Joan MacQueen Middle: 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 8.

6th The average 6th grader scores 27 points under the grade 6 bar. 2504 vs. 2531.
7th The average 7th grader scores 16 points under the grade 7 bar. 2536 vs. 2552.
8th The average 8th grader scores 10 points under the grade 7 bar. 2542 vs. 2552. The 8th-grade bar is 2567.

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	70,019	2493.5	− 2531	−37.5	× 184 / 565	−12.2
7	70,020	2513.0	− 2552	−39	× 178 / 565	−12.3
8	70,023	2542.2	− 2567	−24.8	× 203 / 565	−8.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−33

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	64,907	2506.4	− 2531	−24.6	× 155 / 524	−7.3
7	64,910	2541.2	− 2552	−10.8	× 195 / 524	−4
8	64,911	2555.9	− 2567	−11.1	× 174 / 524	−3.7
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−15

2017 from sb_ca2017_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	66,724	2530.9	− 2531	−0.1	× 188 / 524	0
7	66,725	2543.9	− 2552	−8.1	× 148 / 524	−2.3
8	66,727	2585.7	− 2567	18.7	× 188 / 524	6.7
Sum, rounded to a whole point						4

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	66,812	2511.5	− 2531	−19.5	× 167 / 487	−6.7
7	66,814	2558.7	− 2552	6.7	× 166 / 487	2.3
8	66,816	2570.0	− 2567	3	× 154 / 487	0.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−3

2019 from sb_ca2019_1_csv_v4.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	67,326	2533.9	− 2531	2.9	× 123 / 418	0.9
7	67,327	2559.3	− 2552	7.3	× 148 / 418	2.6
8	67,328	2581.7	− 2567	14.7	× 147 / 418	5.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						9

2022 from sb_ca2022_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	67,444	2503.2	− 2531	−27.8	× 121 / 367	−9.2
7	67,445	2519.8	− 2552	−32.2	× 121 / 367	−10.6
8	67,446	2540.0	− 2567	−27	× 125 / 367	−9.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−29

2023 from sb_ca2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	67,454	2522.3	− 2531	−8.7	× 147 / 370	−3.5
7	67,455	2540.0	− 2552	−12	× 116 / 370	−3.8
8	67,456	2570.9	− 2567	3.9	× 107 / 370	1.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−6

2024 from sb_ca2024_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	67,442	2509.9	− 2531	−21.1	× 143 / 409	−7.4
7	67,443	2552.2	− 2552	0.2	× 148 / 409	0.1
8	67,444	2549.2	− 2567	−17.8	× 118 / 409	−5.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−12

2025 from sb_ca2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	67,198	2496.4	− 2531	−34.6	× 99 / 383	−8.9
7	67,199	2534.2	− 2552	−17.8	× 138 / 383	−6.4
8	67,200	2553.3	− 2567	−13.7	× 146 / 383	−5.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−21

2026 from sb_ca2026_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	67,251	2504.3	− 2531	−26.7	× 152 / 383	−10.6
7	67,252	2535.8	− 2552	−16.2	× 101 / 383	−4.3
8	67,253	2541.7	− 2567	−25.3	× 130 / 383	−8.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−23

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. −33, −15, 4, −3, 9, −29, −6, −12, −21, −23 → −12.9
Typical year-to-year change: how far the result moved from each year to the next, ignoring up or down. 2015→2016: 18 · 2016→2017: 19 · 2017→2018: 7 · 2018→2019: 12 · 2019→2022: 38 · 2022→2023: 23 · 2023→2024: 6 · 2024→2025: 9 · 2025→2026: 2 → average 14.9
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 14.9 × 2.66 = 39.6. Upper limit 26.7, lower limit −52.5.

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.