SCVNews.com | CDE releases 2022 California school test results

The California Department of Education released assessment data today that provide further evidence of the impact of COVID-19 on student academic achievement and underscore the need to continue to address student needs through targeted efforts such as increased instructional time and learning acceleration strategies.

Statewide, the percentage of students meeting or exceeding the 2022 Smarter Balanced final assessment standards decreased by 4 percentage points (from 51 percent to 47 percent) in English Language Arts (ELA) and by 7 percentage points (from 40 percent to 33 percent ) in English. in math compared to students who took the tests in 2018–19 — before the pandemic. Results released today include data from the California Assessment of Student Achievement and Progress (CAASPP) and the English Language Proficiency Assessment for California (ELPAC).

However, a comparison with the state’s 2020–21 ELA data and math estimates suggests that recovery may already be underway. In the spring of 2021, about 25 percent of students in grades three through eight and eleven, or about 740,000 students, took the Smarter Balanced Outcomes Assessments in ELA and math. An analysis of that cohort — looking at the same students who took the test in 2021 and comparing their results to 2022 — showed steeper-than-usual gains in achievement in most grades, suggesting that strong investment of the state in the acceleration of training pays off excluded.

Today’s release follows the preliminary release of National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading and math results for fourth- and eighth-graders across the country. Like much of the country, California’s NAEP math scores fell from 2019 to 2022, though not as much as the national average decline. California fourth graders also experienced a small decline in reading, which was smaller than the national decline. Of particular note: California eighth graders held steady with no reading declines compared to the 2019 NAEP, while the nation as a whole saw a decline.

As a result, California moved up in the NAEP state rankings for both math and reading. In addition, the Los Angeles Unified School District was the only city district pilot to show significant reading gains in eighth grade.

“These baseline data underscore what many of us know: the road to recovery is long and our students will need ongoing support for years to come,” said state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond. “California has been actively working to provide additional resources to help our students beyond 2024, when federal aid ends. Thanks to the $7.9 billion Learning Recovery Block Grant that will be made available to schools in this year’s state budget, $4 billion in the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program, and $250 million for literacy coaches for the most vulnerable students, CDE will continue to work with schools to identify the right tools and resources to meet academic, behavioral and mental health needs.’

Nationwide figures for 2022 fall from pre-pandemic levels, some highlights

State data released today comes from the spring 2022 administration of ELPAC and CAASPP, which includes the Smarter Balanced Outcome Assessments for ELA and Math, the California Alternative Assessments (CAA) for ELA and Math, and the California Assessment of Spanish.

The 2022 Assessment Administration marked a return to full participation in CAASPP and ELPAC testing nationwide for the first time since 2019.

For ELA and math, there was a larger gap in the lower grades than in the upper grades as of 2019.

For the California Science Test (CAST), student scores were generally in line with pre-pandemic levels, with small increases for some groups in some grades and small decreases in others.

For CAA in ELA and math, results were consistent with previous years.

For the Summative ELPAC, fifth- through twelfth-grade English learning scores in 2022 were better than in 2019, while lower grades showed a slight decline. The percentage of students who achieved the highest level of achievement, indicating that they have good oral and written English skills, was 16 per cent in 2018-2019, fell to 14 per cent in 2020-21 and returned to 16 per cent in 2021 – in 2022. . The increase in 2021-2022 was seen in almost all grades and was particularly strong in the twelfth grade.

Although the 2022 cohort analysis is limited in scope, it shows a marked improvement over the previous year, suggesting that acceleration efforts are working

The increase in ELA and math achievement for the appropriate cohort of students from 2020-2021 to 2021-22 shows that the state’s focus on learning recovery is working and is critical to helping all students succeed and thrive in the years ahead . More details on the two-year matched cohort analysis are available in the 2021–2022 Statewide Assessment Results Interpretation Guide. CDE California Assessment Results Web Page.

Starting in 2021, California has invested $4.4 billion in one-time and $4 billion in ongoing state funds to expand learning opportunities outside of traditional school hours and $7.9 billion through the Learning Recovery Block Grant to fund programs such as intensive tutoring.

“Now is not the time to take our foot off the accelerator when it comes to doing everything we can to help all of our students move toward our learning standards and succeed in all aspects of school,” said the Board President. of California State Education Linda Darling-Hammond. “California’s investments in critical initiatives such as intensive tutoring, teacher training and increased instructional time, as well as in areas such as mental health and wellness, are critical to improving academic performance across the board while supporting student well-being.”

Consideration of the context of assessment results

2021–2022 spring exam data. should be considered “baseline data” for measuring student performance in the future due to pandemic-related challenges.

For the 2019-20 school year — a year in which schools quickly transitioned to remote learning after the discovery of COVID-19 in California — the U.S. Department of Education lifted all testing requirements.

To further prevent the virus from spreading before vaccines are developed and widely available, most students were homeschooled for most of 2020-2021 and returned to campuses in the spring, either full-time or with hybrid (in-class and distance) learning.

In the 2020/2021 school year, the US Department of Education required states to administer academic assessments in ELA, math and science, as well as English proficiency assessments — with some flexibility. Districts that were unable to administer a statewide summative assessment in 2020-2021 because it was not a viable option due to factors related to COVID-19 assessed student learning through selected on-site assessments that met certain requirements.

In addition to these flexibilities, the California State Board of Education also approved the use of adjusted test designs for the Smarter Balanced ELA and math tests, mindful of the need to maximize instructional time to accelerate learning and minimize difficulty in an online testing environment.

Assessment results for CAASPP and ELPAC are available to the public on the California Assessment Results website.

To provide basic background and factors to consider when interpreting the 2021-2022 California State Assessment Results, CDE has created the 2021-2022 State Assessment Results Interpretation Guide. can be found on the CDE California Assessment Results webpage.

NAEP results, including for California and all other states, available on The Nation’s Report Card website.