Orchard 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 22 points under the grade 3 bar. 2410 vs. 2432.
4th The average 4th grader scores 17 points under the grade 4 bar. 2456 vs. 2473.
5th The average 5th grader scores just under the grade 5 bar. 2494 vs. 2502.
6th The average 6th grader meets the grade 6 bar. 2551 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	93,438	2466.0	− 2432	34	× 48 / 218	7.5
4	93,441	2451.0	− 2473	−22	× 56 / 218	−5.7
5	93,442	2502.3	− 2502	0.3	× 63 / 218	0.1
6	93,445	2511.4	− 2531	−19.6	× 51 / 218	−4.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−3

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	86,826	2460.6	− 2432	28.6	× 54 / 231	6.7
4	86,827	2475.0	− 2473	2	× 55 / 231	0.5
5	86,829	2501.3	− 2502	−0.7	× 60 / 231	−0.2
6	86,831	2562.5	− 2531	31.5	× 62 / 231	8.5
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
3	89,273	2465.1	− 2432	33.1	× 51 / 225	7.5
4	89,275	2469.7	− 2473	−3.3	× 64 / 225	−0.9
5	89,276	2521.4	− 2502	19.4	× 52 / 225	4.5
6	89,278	2548.9	− 2531	17.9	× 58 / 225	4.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						16

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	89,483	2477.2	− 2432	45.2	× 49 / 214	10.3
4	89,484	2487.0	− 2473	14	× 51 / 214	3.3
5	89,487	2526.7	− 2502	24.7	× 60 / 214	6.9
6	89,488	2563.3	− 2531	32.3	× 54 / 214	8.2
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	90,085	2442.2	− 2432	10.2	× 56 / 237	2.4
4	90,086	2477.0	− 2473	4	× 53 / 237	0.9
5	90,087	2505.0	− 2502	3	× 63 / 237	0.8
6	90,088	2546.3	− 2531	15.3	× 65 / 237	4.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						8

2022 from sb_ca2022_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	90,349	2433.0	− 2432	1	× 53 / 212	0.3
4	90,350	2474.4	− 2473	1.4	× 45 / 212	0.3
5	90,351	2517.7	− 2502	15.7	× 51 / 212	3.8
6	90,352	2512.4	− 2531	−18.6	× 63 / 212	−5.5
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	90,241	2434.7	− 2432	2.7	× 68 / 227	0.8
4	90,242	2484.3	− 2473	11.3	× 53 / 227	2.6
5	90,243	2524.0	− 2502	22	× 49 / 227	4.7
6	90,244	2553.3	− 2531	22.3	× 57 / 227	5.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						14

2024 from sb_ca2024_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	90,190	2429.1	− 2432	−2.9	× 54 / 226	−0.7
4	90,191	2477.1	− 2473	4.1	× 67 / 226	1.2
5	90,192	2488.1	− 2502	−13.9	× 58 / 226	−3.6
6	90,193	2550.0	− 2531	19	× 47 / 226	4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						1

2025 from sb_ca2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	89,874	2401.2	− 2432	−30.8	× 57 / 238	−7.4
4	89,875	2476.5	− 2473	3.5	× 54 / 238	0.8
5	89,876	2514.1	− 2502	12.1	× 70 / 238	3.6
6	89,877	2533.4	− 2531	2.4	× 57 / 238	0.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−2

2026 from sb_ca2026_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	89,569	2410.4	− 2432	−21.6	× 63 / 243	−5.6
4	89,570	2455.8	− 2473	−17.2	× 56 / 243	−4
5	89,571	2493.9	− 2502	−8.1	× 60 / 243	−2
6	89,572	2550.7	− 2531	19.7	× 64 / 243	5.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−6

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. −3, 15, 16, 29, 8, −1, 14, 1, −2, −6 → 7.1
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: 1 · 2017→2018: 13 · 2018→2019: 21 · 2019→2022: 9 · 2022→2023: 15 · 2023→2024: 13 · 2024→2025: 3 · 2025→2026: 4 → average 10.8
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 10.8 × 2.66 = 28.7. Upper limit 35.8, lower limit −21.6.

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.