Railroad Canyon 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	59,020	2383.5	− 2436	−52.5	× 120 / 308	−20.5
4	59,022	2400.7	− 2485	−84.3	× 82 / 308	−22.4
5	59,024	2431.1	− 2528	−96.9	× 106 / 308	−33.3
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−76

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	54,771	2401.2	− 2436	−34.8	× 124 / 330	−13.1
4	54,774	2439.6	− 2485	−45.4	× 121 / 330	−16.6
5	54,776	2434.7	− 2528	−93.3	× 85 / 330	−24
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−54

2017 from sb_ca2017_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	56,376	2415.5	− 2436	−20.5	× 104 / 353	−6
4	56,379	2436.8	− 2485	−48.2	× 124 / 353	−16.9
5	56,381	2452.5	− 2528	−75.5	× 125 / 353	−26.7
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−50

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	56,475	2420.7	− 2436	−15.3	× 115 / 342	−5.1
4	56,477	2434.2	− 2485	−50.8	× 105 / 342	−15.6
5	56,479	2458.2	− 2528	−69.8	× 122 / 342	−24.9
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−46

2019 from sb_ca2019_1_csv_v4.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	56,734	2412.7	− 2436	−23.3	× 133 / 349	−8.9
4	56,735	2450.2	− 2485	−34.8	× 110 / 349	−11
5	56,736	2460.3	− 2528	−67.7	× 106 / 349	−20.6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−40

2021 from sb_ca2021_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	55,483	2415.5	− 2436	−20.5	× 14 / 14	−20.5
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−21

2022 from sb_ca2022_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	56,816	2388.2	− 2436	−47.8	× 135 / 339	−19
4	56,817	2431.1	− 2485	−53.9	× 104 / 339	−16.5
5	56,818	2444.1	− 2528	−83.9	× 100 / 339	−24.7
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−60

2023 from sb_ca2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	56,781	2409.8	− 2436	−26.2	× 106 / 341	−8.1
4	56,782	2438.1	− 2485	−46.9	× 125 / 341	−17.2
5	56,783	2465.3	− 2528	−62.7	× 110 / 341	−20.2
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−46

2024 from sb_ca2024_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	56,667	2412.9	− 2436	−23.1	× 138 / 377	−8.5
4	56,668	2434.9	− 2485	−50.1	× 106 / 377	−14.1
5	56,669	2450.7	− 2528	−77.3	× 133 / 377	−27.3
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−50

2025 from sb_ca2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
3	56,423	2399.0	− 2436	−37	× 146 / 404	−13.4
4	56,424	2431.0	− 2485	−54	× 142 / 404	−19
5	56,425	2438.4	− 2528	−89.6	× 116 / 404	−25.7
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−58

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. −76, −54, −50, −46, −40, −21, −60, −46, −50, −58 → −50.1
Typical year-to-year change: how far the result moved from each year to the next, ignoring up or down. 2015→2016: 22 · 2016→2017: 4 · 2017→2018: 4 · 2018→2019: 6 · 2019→2021: 19 · 2021→2022: 39 · 2022→2023: 14 · 2023→2024: 4 · 2024→2025: 8 → average 13.3
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 13.3 × 2.66 = 35.4. Upper limit −14.7, lower limit −85.5.

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.