Santa Margarita 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 meets the grade 3 bar. 2438 vs. 2432.
4th The average 4th grader scores 23 points under the grade 4 bar. 2450 vs. 2473.
5th The average 5th grader meets the grade 5 bar. 2544 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	81,609	2432.8	− 2432	0.8	× 39 / 149	0.2
4	81,610	2494.1	− 2473	21.1	× 39 / 149	5.5
5	81,613	2523.0	− 2502	21	× 36 / 149	5.1
6	81,614	2554.9	− 2531	23.9	× 35 / 149	5.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						16

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	75,659	2415.8	− 2432	−16.2	× 43 / 154	−4.5
4	75,661	2493.4	− 2473	20.4	× 36 / 154	4.8
5	75,662	2529.4	− 2502	27.4	× 39 / 154	6.9
6	75,665	2561.8	− 2531	30.8	× 36 / 154	7.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						14

2017 from sb_ca2017_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	77,688	2434.5	− 2432	2.5	× 41 / 145	0.7
4	77,689	2461.8	− 2473	−11.2	× 41 / 145	−3.2
5	77,692	2497.5	− 2502	−4.5	× 31 / 145	−1
6	77,693	2546.4	− 2531	15.4	× 32 / 145	3.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						0

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	77,861	2417.7	− 2432	−14.3	× 42 / 123	−4.9
4	77,862	2488.5	− 2473	15.5	× 37 / 123	4.7
5	77,865	2506.1	− 2502	4.1	× 44 / 123	1.5
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	78,388	2452.9	− 2432	20.9	× 51 / 133	8
4	78,389	2489.9	− 2473	16.9	× 41 / 133	5.2
5	78,390	2540.9	− 2502	38.9	× 41 / 133	12
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	78,640	2414.2	− 2432	−17.8	× 43 / 102	−7.5
4	78,641	2512.0	− 2473	39	× 30 / 102	11.5
5	78,642	2542.3	− 2502	40.3	× 29 / 102	11.5
Sum, rounded to a whole point						15

2023 from sb_ca2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	78,626	2422.8	− 2432	−9.2	× 35 / 99	−3.3
4	78,627	2460.0	− 2473	−13	× 33 / 99	−4.3
5	78,628	2548.1	− 2502	46.1	× 31 / 99	14.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						7

2024 from sb_ca2024_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	78,652	2451.4	− 2432	19.4	× 43 / 104	8
4	78,653	2489.6	− 2473	16.6	× 30 / 104	4.8
5	78,654	2487.4	− 2502	−14.6	× 31 / 104	−4.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						8

2025 from sb_ca2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	78,328	2426.9	− 2432	−5.1	× 48 / 121	−2
4	78,329	2500.9	− 2473	27.9	× 42 / 121	9.7
5	78,330	2502.5	− 2502	0.5	× 31 / 121	0.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						8

2026 from sb_ca2026_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	78,242	2437.8	− 2432	5.8	× 60 / 153	2.3
4	78,243	2450.2	− 2473	−22.8	× 48 / 153	−7.2
5	78,244	2543.6	− 2502	41.6	× 45 / 153	12.2
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. 16, 14, 0, 1, 25, 15, 7, 8, 8, 7 → 10.1
Typical year-to-year change: how far the result moved from each year to the next, ignoring up or down. 2015→2016: 2 · 2016→2017: 14 · 2017→2018: 1 · 2018→2019: 24 · 2019→2022: 10 · 2022→2023: 8 · 2023→2024: 1 · 2024→2025: 0 · 2025→2026: 1 → average 6.8
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 6.8 × 2.66 = 18.1. Upper limit 28.2, lower limit −8.

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.