Frank Sparkes 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.

Many students here are still learning English, and this test is given in English. In 2026, 78 of the 187 students who took the English Language Arts test were English learners.

All students

3rd The average 3rd grader meets the grade 3 bar. 2450 vs. 2432.
4th The average 4th grader meets the grade 4 bar. 2506 vs. 2473.
5th The average 5th grader meets the grade 5 bar. 2525 vs. 2502.

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 3rd 40 students Meets the grade 3 bar. 4th 33 students Meets the grade 4 bar. 5th 36 students Meets the grade 5 bar.

English learners

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

Grade bars 3rd 24 students 31 points under the grade 3 bar. 4th 25 students 13 points under the grade 4 bar. 5th 29 students 11 points under the grade 4 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	44,695	2389.4	− 2432	−42.6	× 80 / 201	−17
4	44,698	2451.8	− 2473	−21.2	× 59 / 201	−6.2
5	44,699	2498.6	− 2502	−3.4	× 62 / 201	−1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−24

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	41,421	2414.5	− 2432	−17.5	× 71 / 212	−5.9
4	41,423	2437.9	− 2473	−35.1	× 80 / 212	−13.2
5	41,425	2533.0	− 2502	31	× 61 / 212	8.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−10

2017 from sb_ca2017_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	42,438	2427.1	− 2432	−4.9	× 74 / 235	−1.5
4	42,441	2480.9	− 2473	7.9	× 78 / 235	2.6
5	42,442	2494.8	− 2502	−7.2	× 83 / 235	−2.5
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−1

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	42,452	2440.4	− 2432	8.4	× 61 / 219	2.3
4	42,453	2487.2	− 2473	14.2	× 82 / 219	5.3
5	42,456	2510.0	− 2502	8	× 76 / 219	2.8
Sum, rounded to a whole point						10

2019 from sb_ca2019_1_csv_v4.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	42,587	2447.9	− 2432	15.9	× 80 / 229	5.6
4	42,588	2467.8	− 2473	−5.2	× 66 / 229	−1.5
5	42,589	2544.4	− 2502	42.4	× 83 / 229	15.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						19

2021 from sb_ca2021_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	41,470	2388.7	− 2432	−43.3	× 67 / 226	−12.8
4	41,471	2449.6	− 2473	−23.4	× 82 / 226	−8.5
5	41,472	2510.7	− 2502	8.7	× 77 / 226	3
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−18

2022 from sb_ca2022_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	42,346	2445.6	− 2432	13.6	× 65 / 203	4.4
4	42,347	2452.8	− 2473	−20.2	× 65 / 203	−6.5
5	42,348	2540.9	− 2502	38.9	× 73 / 203	14
Sum, rounded to a whole point						12

2023 from sb_ca2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	42,373	2454.3	− 2432	22.3	× 74 / 205	8
4	42,374	2479.5	− 2473	6.5	× 70 / 205	2.2
5	42,375	2535.5	− 2502	33.5	× 61 / 205	10
Sum, rounded to a whole point						20

2024 from sb_ca2024_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	42,208	2439.6	− 2432	7.6	× 64 / 207	2.3
4	42,209	2501.1	− 2473	28.1	× 78 / 207	10.6
5	42,210	2547.5	− 2502	45.5	× 65 / 207	14.3
Sum, rounded to a whole point						27

2025 from sb_ca2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	41,967	2479.9	− 2432	47.9	× 53 / 191	13.3
4	41,968	2501.4	− 2473	28.4	× 65 / 191	9.7
5	41,969	2532.8	− 2502	30.8	× 73 / 191	11.8
Sum, rounded to a whole point						35

2026 from sb_ca2026_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	41,869	2450.2	− 2432	18.2	× 64 / 187	6.2
4	41,870	2506.1	− 2473	33.1	× 58 / 187	10.3
5	41,871	2524.7	− 2502	22.7	× 65 / 187	7.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						24

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. −24, −10, −1, 10, 19, −18, 12, 20, 27, 35, 24 → 8.5
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: 9 · 2017→2018: 11 · 2018→2019: 9 · 2019→2021: 37 · 2021→2022: 30 · 2022→2023: 8 · 2023→2024: 7 · 2024→2025: 8 · 2025→2026: 11 → average 14.4
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 14.4 × 2.66 = 38.3. Upper limit 46.8, lower limit −29.8.

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.