John Bidwell 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 31 points under the grade 3 bar. 2401 vs. 2432.
4th The average 4th grader meets the grade 4 bar. 2484 vs. 2473.
5th The average 5th grader meets the grade 5 bar. 2503 vs. 2502.
6th The average 6th grader scores 10 points under the grade 5 bar. 2492 vs. 2502. The 6th-grade bar is 2531.

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	61,629	2392.7	− 2432	−39.3	× 46 / 219	−8.3
4	61,631	2409.5	− 2473	−63.5	× 61 / 219	−17.7
5	61,633	2468.1	− 2502	−33.9	× 54 / 219	−8.4
6	61,635	2499.0	− 2531	−32	× 58 / 219	−8.5
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−43

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	57,190	2383.5	− 2432	−48.5	× 53 / 225	−11.4
4	57,192	2412.8	− 2473	−60.2	× 47 / 225	−12.6
5	57,194	2466.9	− 2502	−35.1	× 70 / 225	−10.9
6	57,195	2506.5	− 2531	−24.5	× 55 / 225	−6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−41

2017 from sb_ca2017_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	58,864	2385.2	− 2432	−46.8	× 43 / 211	−9.5
4	58,867	2386.4	− 2473	−86.6	× 49 / 211	−20.1
5	58,869	2429.5	− 2502	−72.5	× 50 / 211	−17.2
6	58,870	2520.3	− 2531	−10.7	× 69 / 211	−3.5
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−50

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	58,979	2429.4	− 2432	−2.6	× 41 / 179	−0.6
4	58,982	2405.4	− 2473	−67.6	× 40 / 179	−15.1
5	58,983	2450.2	− 2502	−51.8	× 49 / 179	−14.2
6	58,986	2519.4	− 2531	−11.6	× 49 / 179	−3.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−33

2019 from sb_ca2019_1_csv_v4.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	59,230	2431.2	− 2432	−0.8	× 34 / 173	−0.2
4	59,231	2435.6	− 2473	−37.4	× 51 / 173	−11
5	59,232	2457.3	− 2502	−44.7	× 39 / 173	−10.1
6	59,233	2464.2	− 2531	−66.8	× 49 / 173	−18.9
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	59,313	2355.7	− 2432	−76.3	× 27 / 113	−18.2
4	59,314	2364.1	− 2473	−108.9	× 32 / 113	−30.8
5	59,315	2488.6	− 2502	−13.4	× 26 / 113	−3.1
6	59,316	2507.4	− 2531	−23.6	× 28 / 113	−5.8
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−58

2023 from sb_ca2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	59,271	2381.6	− 2432	−50.4	× 37 / 115	−16.2
4	59,272	2425.5	− 2473	−47.5	× 24 / 115	−9.9
5	59,273	2441.4	− 2502	−60.6	× 27 / 115	−14.2
6	59,274	2515.9	− 2531	−15.1	× 27 / 115	−3.5
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−44

2024 from sb_ca2024_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	59,202	2378.7	− 2432	−53.3	× 45 / 138	−17.4
4	59,203	2396.9	− 2473	−76.1	× 36 / 138	−19.9
5	59,204	2451.2	− 2502	−50.8	× 27 / 138	−9.9
6	59,205	2468.5	− 2531	−62.5	× 30 / 138	−13.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−61

2025 from sb_ca2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	58,959	2383.4	− 2432	−48.6	× 31 / 123	−12.2
4	58,960	2492.2	− 2473	19.2	× 40 / 123	6.2
5	58,961	2437.8	− 2502	−64.2	× 26 / 123	−13.6
6	58,962	2517.3	− 2531	−13.7	× 26 / 123	−2.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−22

2026 from sb_ca2026_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	58,882	2401.3	− 2432	−30.7	× 26 / 110	−7.3
4	58,883	2484.0	− 2473	11	× 27 / 110	2.7
5	58,884	2502.5	− 2502	0.5	× 34 / 110	0.2
6	58,885	2491.6	− 2531	−39.4	× 23 / 110	−8.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−13

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. −43, −41, −50, −33, −40, −58, −44, −61, −22, −13 → −40.5
Typical year-to-year change: how far the result moved from each year to the next, ignoring up or down. 2015→2016: 2 · 2016→2017: 9 · 2017→2018: 17 · 2018→2019: 7 · 2019→2022: 18 · 2022→2023: 14 · 2023→2024: 17 · 2024→2025: 39 · 2025→2026: 9 → average 14.7
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 14.7 × 2.66 = 39.1. Upper limit −1.4, lower limit −79.6.

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.