Normal Heights 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.

3rd The average 3rd grader scores 14 points under the grade 3 bar. 2418 vs. 2432.
4th The average 4th grader scores 22 points under the grade 4 bar. 2451 vs. 2473.
5th The average 5th grader meets the grade 5 bar. 2533 vs. 2502.

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	73,575	2387.7	− 2432	−44.3	× 44 / 121	−16.1
4	73,576	2437.0	− 2473	−36	× 43 / 121	−12.8
5	73,579	2485.2	− 2502	−16.8	× 34 / 121	−4.7
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−34

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	68,253	2393.0	− 2432	−39	× 47 / 136	−13.5
4	68,255	2421.0	− 2473	−52	× 45 / 136	−17.2
5	68,256	2474.9	− 2502	−27.1	× 44 / 136	−8.8
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−39

2017 from sb_ca2017_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	70,069	2437.2	− 2432	5.2	× 58 / 140	2.2
4	70,071	2432.9	− 2473	−40.1	× 45 / 140	−12.9
5	70,073	2509.5	− 2502	7.5	× 37 / 140	2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−9

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	70,228	2455.3	− 2432	23.3	× 60 / 158	8.8
4	70,230	2480.4	− 2473	7.4	× 50 / 158	2.3
5	70,233	2461.3	− 2502	−40.7	× 48 / 158	−12.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−1

2019 from sb_ca2019_1_csv_v4.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	70,740	2436.3	− 2432	4.3	× 49 / 150	1.4
4	70,741	2495.1	− 2473	22.1	× 52 / 150	7.7
5	70,742	2511.2	− 2502	9.2	× 49 / 150	3
Sum, rounded to a whole point						12

2022 from sb_ca2022_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	70,810	2440.1	− 2432	8.1	× 29 / 104	2.3
4	70,811	2466.5	− 2473	−6.5	× 30 / 104	−1.9
5	70,812	2483.9	− 2502	−18.1	× 45 / 104	−7.8
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−7

2023 from sb_ca2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	70,806	2435.7	− 2432	3.7	× 42 / 101	1.5
4	70,807	2479.1	− 2473	6.1	× 27 / 101	1.6
5	70,808	2486.7	− 2502	−15.3	× 32 / 101	−4.8
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−2

2024 from sb_ca2024_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	70,788	2452.1	− 2432	20.1	× 32 / 99	6.5
4	70,789	2464.4	− 2473	−8.6	× 40 / 99	−3.5
5	70,790	2505.7	− 2502	3.7	× 27 / 99	1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						4

2025 from sb_ca2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	70,502	2411.1	− 2432	−20.9	× 31 / 106	−6.1
4	70,503	2479.1	− 2473	6.1	× 32 / 106	1.8
5	70,504	2482.1	− 2502	−19.9	× 43 / 106	−8.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−12

2026 from sb_ca2026_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	70,529	2417.8	− 2432	−14.2	× 37 / 94	−5.6
4	70,530	2450.8	− 2473	−22.2	× 31 / 94	−7.3
5	70,531	2533.0	− 2502	31	× 26 / 94	8.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−4

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. −34, −39, −9, −1, 12, −7, −2, 4, −12, −4 → −9.2
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: 30 · 2017→2018: 8 · 2018→2019: 13 · 2019→2022: 19 · 2022→2023: 5 · 2023→2024: 6 · 2024→2025: 16 · 2025→2026: 8 → average 12.2
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 12.2 × 2.66 = 32.5. Upper limit 23.3, lower limit −41.7.

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.