Valley Merced Community: 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 3 bar

The state's English test uses one scale for every grade, so a score means the same thing in grade 3 as in grade 11.

8th The average 8th grader scores 20 points under the grade 3 bar. 2412 vs. 2432. The 8th-grade bar is 2567.
11th The average 11th grader scores 27 points under the grade 3 bar. 2405 vs. 2432. The 11th-grade bar is 2583.

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	43,837	2397.4	− 2531	−133.6	× 11 / 102	−14.4
7	43,840	2447.8	− 2552	−104.2	× 16 / 102	−16.3
8	43,841	2425.7	− 2567	−141.3	× 18 / 102	−24.9
11	43,844	2456.6	− 2583	−126.4	× 57 / 102	−70.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−126

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
7	40,539	2390.9	− 2552	−161.1	× 18 / 101	−28.7
8	40,541	2433.0	− 2567	−134	× 29 / 101	−38.5
11	40,544	2470.4	− 2583	−112.6	× 54 / 101	−60.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−127

2017 from sb_ca2017_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
7	41,550	2379.5	− 2552	−172.5	× 13 / 85	−26.4
8	41,552	2395.8	− 2567	−171.2	× 18 / 85	−36.3
11	41,554	2455.2	− 2583	−127.8	× 54 / 85	−81.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−144

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
7	41,588	2444.2	− 2552	−107.8	× 13 / 129	−10.9
8	41,589	2426.2	− 2567	−140.8	× 29 / 129	−31.7
11	41,592	2466.4	− 2583	−116.6	× 87 / 129	−78.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−121

2019 from sb_ca2019_1_csv_v4.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
8	41,720	2449.8	− 2567	−117.2	× 20 / 74	−31.7
11	41,721	2446.1	− 2583	−136.9	× 54 / 74	−99.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−132

2021 from sb_ca2021_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
11	40,609	2484.1	− 2583	−98.9	× 36 / 36	−98.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−99

2022 from sb_ca2022_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
7	41,468	2424.1	− 2552	−127.9	× 12 / 94	−16.3
8	41,469	2436.5	− 2567	−130.5	× 19 / 94	−26.4
11	41,470	2475.7	− 2583	−107.3	× 63 / 94	−71.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−115

2023 from sb_ca2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
7	41,502	2425.5	− 2552	−126.5	× 14 / 133	−13.3
8	41,503	2396.9	− 2567	−170.1	× 38 / 133	−48.6
11	41,504	2453.4	− 2583	−129.6	× 81 / 133	−78.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−141

2024 from sb_ca2024_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
11	41,321	2442.6	− 2583	−140.4	× 16 / 16	−140.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−140

2025 from sb_ca2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
8	41,081	2431.1	− 2567	−135.9	× 14 / 40	−47.6
11	41,082	2415.7	− 2583	−167.3	× 26 / 40	−108.7
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−156

2026 from sb_ca2026_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
8	40,989	2411.9	− 2567	−155.1	× 24 / 48	−77.6
11	40,990	2405.1	− 2583	−177.9	× 24 / 48	−89
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−167

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. −126, −127, −144, −121, −132, −99, −115, −141, −140, −156, −167 → −133.5
Typical year-to-year change: how far the result moved from each year to the next, ignoring up or down. 2015→2016: 1 · 2016→2017: 17 · 2017→2018: 23 · 2018→2019: 11 · 2019→2021: 33 · 2021→2022: 16 · 2022→2023: 26 · 2023→2024: 1 · 2024→2025: 16 · 2025→2026: 11 → average 15.5
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 15.5 × 2.66 = 41.2. Upper limit −92.3, lower limit −174.7.

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.