Buttonwillow Elementary: english

The shaded band is this school's normal range. If nothing about how it works changes, nearly every future year should land inside it. Zero means the typical student just meets the state standard. The small numbers under the years are how many students were tested.

Measured against the grade bars

The state's English test uses one scale for every grade, so a score means the same thing in grade 3 as in grade 8.

Many students here are still learning English, and this test is given in English. In 2026, 77 of the 169 students who took the English Language Arts test were English learners.

All students

3rd The average 3rd grader scores 71 points under the grade 3 bar. 2361 vs. 2432.
4th The average 4th grader scores just under the grade 4 bar. 2465 vs. 2473.
5th The average 5th grader scores 27 points under the grade 4 bar. 2446 vs. 2473. The 5th-grade bar is 2502.
6th The average 6th grader scores 25 points under the grade 4 bar. 2448 vs. 2473. The 6th-grade bar is 2531.
7th The average 7th grader scores just under the grade 6 bar. 2529 vs. 2531. The 7th-grade bar is 2552.
8th The average 8th grader scores 15 points under the grade 7 bar. 2537 vs. 2552. The 8th-grade bar is 2567.

Students fluent in English

The closest these results come to reading alone: English is not in the way. Includes students who have only ever spoken English.

Grade bars 4th 18 students Meets the grade 4 bar. 5th 16 students Just under the grade 4 bar. 7th 19 students Meets the grade 7 bar. 8th 14 students Meets the grade 8 bar.

English learners

Students leave this group as they become fluent, so its average stays low even where they learn well.

Grade bars 4th 16 students 21 points under the grade 3 bar. 5th 11 students 22 points under the grade 3 bar. 7th 13 students 20 points under the grade 5 bar. 8th 15 students Just under the grade 5 bar.

the group's average that grade's own bar the distance between

2026 results. The English test covers reading, writing, listening and research together. "Meets standard" is the state's mark for being on track for that grade. The state leaves out any group of ten students or fewer, so a grade may be missing from the charts.

Step 1 · Each year's result

For each grade tested, take the average (mean) scale score from the California Department of Education's results file, and subtract the lowest score that counts as "Standard Met" for that grade. That is the grade's distance from standard. Weight each grade by its share of the students tested, then add the grades up. Grades where the state hides the average because ten or fewer students tested are left out entirely.

2015 from sb_ca2015_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	16,547	2335.7	− 2432	−96.3	× 42 / 227	−17.8
4	16,550	2367.8	− 2473	−105.2	× 39 / 227	−18.1
5	16,551	2405.4	− 2502	−96.6	× 40 / 227	−17
6	16,554	2449.3	− 2531	−81.7	× 40 / 227	−14.4
7	16,555	2482.5	− 2552	−69.5	× 31 / 227	−9.5
8	16,558	2501.5	− 2567	−65.5	× 35 / 227	−10.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−87

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	15,569	2359.6	− 2432	−72.4	× 43 / 239	−13
4	15,570	2378.9	− 2473	−94.1	× 41 / 239	−16.1
5	15,572	2437.0	− 2502	−65	× 42 / 239	−11.4
6	15,574	2435.6	− 2531	−95.4	× 40 / 239	−16
7	15,576	2467.0	− 2552	−85	× 41 / 239	−14.6
8	15,579	2516.3	− 2567	−50.7	× 32 / 239	−6.8
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−78

2017 from sb_ca2017_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	15,890	2383.0	− 2432	−49	× 39 / 241	−7.9
4	15,892	2405.3	− 2473	−67.7	× 39 / 241	−11
5	15,894	2416.0	− 2502	−86	× 45 / 241	−16.1
6	15,895	2472.2	− 2531	−58.8	× 41 / 241	−10
7	15,898	2502.3	− 2552	−49.7	× 37 / 241	−7.6
8	15,900	2532.0	− 2567	−35	× 40 / 241	−5.8
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−58

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	15,906	2356.2	− 2432	−75.8	× 30 / 230	−9.9
4	15,909	2376.8	− 2473	−96.2	× 41 / 230	−17.1
5	15,910	2426.8	− 2502	−75.2	× 37 / 230	−12.1
6	15,913	2455.6	− 2531	−75.4	× 45 / 230	−14.8
7	15,914	2480.3	− 2552	−71.7	× 38 / 230	−11.8
8	15,917	2510.9	− 2567	−56.1	× 39 / 230	−9.5
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−75

2019 from sb_ca2019_1_csv_v4.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	16,032	2387.3	− 2432	−44.7	× 39 / 236	−7.4
4	16,033	2395.1	− 2473	−77.9	× 34 / 236	−11.2
5	16,034	2408.8	− 2502	−93.2	× 42 / 236	−16.6
6	16,035	2496.6	− 2531	−34.4	× 38 / 236	−5.5
7	16,036	2495.5	− 2552	−56.5	× 45 / 236	−10.8
8	16,037	2491.3	− 2567	−75.7	× 38 / 236	−12.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−64

2022 from sb_ca2022_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	16,058	2325.8	− 2432	−106.2	× 34 / 215	−16.8
4	16,059	2347.3	− 2473	−125.7	× 34 / 215	−19.9
5	16,060	2361.6	− 2502	−140.4	× 31 / 215	−20.2
6	16,061	2476.2	− 2531	−54.8	× 42 / 215	−10.7
7	16,062	2496.2	− 2552	−55.8	× 34 / 215	−8.8
8	16,063	2496.5	− 2567	−70.5	× 40 / 215	−13.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−90

2023 from sb_ca2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	16,006	2363.8	− 2432	−68.2	× 26 / 194	−9.1
4	16,007	2365.3	− 2473	−107.7	× 35 / 194	−19.4
5	16,008	2372.8	− 2502	−129.2	× 36 / 194	−24
6	16,009	2428.7	− 2531	−102.3	× 26 / 194	−13.7
7	16,010	2521.8	− 2552	−30.2	× 36 / 194	−5.6
8	16,011	2483.4	− 2567	−83.6	× 35 / 194	−15.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−87

2024 from sb_ca2024_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	15,955	2351.3	− 2432	−80.7	× 28 / 190	−11.9
4	15,956	2393.2	− 2473	−79.8	× 27 / 190	−11.3
5	15,957	2392.6	− 2502	−109.4	× 33 / 190	−19
6	15,958	2453.3	− 2531	−77.7	× 35 / 190	−14.3
7	15,959	2469.4	− 2552	−82.6	× 30 / 190	−13
8	15,960	2579.6	− 2567	12.6	× 37 / 190	2.5
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−67

2025 from sb_ca2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	15,946	2407.8	− 2432	−24.2	× 35 / 180	−4.7
4	15,947	2413.1	− 2473	−59.9	× 27 / 180	−9
5	15,948	2437.8	− 2502	−64.2	× 23 / 180	−8.2
6	15,949	2466.7	− 2531	−64.3	× 33 / 180	−11.8
7	15,950	2483.8	− 2552	−68.2	× 33 / 180	−12.5
8	15,951	2522.2	− 2567	−44.8	× 29 / 180	−7.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−53

2026 from sb_ca2026_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	15,961	2360.6	− 2432	−71.4	× 24 / 169	−10.1
4	15,962	2465.4	− 2473	−7.6	× 34 / 169	−1.5
5	15,963	2446.1	− 2502	−55.9	× 27 / 169	−8.9
6	15,964	2447.8	− 2531	−83.2	× 23 / 169	−11.3
7	15,965	2528.9	− 2552	−23.1	× 32 / 169	−4.4
8	15,966	2536.7	− 2567	−30.3	× 29 / 169	−5.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−41

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. −87, −78, −58, −75, −64, −90, −87, −67, −53, −41 → −70
Typical year-to-year change: how far the result moved from each year to the next, ignoring up or down. 2015→2016: 9 · 2016→2017: 20 · 2017→2018: 17 · 2018→2019: 11 · 2019→2022: 26 · 2022→2023: 3 · 2023→2024: 20 · 2024→2025: 14 · 2025→2026: 12 → average 14.7
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 14.7 × 2.66 = 39.1. Upper limit −30.9, lower limit −109.1.

Why 2.66? It is the standard factor from quality control, the work of Walter Shewhart and W. Edwards Deming. It turns "how much the result typically changes in a year" into "how far it can wander by chance alone".

Years with no result (no state tests were given in spring 2020) are skipped: the year-to-year change runs from the last year with a result to the next one.

Step 3 · Free or reduced-price meals

The share of enrolled students eligible for free or reduced-price meals. From 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26.