Pershing 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.

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
6	74,903	2542.8	− 2552	−9.2	× 222 / 654	−3.1
7	74,905	2549.9	− 2567	−17.1	× 218 / 654	−5.7
8	74,907	2580.9	− 2586	−5.1	× 214 / 654	−1.7
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−10

2016 from sb_ca2016_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	69,604	2537.1	− 2552	−14.9	× 228 / 666	−5.1
7	69,606	2557.0	− 2567	−10	× 216 / 666	−3.2
8	69,608	2577.6	− 2586	−8.4	× 222 / 666	−2.8
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−11

2017 from sb_ca2017_1_csv_v2.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	71,437	2549.5	− 2552	−2.5	× 221 / 660	−0.8
7	71,439	2567.6	− 2567	0.6	× 219 / 660	0.2
8	71,441	2582.6	− 2586	−3.4	× 220 / 660	−1.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−2

2018 from sb_ca2018_1_csv_v3.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	71,583	2550.0	− 2552	−2	× 219 / 634	−0.7
7	71,584	2564.4	− 2567	−2.6	× 210 / 634	−0.9
8	71,586	2575.5	− 2586	−10.5	× 205 / 634	−3.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−5

2019 from sb_ca2019_1_csv_v4.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	72,068	2560.1	− 2552	8.1	× 219 / 656	2.7
7	72,069	2580.1	− 2567	13.1	× 214 / 656	4.3
8	72,070	2576.8	− 2586	−9.2	× 223 / 656	−3.1
Sum, rounded to a whole point						4

2022 from sb_ca2022_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	72,158	2533.5	− 2552	−18.5	× 260 / 732	−6.6
7	72,159	2566.6	− 2567	−0.4	× 235 / 732	−0.1
8	72,160	2567.5	− 2586	−18.5	× 237 / 732	−6
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−13

2023 from sb_ca2023_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	72,152	2539.2	− 2552	−12.8	× 246 / 729	−4.3
7	72,153	2553.8	− 2567	−13.2	× 251 / 729	−4.5
8	72,154	2562.8	− 2586	−23.2	× 232 / 729	−7.4
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−16

2024 from sb_ca2024_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	72,134	2546.3	− 2552	−5.7	× 323 / 818	−2.3
7	72,135	2566.0	− 2567	−1	× 257 / 818	−0.3
8	72,136	2581.5	− 2586	−4.5	× 238 / 818	−1.3
Sum, rounded to a whole point						−4

2025 from sb_ca2025_1_csv_v1.zip

Grade	Line in file	Average score	Standard Met	Distance	Students	Weighted
6	71,850	2564.6	− 2552	12.6	× 332 / 945	4.4
7	71,851	2575.2	− 2567	8.2	× 344 / 945	3
8	71,852	2581.4	− 2586	−4.6	× 269 / 945	−1.3
Sum, rounded to a whole point						6

Step 2 · The average and the normal range

Average: add the yearly results and divide by how many there are. −10, −11, −2, −5, 4, −13, −16, −4, 6 → −5.7
Typical year-to-year change: how far the result moved from each year to the next, ignoring up or down. 2015→2016: 1 · 2016→2017: 9 · 2017→2018: 3 · 2018→2019: 9 · 2019→2022: 17 · 2022→2023: 3 · 2023→2024: 12 · 2024→2025: 10 → average 8
Normal range: multiply the typical change by 2.66, then add it to the average and subtract it. 8 × 2.66 = 21.3. Upper limit 15.6, lower limit −27.

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.