a rate of three percentage points over the prior in ELA and 5.5 in math.
Roseville Joint Union Assistant Superintendent Tu Moua Carroz emphasized the district’s use of data to drive continuous improvement among all student groups and the utilization of Learning Recovery Emergency Block Grant money to support teaching and coach positions.