Descanso 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 42 points under the grade 3 bar. 2390 vs. 2432.
4th The average 4th grader meets the grade 4 bar. 2491 vs. 2473.
5th The average 5th grader meets the grade 5 bar. 2518 vs. 2502.
6th The average 6th grader meets the grade 6 bar. 2567 vs. 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	72,683	2426.8	− 2432	−5.2	× 26 / 84	−1.6
4	72,685	2462.3	− 2473	−10.7	× 33 / 84	−4.2
5	72,687	2518.7	− 2502	16.7	× 25 / 84	5
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−1

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	67,458	2467.0	− 2432	35	× 28 / 84	11.7
4	67,461	2494.7	− 2473	21.7	× 22 / 84	5.7
5	67,462	2527.7	− 2502	25.7	× 34 / 84	10.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						28

2017 from sb_ca2017_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	69,239	2426.6	− 2432	−5.4	× 26 / 74	−1.9
4	69,241	2505.2	− 2473	32.2	× 25 / 74	10.9
5	69,244	2530.0	− 2502	28	× 23 / 74	8.7
Sum, rounded to a whole point						18

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	69,421	2475.2	− 2432	43.2	× 19 / 77	10.7
4	69,423	2489.0	− 2473	16	× 28 / 77	5.8
5	69,425	2533.7	− 2502	31.7	× 30 / 77	12.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						29

2019 from sb_ca2019_1_csv_v4.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	69,936	2455.1	− 2432	23.1	× 39 / 105	8.6
4	69,937	2494.2	− 2473	21.2	× 21 / 105	4.2
5	69,938	2521.7	− 2502	19.7	× 27 / 105	5.1
6	69,939	2546.6	− 2531	15.6	× 18 / 105	2.7
Sum, rounded to a whole point						21

2021 from sb_ca2021_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	68,459	2362.6	− 2432	−69.4	× 29 / 99	−20.3
4	68,460	2457.6	− 2473	−15.4	× 24 / 99	−3.7
5	68,461	2512.0	− 2502	10	× 25 / 99	2.5
6	68,462	2513.6	− 2531	−17.4	× 21 / 99	−3.7
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−25

2022 from sb_ca2022_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	70,028	2432.4	− 2432	0.4	× 28 / 121	0.1
4	70,029	2453.5	− 2473	−19.5	× 34 / 121	−5.5
5	70,030	2499.0	− 2502	−3	× 25 / 121	−0.6
6	70,031	2555.1	− 2531	24.1	× 34 / 121	6.8
Sum, rounded to a whole point						1

2023 from sb_ca2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	70,034	2449.3	− 2432	17.3	× 30 / 108	4.8
4	70,035	2517.7	− 2473	44.7	× 29 / 108	12
5	70,036	2475.1	− 2502	−26.9	× 28 / 108	−7
6	70,037	2583.6	− 2531	52.6	× 21 / 108	10.2
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	70,016	2438.1	− 2432	6.1	× 38 / 118	2
4	70,017	2495.0	− 2473	22	× 31 / 118	5.8
5	70,018	2556.7	− 2502	54.7	× 27 / 118	12.5
6	70,019	2540.9	− 2531	9.9	× 22 / 118	1.8
Sum, rounded to a whole point						22

2025 from sb_ca2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	69,726	2424.2	− 2432	−7.8	× 18 / 100	−1.4
4	69,727	2469.5	− 2473	−3.5	× 35 / 100	−1.2
5	69,728	2537.9	− 2502	35.9	× 28 / 100	10.1
6	69,729	2602.3	− 2531	71.3	× 19 / 100	13.5
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
3	69,755	2390.2	− 2432	−41.8	× 20 / 82	−10.2
4	69,756	2491.1	− 2473	18.1	× 21 / 82	4.6
5	69,757	2518.3	− 2502	16.3	× 23 / 82	4.6
6	69,758	2566.5	− 2531	35.5	× 18 / 82	7.8
Sum, rounded to a whole point						7

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. −1, 28, 18, 29, 21, −25, 1, 20, 22, 21, 7 → 12.8
Typical year-to-year change: how far the result moved from each year to the next, ignoring up or down. 2015→2016: 29 · 2016→2017: 10 · 2017→2018: 11 · 2018→2019: 8 · 2019→2021: 46 · 2021→2022: 26 · 2022→2023: 19 · 2023→2024: 2 · 2024→2025: 1 · 2025→2026: 14 → average 16.6
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 16.6 × 2.66 = 44.2. Upper limit 57, lower limit −31.4.

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.