Vaca Pena 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 4 bar

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.

All students

7th The average 7th grader scores 13 points under the grade 4 bar. 2472 vs. 2485. The 7th-grade bar is 2567.
8th The average 8th grader scores 11 points under the grade 4 bar. 2474 vs. 2485. The 8th-grade bar is 2586.

Students fluent in English

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

Grade bars 7th 297 students Just under the grade 4 bar. 8th 315 students Just under the grade 4 bar.

English learners

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

Grade bars 7th 26 students 55 points under the grade 3 bar. 8th 19 students 34 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
7	93,448	2520.6	− 2567	−46.4	× 444 / 866	−23.8
8	93,451	2529.5	− 2586	−56.5	× 422 / 866	−27.5
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−51

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
7	86,836	2524.0	− 2567	−43	× 389 / 821	−20.4
8	86,837	2531.7	− 2586	−54.3	× 432 / 821	−28.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−49

2017 from sb_ca2017_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
7	89,282	2526.4	− 2567	−40.6	× 369 / 762	−19.7
8	89,285	2512.1	− 2586	−73.9	× 393 / 762	−38.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−58

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
7	89,493	2526.3	− 2567	−40.7	× 369 / 750	−20
8	89,495	2513.7	− 2586	−72.3	× 381 / 750	−36.7
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−57

2019 from sb_ca2019_1_csv_v4.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
7	90,098	2505.1	− 2567	−61.9	× 355 / 728	−30.2
8	90,099	2512.8	− 2586	−73.2	× 373 / 728	−37.5
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−68

2022 from sb_ca2022_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
7	90,362	2483.2	− 2567	−83.8	× 348 / 693	−42.1
8	90,363	2468.1	− 2586	−117.9	× 345 / 693	−58.7
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−101

2023 from sb_ca2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
7	90,254	2482.2	− 2567	−84.8	× 311 / 674	−39.1
8	90,255	2472.0	− 2586	−114	× 363 / 674	−61.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−101

2024 from sb_ca2024_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
7	90,203	2468.5	− 2567	−98.5	× 323 / 639	−49.8
8	90,204	2479.5	− 2586	−106.5	× 316 / 639	−52.7
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−102

2025 from sb_ca2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
7	89,887	2474.7	− 2567	−92.3	× 335 / 658	−47
8	89,888	2463.1	− 2586	−122.9	× 323 / 658	−60.3
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−107

2026 from sb_ca2026_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
7	89,582	2472.1	− 2567	−94.9	× 323 / 657	−46.7
8	89,583	2474.4	− 2586	−111.6	× 334 / 657	−56.7
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−103

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. −51, −49, −58, −57, −68, −101, −101, −102, −107, −103 → −79.7
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: 9 · 2017→2018: 1 · 2018→2019: 11 · 2019→2022: 33 · 2022→2023: 0 · 2023→2024: 1 · 2024→2025: 5 · 2025→2026: 4 → average 7.3
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 7.3 × 2.66 = 19.4. Upper limit −60.3, lower limit −99.1.

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.