Sara Coughlin Elementary: math

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 math test uses one scale for every grade, so a score means the same thing in grade 3 as in grade 5.

Many students here are still learning English. The math test is written in English, with some translation help, and many of its questions are word problems. In 2026, 52 of the 193 students who took the math test were English learners.

All students

3rd The average 3rd grader scores 16 points under the grade 3 bar. 2420 vs. 2436.
4th The average 4th grader scores 27 points under the grade 3 bar. 2409 vs. 2436. The 4th-grade bar is 2485.
5th The average 5th grader scores just under the grade 4 bar. 2485 vs. 2485. The 5th-grade bar is 2528.

Students fluent in English

Math with English out of the way. Includes students who have only ever spoken English.

Grade bars 3rd 35 students Meets the grade 3 bar. 4th 49 students 12 points under the grade 3 bar. 5th 57 students 25 points under the grade 5 bar.

English learners

Students leave this group as they become fluent, so its average stays low even where they learn well.

Grade bars 3rd 16 students 78 points under the grade 3 bar. 4th 20 students 65 points under the grade 3 bar. 5th 16 students 16 points under the grade 3 bar.

the group's average that grade's own bar the distance between

2026 results. "Meets standard" is the state's mark for being on track for that grade. The state leaves out any group of ten students or fewer, so a grade may be missing from the charts.

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	33,587	2368.9	− 2436	−67.1	× 112 / 320	−23.5
4	33,590	2429.5	− 2485	−55.5	× 109 / 320	−18.9
5	33,591	2430.3	− 2528	−97.7	× 99 / 320	−30.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−73

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	31,776	2373.2	− 2436	−62.8	× 94 / 297	−19.9
4	31,777	2414.2	− 2485	−70.8	× 107 / 297	−25.5
5	31,780	2431.4	− 2528	−96.6	× 96 / 297	−31.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−77

2017 from sb_ca2017_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	32,329	2375.7	− 2436	−60.3	× 104 / 294	−21.3
4	32,330	2415.8	− 2485	−69.2	× 88 / 294	−20.7
5	32,332	2425.1	− 2528	−102.9	× 102 / 294	−35.7
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−78

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	32,355	2392.8	− 2436	−43.2	× 109 / 288	−16.4
4	32,357	2406.5	− 2485	−78.5	× 91 / 288	−24.8
5	32,359	2431.8	− 2528	−96.2	× 88 / 288	−29.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−71

2019 from sb_ca2019_1_csv_v4.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	32,537	2389.9	− 2436	−46.1	× 80 / 273	−13.5
4	32,538	2432.6	− 2485	−52.4	× 109 / 273	−20.9
5	32,539	2421.1	− 2528	−106.9	× 84 / 273	−32.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−67

2022 from sb_ca2022_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	32,566	2382.8	− 2436	−53.2	× 90 / 221	−21.7
4	32,567	2422.5	− 2485	−62.5	× 57 / 221	−16.1
5	32,568	2428.7	− 2528	−99.3	× 74 / 221	−33.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−71

2023 from sb_ca2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	32,621	2383.7	− 2436	−52.3	× 67 / 215	−16.3
4	32,622	2428.1	− 2485	−56.9	× 87 / 215	−23
5	32,623	2425.2	− 2528	−102.8	× 61 / 215	−29.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−68

2024 from sb_ca2024_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	32,489	2414.6	− 2436	−21.4	× 66 / 214	−6.6
4	32,490	2427.2	− 2485	−57.8	× 66 / 214	−17.8
5	32,491	2451.2	− 2528	−76.8	× 82 / 214	−29.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−54

2025 from sb_ca2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	32,348	2395.5	− 2436	−40.5	× 68 / 200	−13.8
4	32,349	2447.2	− 2485	−37.8	× 67 / 200	−12.7
5	32,350	2483.4	− 2528	−44.6	× 65 / 200	−14.5
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−41

2026 from sb_ca2026_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	32,338	2419.7	− 2436	−16.3	× 51 / 193	−4.3
4	32,339	2408.6	− 2485	−76.4	× 69 / 193	−27.3
5	32,340	2484.8	− 2528	−43.2	× 73 / 193	−16.3
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−48

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. −73, −77, −78, −71, −67, −71, −68, −54, −41, −48 → −64.8
Typical year-to-year change: how far the result moved from each year to the next, ignoring up or down. 2015→2016: 4 · 2016→2017: 1 · 2017→2018: 7 · 2018→2019: 4 · 2019→2022: 4 · 2022→2023: 3 · 2023→2024: 14 · 2024→2025: 13 · 2025→2026: 7 → average 6.3
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 6.3 × 2.66 = 16.8. Upper limit −48, lower limit −81.6.

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.