Altadena 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 5.

3rd The average 3rd grader meets the grade 3 bar. 2433 vs. 2432.
4th The average 4th grader meets the grade 4 bar. 2478 vs. 2473.
5th The average 5th grader meets the grade 5 bar. 2520 vs. 2502.

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
3	36,300	2342.5	− 2432	−89.5	× 66 / 147	−40.2
4	36,301	2392.9	− 2473	−80.1	× 41 / 147	−22.3
5	36,304	2431.2	− 2502	−70.8	× 40 / 147	−19.3
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−82

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	33,889	2375.6	− 2432	−56.4	× 56 / 180	−17.5
4	33,890	2387.1	− 2473	−85.9	× 68 / 180	−32.5
5	33,892	2424.8	− 2502	−77.2	× 56 / 180	−24
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−74

2017 from sb_ca2017_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	34,485	2382.0	− 2432	−50	× 30 / 143	−10.5
4	34,487	2397.4	− 2473	−75.6	× 51 / 143	−27
5	34,489	2425.8	− 2502	−76.2	× 62 / 143	−33
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−70

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	34,488	2365.3	− 2432	−66.7	× 36 / 120	−20
4	34,489	2436.6	− 2473	−36.4	× 34 / 120	−10.3
5	34,492	2441.3	− 2502	−60.7	× 50 / 120	−25.3
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−56

2019 from sb_ca2019_1_csv_v4.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	34,655	2415.8	− 2432	−16.2	× 40 / 109	−5.9
4	34,656	2398.2	− 2473	−74.8	× 31 / 109	−21.3
5	34,657	2465.7	− 2502	−36.3	× 38 / 109	−12.7
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−40

2022 from sb_ca2022_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	34,596	2401.7	− 2432	−30.3	× 75 / 194	−11.7
4	34,597	2415.9	− 2473	−57.1	× 60 / 194	−17.7
5	34,598	2476.2	− 2502	−25.8	× 59 / 194	−7.8
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−37

2023 from sb_ca2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	34,659	2407.6	− 2432	−24.4	× 72 / 201	−8.7
4	34,660	2436.7	− 2473	−36.3	× 70 / 201	−12.6
5	34,661	2450.7	− 2502	−51.3	× 59 / 201	−15.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−36

2024 from sb_ca2024_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	34,513	2442.3	− 2432	10.3	× 97 / 240	4.2
4	34,514	2456.7	− 2473	−16.3	× 71 / 240	−4.8
5	34,515	2487.5	− 2502	−14.5	× 72 / 240	−4.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−5

2025 from sb_ca2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	34,360	2436.2	− 2432	4.2	× 78 / 223	1.5
4	34,361	2473.8	− 2473	0.8	× 79 / 223	0.3
5	34,362	2487.2	− 2502	−14.8	× 66 / 223	−4.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−3

2026 from sb_ca2026_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	34,364	2432.6	− 2432	0.6	× 64 / 207	0.2
4	34,365	2478.4	− 2473	5.4	× 65 / 207	1.7
5	34,366	2519.5	− 2502	17.5	× 78 / 207	6.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						8

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. −82, −74, −70, −56, −40, −37, −36, −5, −3, 8 → −39.5
Typical year-to-year change: how far the result moved from each year to the next, ignoring up or down. 2015→2016: 8 · 2016→2017: 4 · 2017→2018: 14 · 2018→2019: 16 · 2019→2022: 3 · 2022→2023: 1 · 2023→2024: 31 · 2024→2025: 2 · 2025→2026: 11 → average 10
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 10 × 2.66 = 26.6. Upper limit −12.9, lower limit −66.1.

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.