Frank Sparkes 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.

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	44,696	2397.0	− 2436	−39	× 80 / 204	−15.3
4	44,697	2435.9	− 2485	−49.1	× 62 / 204	−14.9
5	44,700	2480.4	− 2528	−47.6	× 62 / 204	−14.5
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−45

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	41,422	2380.5	− 2436	−55.5	× 71 / 212	−18.6
4	41,424	2414.2	− 2485	−70.8	× 80 / 212	−26.7
5	41,426	2490.0	− 2528	−38	× 61 / 212	−10.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−56

2017 from sb_ca2017_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	42,439	2421.0	− 2436	−15	× 75 / 238	−4.7
4	42,440	2458.5	− 2485	−26.5	× 79 / 238	−8.8
5	42,443	2468.1	− 2528	−59.9	× 84 / 238	−21.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−35

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	42,451	2446.5	− 2436	10.5	× 62 / 222	2.9
4	42,454	2468.1	− 2485	−16.9	× 83 / 222	−6.3
5	42,455	2493.7	− 2528	−34.3	× 77 / 222	−11.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−15

2019 from sb_ca2019_1_csv_v4.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	42,591	2444.3	− 2436	8.3	× 80 / 229	2.9
4	42,592	2452.5	− 2485	−32.5	× 66 / 229	−9.4
5	42,593	2522.5	− 2528	−5.5	× 83 / 229	−2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−8

2021 from sb_ca2021_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	41,474	2391.3	− 2436	−44.7	× 67 / 228	−13.1
4	41,475	2432.9	− 2485	−52.1	× 84 / 228	−19.2
5	41,476	2481.3	− 2528	−46.7	× 77 / 228	−15.8
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−48

2022 from sb_ca2022_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	42,350	2442.2	− 2436	6.2	× 65 / 203	2
4	42,351	2455.7	− 2485	−29.3	× 65 / 203	−9.4
5	42,352	2523.2	− 2528	−4.8	× 73 / 203	−1.7
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−9

2023 from sb_ca2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	42,377	2447.8	− 2436	11.8	× 74 / 205	4.3
4	42,378	2468.2	− 2485	−16.8	× 70 / 205	−5.7
5	42,379	2522.5	− 2528	−5.5	× 61 / 205	−1.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−3

2024 from sb_ca2024_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	42,212	2451.3	− 2436	15.3	× 64 / 209	4.7
4	42,213	2474.8	− 2485	−10.2	× 79 / 209	−3.9
5	42,214	2524.9	− 2528	−3.1	× 66 / 209	−1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						0

2025 from sb_ca2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	41,971	2476.5	− 2436	40.5	× 53 / 193	11.1
4	41,972	2476.5	− 2485	−8.5	× 65 / 193	−2.9
5	41,973	2517.2	− 2528	−10.8	× 75 / 193	−4.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						4

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. −45, −56, −35, −15, −8, −48, −9, −3, 0, 4 → −21.5
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: 21 · 2017→2018: 20 · 2018→2019: 7 · 2019→2021: 40 · 2021→2022: 39 · 2022→2023: 6 · 2023→2024: 3 · 2024→2025: 4 → average 16.8
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 16.8 × 2.66 = 44.7. Upper limit 23.2, lower limit −66.2.

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. From 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26.