Joan MacQueen Middle: 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 8.

6th The average 6th grader scores 27 points under the grade 5 bar. 2501 vs. 2528. The 6th-grade bar is 2552.
7th The average 7th grader scores 22 points under the grade 6 bar. 2530 vs. 2552. The 7th-grade bar is 2567.
8th The average 8th grader scores 24 points under the grade 6 bar. 2528 vs. 2552. The 8th-grade bar is 2586.

2026 results. "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
6	70,018	2506.1	− 2552	−45.9	× 184 / 566	−14.9
7	70,021	2516.8	− 2567	−50.2	× 178 / 566	−15.8
8	70,022	2538.9	− 2586	−47.1	× 204 / 566	−17
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−48

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	64,908	2503.5	− 2552	−48.5	× 155 / 524	−14.3
7	64,909	2544.9	− 2567	−22.1	× 195 / 524	−8.2
8	64,912	2542.0	− 2586	−44	× 174 / 524	−14.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−37

2017 from sb_ca2017_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	66,723	2504.6	− 2552	−47.4	× 189 / 525	−17.1
7	66,726	2509.6	− 2567	−57.4	× 148 / 525	−16.2
8	66,728	2563.6	− 2586	−22.4	× 188 / 525	−8
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−41

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	66,811	2489.4	− 2552	−62.6	× 168 / 489	−21.5
7	66,813	2514.7	− 2567	−52.3	× 167 / 489	−17.9
8	66,815	2515.6	− 2586	−70.4	× 154 / 489	−22.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−62

2019 from sb_ca2019_1_csv_v4.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	67,330	2513.1	− 2552	−38.9	× 122 / 417	−11.4
7	67,331	2526.9	− 2567	−40.1	× 148 / 417	−14.2
8	67,332	2553.1	− 2586	−32.9	× 147 / 417	−11.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−37

2022 from sb_ca2022_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	67,448	2471.0	− 2552	−81	× 122 / 368	−26.9
7	67,449	2493.7	− 2567	−73.3	× 121 / 368	−24.1
8	67,450	2489.4	− 2586	−96.6	× 125 / 368	−32.8
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−84

2023 from sb_ca2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	67,458	2499.0	− 2552	−53	× 147 / 373	−20.9
7	67,459	2517.9	− 2567	−49.1	× 118 / 373	−15.5
8	67,460	2512.9	− 2586	−73.1	× 108 / 373	−21.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−58

2024 from sb_ca2024_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	67,446	2492.9	− 2552	−59.1	× 143 / 409	−20.7
7	67,447	2524.6	− 2567	−42.4	× 148 / 409	−15.3
8	67,448	2509.5	− 2586	−76.5	× 118 / 409	−22.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−58

2025 from sb_ca2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	67,202	2495.9	− 2552	−56.1	× 100 / 385	−14.6
7	67,203	2536.5	− 2567	−30.5	× 138 / 385	−10.9
8	67,204	2538.0	− 2586	−48	× 147 / 385	−18.3
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−44

2026 from sb_ca2026_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	67,255	2500.7	− 2552	−51.3	× 152 / 383	−20.4
7	67,256	2529.6	− 2567	−37.4	× 101 / 383	−9.9
8	67,257	2528.2	− 2586	−57.8	× 130 / 383	−19.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−50

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. −48, −37, −41, −62, −37, −84, −58, −58, −44, −50 → −51.9
Typical year-to-year change: how far the result moved from each year to the next, ignoring up or down. 2015→2016: 11 · 2016→2017: 4 · 2017→2018: 21 · 2018→2019: 25 · 2019→2022: 47 · 2022→2023: 26 · 2023→2024: 0 · 2024→2025: 14 · 2025→2026: 6 → average 17.1
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 17.1 × 2.66 = 45.5. Upper limit −6.4, lower limit −97.4.

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.