Phelan 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.

All students

3rd The average 3rd grader scores 75 points under the grade 3 bar. 2357 vs. 2432.
4th The average 4th grader scores just under the grade 3 bar. 2423 vs. 2432. The 4th-grade bar is 2473.
5th The average 5th grader scores 13 points under the grade 4 bar. 2460 vs. 2473. The 5th-grade bar is 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 100 students 59 points under the grade 3 bar. 4th 94 students 38 points under the grade 4 bar. 5th 120 students 29 points under 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 26 students 139 points under the grade 3 bar. 4th 17 students 76 points under the grade 3 bar. 5th 25 students 36 points under the grade 3 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	69,093	2355.5	− 2432	−76.5	× 89 / 273	−24.9
4	69,095	2383.9	− 2473	−89.1	× 89 / 273	−29
5	69,097	2447.7	− 2502	−54.3	× 95 / 273	−18.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−73

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	64,044	2373.1	− 2432	−58.9	× 85 / 287	−17.4
4	64,046	2381.2	− 2473	−91.8	× 105 / 287	−33.6
5	64,048	2451.9	− 2502	−50.1	× 97 / 287	−16.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−68

2017 from sb_ca2017_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	65,841	2348.6	− 2432	−83.4	× 92 / 295	−26
4	65,844	2394.2	− 2473	−78.8	× 94 / 295	−25.1
5	65,845	2461.9	− 2502	−40.1	× 109 / 295	−14.8
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−66

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	65,919	2383.3	− 2432	−48.7	× 99 / 305	−15.8
4	65,921	2388.9	− 2473	−84.1	× 99 / 305	−27.3
5	65,923	2458.7	− 2502	−43.3	× 107 / 305	−15.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−58

2019 from sb_ca2019_1_csv_v4.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	66,300	2381.9	− 2432	−50.1	× 102 / 303	−16.9
4	66,301	2446.1	− 2473	−26.9	× 95 / 303	−8.4
5	66,302	2443.8	− 2502	−58.2	× 106 / 303	−20.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−46

2022 from sb_ca2022_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	66,374	2358.0	− 2432	−74	× 102 / 296	−25.5
4	66,375	2401.0	− 2473	−72	× 95 / 296	−23.1
5	66,376	2436.5	− 2502	−65.5	× 99 / 296	−21.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−71

2023 from sb_ca2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	66,370	2365.7	− 2432	−66.3	× 90 / 319	−18.7
4	66,371	2389.8	− 2473	−83.2	× 122 / 319	−31.8
5	66,372	2437.9	− 2502	−64.1	× 107 / 319	−21.5
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−72

2024 from sb_ca2024_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	66,356	2355.1	− 2432	−76.9	× 123 / 350	−27
4	66,357	2393.5	− 2473	−79.5	× 101 / 350	−22.9
5	66,358	2436.8	− 2502	−65.2	× 126 / 350	−23.5
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−73

2025 from sb_ca2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	66,110	2369.7	− 2432	−62.3	× 104 / 355	−18.3
4	66,111	2415.2	− 2473	−57.8	× 137 / 355	−22.3
5	66,112	2442.7	− 2502	−59.3	× 114 / 355	−19
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−60

2026 from sb_ca2026_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	66,084	2356.8	− 2432	−75.2	× 126 / 382	−24.8
4	66,085	2423.1	− 2473	−49.9	× 111 / 382	−14.5
5	66,086	2460.1	− 2502	−41.9	× 145 / 382	−15.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−55

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. −73, −68, −66, −58, −46, −71, −72, −73, −60, −55 → −64.2
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: 2 · 2017→2018: 8 · 2018→2019: 12 · 2019→2022: 25 · 2022→2023: 1 · 2023→2024: 1 · 2024→2025: 13 · 2025→2026: 5 → average 8
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 8 × 2.66 = 21.3. Upper limit −42.9, lower limit −85.5.

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.