Reginald M. Benton Middle: 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.

6th The average 6th grader scores 10 points under the grade 6 bar. 2521 vs. 2531.
7th The average 7th grader meets the grade 7 bar. 2583 vs. 2552.
8th The average 8th grader meets the grade 8 bar. 2577 vs. 2567.

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.

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
6	35,437	2510.9	− 2531	−20.1	× 165 / 514	−6.5
7	35,440	2544.5	− 2552	−7.5	× 158 / 514	−2.3
8	35,441	2551.1	− 2567	−15.9	× 191 / 514	−5.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−15

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	33,106	2521.6	− 2531	−9.4	× 158 / 487	−3
7	33,108	2556.2	− 2552	4.2	× 173 / 487	1.5
8	33,110	2570.1	− 2567	3.1	× 156 / 487	1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−1

2017 from sb_ca2017_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	33,681	2514.9	− 2531	−16.1	× 163 / 510	−5.1
7	33,683	2546.3	− 2552	−5.7	× 170 / 510	−1.9
8	33,685	2566.0	− 2567	−1	× 177 / 510	−0.3
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−7

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	33,707	2492.3	− 2531	−38.7	× 181 / 528	−13.3
7	33,709	2535.1	− 2552	−16.9	× 168 / 528	−5.4
8	33,711	2567.9	− 2567	0.9	× 179 / 528	0.3
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−18

2019 from sb_ca2019_1_csv_v4.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	33,879	2536.7	− 2531	5.7	× 170 / 515	1.9
7	33,880	2536.7	− 2552	−15.3	× 171 / 515	−5.1
8	33,881	2566.4	− 2567	−0.6	× 174 / 515	−0.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−3

2022 from sb_ca2022_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	33,798	2513.1	− 2531	−17.9	× 189 / 619	−5.5
7	33,799	2539.1	− 2552	−12.9	× 222 / 619	−4.6
8	33,800	2573.9	− 2567	6.9	× 208 / 619	2.3
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−8

2023 from sb_ca2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	33,847	2504.8	− 2531	−26.2	× 228 / 673	−8.9
7	33,848	2528.4	− 2552	−23.6	× 208 / 673	−7.3
8	33,849	2563.7	− 2567	−3.3	× 237 / 673	−1.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−17

2024 from sb_ca2024_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	33,703	2517.2	− 2531	−13.8	× 231 / 693	−4.6
7	33,704	2547.5	− 2552	−4.5	× 245 / 693	−1.6
8	33,705	2575.9	− 2567	8.9	× 217 / 693	2.8
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−3

2025 from sb_ca2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	33,564	2537.2	− 2531	6.2	× 241 / 707	2.1
7	33,565	2567.0	− 2552	15	× 227 / 707	4.8
8	33,566	2593.7	− 2567	26.7	× 239 / 707	9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						16

2026 from sb_ca2026_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	33,568	2521.0	− 2531	−10	× 219 / 660	−3.3
7	33,569	2583.3	− 2552	31.3	× 228 / 660	10.8
8	33,570	2576.6	− 2567	9.6	× 213 / 660	3.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						11

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. −15, −1, −7, −18, −3, −8, −17, −3, 16, 11 → −4.5
Typical year-to-year change: how far the result moved from each year to the next, ignoring up or down. 2015→2016: 14 · 2016→2017: 6 · 2017→2018: 11 · 2018→2019: 15 · 2019→2022: 5 · 2022→2023: 9 · 2023→2024: 14 · 2024→2025: 19 · 2025→2026: 5 → average 10.9
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 10.9 × 2.66 = 29. Upper limit 24.5, lower limit −33.5.

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.