School districts across the state received test scores for their students this week. Modesto City Schools’ elementary and high school districts saw increases in students’ English and math proficiency.
It’s an improvement over last year when scores dropped in English but made small gains in math in the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress exams.
California schools continue to work to raise test results that dropped dramatically after in-person instruction resumed following the remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the Modesto City Elementary School District, around 31% of students met or exceeded standards in English — a four-point increase from last year. For math, around 21% met or exceeded standards — a two-point increase from last year.
El Vista and Bret Hart elementary schools significantly improved in both scores, increasing between seven and nine percentage points. Catherine Everett Elementary had drops in both scores, decreasing between three and six percentage points.
Compared with statewide data, Modesto City Schools elementary district continues to lag in English and math test results.
Looking at all grade levels, about 47% of students in the state met or exceeded the state standard in English, while 36% of students met or exceeded the state standard in math.
Superintendent Sarah Noguchi said she attributes the rises to the school board providing direction on instructional programs during the 2022-23 school year. That direction included closely aligned professional development for staff and targeted instructional coaching. She also attributes these gains from increased rigor in the classroom: Students performing below grade level are receiving individualized intervention from teacher and staff.
“Our goal is double-digit improvement in test scores,” she said. “We are very proud of the progress that students have made over the past two years. While we didn’t get to double-digit growth, we recognize we’ve made great strides.”
As for the Modesto High School District, around 48% of students met or exceeded standards in English — a four-point increase from last year. For math, around 19% of students met or exceeded standards — a two-point increase from last year.
Johansen and Downey high schools improved both scores, increasing between three and 14 percentage point. But Modesto High School’s ELA score significantly dropped by six percentage points compared to last year.
“Modesto High School, Downey and Davis are all part of an effort with California Education Partners, a collaborative of secondary schools around the state who come together and identify best practices and strategies for scaling those practices,” Noguchi said. “Roosevelt Junior High School, Hanshaw Middle School and Mark Twain Junior High School are also part of this collaborative, and they showed significant gain in ELA.”
In Modesto high schools, the test scores of Black, Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students showed slight increases from last year but continue to lag behind.
Around 68% of Black students and 57% of Hispanic students did not meet the state standard for English, while 88% of Black students and 87% of Hispanic students did not meet the state standard for math.
“We are determined to close the achievement gap, and there are meaningful measurements to show that we are heading in the right direction. For example, we more than doubled the number of students reclassified as fluent English learners,” Noguchi said.
In some neighboring districts
As for surrounding school districts, Turlock Unified’s English scores slightly decreased while its math scores increased.
Nearly 38% of students met or exceeded the state standard in English in Turlock Unified, while in math, 26% of students met or exceeded the state standard.
For Ceres Unified, both English and math scores slightly increased.
About 35% students met or exceeded the state standard in English in Ceres Unified, while in math, 20% of students met or exceeded the state standard.
“These state test results tell us nothing new, but they are a loud reminder that while incremental progress is better than a drop in proficiency, there is so much more to be done — and it needs to happen much faster,” said Rachel Ruffalo, Senior Director of Strategic Advocacy of EdTrust-West, in a press release.
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