W. R. Powell 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 6.

3rd The average 3rd grader scores just under the grade 3 bar. 2423 vs. 2432.
4th The average 4th grader scores 33 points under the grade 4 bar. 2440 vs. 2473.
5th The average 5th grader scores 34 points under the grade 4 bar. 2440 vs. 2473. The 5th-grade bar is 2502.
6th The average 6th grader scores 28 points under the grade 6 bar. 2503 vs. 2531.

2023 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.

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	21,003	2362.0	− 2432	−70	× 43 / 141	−21.3
4	21,006	2407.4	− 2473	−65.6	× 59 / 141	−27.4
5	21,007	2486.5	− 2502	−15.5	× 39 / 141	−4.3
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−53

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	19,946	2384.5	− 2432	−47.5	× 36 / 132	−13
4	19,948	2405.0	− 2473	−68	× 41 / 132	−21.1
5	19,951	2463.9	− 2502	−38.1	× 55 / 132	−15.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−50

2017 from sb_ca2017_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	20,259	2411.1	− 2432	−20.9	× 31 / 109	−5.9
4	20,261	2439.8	− 2473	−33.2	× 34 / 109	−10.4
5	20,263	2473.5	− 2502	−28.5	× 44 / 109	−11.5
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−28

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	20,260	2407.6	− 2432	−24.4	× 30 / 94	−7.8
4	20,261	2451.3	− 2473	−21.7	× 31 / 94	−7.2
5	20,264	2500.4	− 2502	−1.6	× 33 / 94	−0.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−16

2019 from sb_ca2019_1_csv_v4.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	20,433	2415.8	− 2432	−16.2	× 41 / 105	−6.3
4	20,434	2449.6	− 2473	−23.4	× 30 / 105	−6.7
5	20,435	2481.4	− 2502	−20.6	× 34 / 105	−6.7
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−20

2022 from sb_ca2022_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	20,458	2376.7	− 2432	−55.3	× 34 / 157	−12
4	20,459	2415.2	− 2473	−57.8	× 42 / 157	−15.5
5	20,460	2442.0	− 2502	−60	× 43 / 157	−16.4
6	20,461	2487.5	− 2531	−43.5	× 38 / 157	−10.5
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−54

2023 from sb_ca2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	20,429	2422.7	− 2432	−9.3	× 26 / 123	−2
4	20,430	2440.3	− 2473	−32.7	× 27 / 123	−7.2
5	20,431	2439.5	− 2502	−62.5	× 34 / 123	−17.3
6	20,432	2503.3	− 2531	−27.7	× 36 / 123	−8.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−35

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. −53, −50, −28, −16, −20, −54, −35 → −36.6
Typical year-to-year change: how far the result moved from each year to the next, ignoring up or down. 2015→2016: 3 · 2016→2017: 22 · 2017→2018: 12 · 2018→2019: 4 · 2019→2022: 34 · 2022→2023: 19 → average 15.7
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 15.7 × 2.66 = 41.8. Upper limit 5.2, lower limit −78.4.

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.