Finley 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.

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	52,278	2413.1	− 2432	−18.9	× 56 / 184	−5.8
4	52,280	2492.2	− 2473	19.2	× 54 / 184	5.6
5	52,282	2503.2	− 2502	1.2	× 74 / 184	0.5
Sum, rounded to a whole point						0

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	48,579	2413.3	− 2432	−18.7	× 71 / 184	−7.2
4	48,581	2458.1	− 2473	−14.9	× 55 / 184	−4.5
5	48,584	2513.0	− 2502	11	× 58 / 184	3.5
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−8

2017 from sb_ca2017_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	49,900	2404.9	− 2432	−27.1	× 50 / 178	−7.6
4	49,901	2453.1	− 2473	−19.9	× 70 / 178	−7.8
5	49,903	2463.4	− 2502	−38.6	× 58 / 178	−12.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−28

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	49,916	2435.3	− 2432	3.3	× 69 / 192	1.2
4	49,917	2433.6	− 2473	−39.4	× 52 / 192	−10.7
5	49,920	2485.1	− 2502	−16.9	× 71 / 192	−6.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−16

2019 from sb_ca2019_1_csv_v4.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	50,106	2419.5	− 2432	−12.5	× 43 / 166	−3.2
4	50,107	2471.3	− 2473	−1.7	× 71 / 166	−0.7
5	50,108	2498.5	− 2502	−3.5	× 52 / 166	−1.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−5

2022 from sb_ca2022_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	50,016	2397.4	− 2432	−34.6	× 50 / 155	−11.2
4	50,017	2447.5	− 2473	−25.5	× 57 / 155	−9.4
5	50,018	2507.4	− 2502	5.4	× 48 / 155	1.7
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−19

2023 from sb_ca2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	49,974	2410.7	− 2432	−21.3	× 56 / 164	−7.3
4	49,975	2438.2	− 2473	−34.8	× 50 / 164	−10.6
5	49,976	2475.8	− 2502	−26.2	× 58 / 164	−9.3
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−27

2024 from sb_ca2024_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	49,829	2397.3	− 2432	−34.7	× 36 / 140	−8.9
4	49,830	2439.9	− 2473	−33.1	× 58 / 140	−13.7
5	49,831	2477.6	− 2502	−24.4	× 46 / 140	−8
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−31

2025 from sb_ca2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	49,585	2416.1	− 2432	−15.9	× 52 / 146	−5.7
4	49,586	2450.5	− 2473	−22.5	× 37 / 146	−5.7
5	49,587	2484.6	− 2502	−17.4	× 57 / 146	−6.8
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−18

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. 0, −8, −28, −16, −5, −19, −27, −31, −18 → −16.9
Typical year-to-year change: how far the result moved from each year to the next, ignoring up or down. 2015→2016: 8 · 2016→2017: 20 · 2017→2018: 12 · 2018→2019: 11 · 2019→2022: 14 · 2022→2023: 8 · 2023→2024: 4 · 2024→2025: 13 → average 11.3
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 11.3 × 2.66 = 30.1. Upper limit 13.2, lower limit −47.

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.