Desert Knolls 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 63 points under the grade 3 bar. 2369 vs. 2432.
4th The average 4th grader scores 40 points under the grade 4 bar. 2434 vs. 2473.
5th The average 5th grader scores 25 points under the grade 4 bar. 2448 vs. 2473. The 5th-grade bar is 2502.
6th The average 6th grader scores 13 points under the grade 5 bar. 2489 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	69,813	2362.8	− 2432	−69.2	× 93 / 313	−20.6
4	69,815	2432.3	− 2473	−40.7	× 74 / 313	−9.6
5	69,816	2491.6	− 2502	−10.4	× 78 / 313	−2.6
6	69,819	2519.1	− 2531	−11.9	× 68 / 313	−2.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−35

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	64,718	2377.2	− 2432	−54.8	× 85 / 313	−14.9
4	64,720	2410.9	− 2473	−62.1	× 80 / 313	−15.9
5	64,722	2471.1	− 2502	−30.9	× 82 / 313	−8.1
6	64,724	2527.0	− 2531	−4	× 66 / 313	−0.8
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−40

2017 from sb_ca2017_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	66,541	2363.3	− 2432	−68.7	× 69 / 305	−15.5
4	66,543	2417.5	− 2473	−55.5	× 92 / 305	−16.7
5	66,545	2460.6	− 2502	−41.4	× 79 / 305	−10.7
6	66,548	2520.5	− 2531	−10.5	× 65 / 305	−2.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−45

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	66,613	2383.0	− 2432	−49	× 60 / 300	−9.8
4	66,615	2436.7	− 2473	−36.3	× 75 / 300	−9.1
5	66,617	2476.3	− 2502	−25.7	× 93 / 300	−8
6	66,619	2506.3	− 2531	−24.7	× 72 / 300	−5.9
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	67,040	2403.7	− 2432	−28.3	× 78 / 298	−7.4
4	67,041	2426.2	− 2473	−46.8	× 68 / 298	−10.7
5	67,042	2477.4	− 2502	−24.6	× 81 / 298	−6.7
6	67,043	2525.1	− 2531	−5.9	× 71 / 298	−1.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−26

2022 from sb_ca2022_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	67,136	2349.0	− 2432	−83	× 137 / 523	−21.7
4	67,137	2398.6	− 2473	−74.4	× 120 / 523	−17.1
5	67,138	2433.0	− 2502	−69	× 142 / 523	−18.7
6	67,139	2470.8	− 2531	−60.2	× 124 / 523	−14.3
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−72

2023 from sb_ca2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	67,146	2321.0	− 2432	−111	× 77 / 303	−28.2
4	67,147	2401.1	− 2473	−71.9	× 81 / 303	−19.2
5	67,148	2415.5	− 2502	−86.5	× 75 / 303	−21.4
6	67,149	2478.3	− 2531	−52.7	× 70 / 303	−12.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−81

2024 from sb_ca2024_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	67,132	2320.8	− 2432	−111.2	× 86 / 297	−32.2
4	67,133	2371.9	− 2473	−101.1	× 75 / 297	−25.5
5	67,134	2398.7	− 2502	−103.3	× 67 / 297	−23.3
6	67,135	2448.1	− 2531	−82.9	× 69 / 297	−19.3
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−100

2025 from sb_ca2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	66,884	2369.6	− 2432	−62.4	× 71 / 294	−15.1
4	66,885	2413.0	− 2473	−60	× 81 / 294	−16.5
5	66,886	2417.5	− 2502	−84.5	× 73 / 294	−21
6	66,887	2477.4	− 2531	−53.6	× 69 / 294	−12.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−65

2026 from sb_ca2026_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	66,863	2368.6	− 2432	−63.4	× 63 / 282	−14.2
4	66,864	2433.5	− 2473	−39.5	× 67 / 282	−9.4
5	66,865	2448.4	− 2502	−53.6	× 85 / 282	−16.2
6	66,866	2489.3	− 2531	−41.7	× 67 / 282	−9.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−50

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. −35, −40, −45, −33, −26, −72, −81, −100, −65, −50 → −54.7
Typical year-to-year change: how far the result moved from each year to the next, ignoring up or down. 2015→2016: 5 · 2016→2017: 5 · 2017→2018: 12 · 2018→2019: 7 · 2019→2022: 46 · 2022→2023: 9 · 2023→2024: 19 · 2024→2025: 35 · 2025→2026: 15 → average 17
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 17 × 2.66 = 45.2. Upper limit −9.5, lower limit −99.9.

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.