Sonoma County Office Of Education: english

The shaded band is this district'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
4	93,773	2339.0	− 2473	−134	× 9 / 90	−13.4
6	93,776	2377.9	− 2531	−153.1	× 10 / 90	−17
7	93,779	2387.9	− 2552	−164.1	× 11 / 90	−20.1
8	93,780	2393.3	− 2567	−173.7	× 16 / 90	−30.9
11	93,783	2450.2	− 2583	−132.8	× 44 / 90	−64.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−146

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
7	87,140	2389.8	− 2552	−162.2	× 12 / 65	−29.9
8	87,141	2418.4	− 2567	−148.6	× 16 / 65	−36.6
11	87,144	2477.4	− 2583	−105.6	× 37 / 65	−60.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−127

2017 from sb_ca2017_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	89,581	2396.8	− 2531	−134.2	× 16 / 54	−39.8
11	89,586	2466.6	− 2583	−116.4	× 38 / 54	−81.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−122

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	89,786	2304.6	− 2432	−127.4	× 12 / 80	−19.1
7	89,793	2359.6	− 2552	−192.4	× 11 / 80	−26.5
8	89,796	2397.2	− 2567	−169.8	× 17 / 80	−36.1
11	89,797	2459.7	− 2583	−123.3	× 40 / 80	−61.7
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−143

2019 from sb_ca2019_1_csv_v4.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	90,412	2380.6	− 2531	−150.4	× 12 / 105	−17.2
7	90,413	2407.4	− 2552	−144.6	× 14 / 105	−19.3
8	90,414	2450.3	− 2567	−116.7	× 34 / 105	−37.8
11	90,415	2434.0	− 2583	−149	× 45 / 105	−63.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−138

2021 from sb_ca2021_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
11	88,581	2475.1	− 2583	−107.9	× 17 / 17	−107.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−108

2022 from sb_ca2022_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
7	90,671	2416.1	− 2552	−135.9	× 14 / 43	−44.2
8	90,672	2395.5	− 2567	−171.5	× 14 / 43	−55.8
11	90,673	2436.5	− 2583	−146.5	× 15 / 43	−51.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−151

2023 from sb_ca2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
8	90,574	2403.5	− 2567	−163.5	× 22 / 56	−64.2
11	90,575	2437.3	− 2583	−145.7	× 34 / 56	−88.5
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−153

2024 from sb_ca2024_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
7	90,502	2453.1	− 2552	−98.9	× 11 / 50	−21.8
8	90,503	2406.3	− 2567	−160.7	× 16 / 50	−51.4
11	90,504	2438.8	− 2583	−144.2	× 23 / 50	−66.3
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−140

2025 from sb_ca2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
8	90,181	2420.2	− 2567	−146.8	× 13 / 40	−47.7
11	90,182	2425.9	− 2583	−157.1	× 27 / 40	−106
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−154

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. −146, −127, −122, −143, −138, −108, −151, −153, −140, −154 → −138.2
Typical year-to-year change: how far the result moved from each year to the next, ignoring up or down. 2015→2016: 19 · 2016→2017: 5 · 2017→2018: 21 · 2018→2019: 5 · 2019→2021: 30 · 2021→2022: 43 · 2022→2023: 2 · 2023→2024: 13 · 2024→2025: 14 → average 16.9
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 16.9 × 2.66 = 45. Upper limit −93.2, lower limit −183.2.

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 — for a district, the total across its schools. From 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26.