VENTURA COUNTY — Ventura County students maintained their scores on the statewide California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) test, according to new data released by the California Department of Education. The percentage of Ventura County students who met or exceeded the state standards for English language arts (ELA) in 2018 was 49 percent, which is the same as it was in 2017. In math, 38 percent of Ventura County students met or exceeded the state standards, which is also unchanged from 2017. It’s noteworthy that Ventura County’s scores remained stable despite significant disruption from last December’s Thomas Fire and the flooding that followed. The tests were administered after some students had lost as many as 17 days of instruction due to fire and flood-related school closures.
Also known as “Smarter Balanced,” the CAASPP test is administered in grades three through eight and grade eleven. Ventura County third and fourth grade students have seen their scores increase every year since the CAASPP test was introduced. There has also been consistent year-to-year growth in scores for Hispanic students and economically disadvantaged students. Ventura County scores overall are up three percentage points in ELA and two percentage points in math from 2015, which is the first year the test was given. The CAASPP test is designed to reflect California’s more challenging academic standards and asks students to write clearly, think critically, and solve complex problems.
Ventura County Highlights for 2018
NOTE: These highlights include scores for Las Virgenes Unified School District, which has territory that covers portions of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties.
- Forty-six percent of Ventura County third grade students met or exceeded the standard for English, which is up from 43 percent in 2017 and a seven percentage point increase since 2015.
- Forty-seven percent of Ventura County third grade students met or exceeded the standard for math, which is up from 46 percent in 2017 and a six percentage point increase since 2015.
- Forty-eight percent of Ventura County fourth grade students met or exceeded the standard for English, which is up from 46 percent in 2017 and a seven percentage point increase since 2015.
- Forty-two percent of Ventura County fourth grade students met or exceeded the standard for math, which is up from 41 percent in 2017 and a five percentage point increase since 2015.
- Thirty-two percent of Ventura County economically disadvantaged studentsmet or exceeded the standard for English, which is up from 31 percent in 2017 and a five percentage point increase since 2015.
- Twenty-one percent of Ventura County economically disadvantaged studentsmet or exceeded the standard for math, which is up from 20 percent in 2017 and a four percentage point increase since 2015.
- Thirty-three percent of Ventura County Hispanic students met or exceeded the standard for English, which is up from 32 percent in 2017 and a five percentage point increase since 2015.
- Twenty-two percent of Ventura County Hispanic students met or exceeded the standard for math, which is up from 21 percent in 2017 and a three percentage point increase since 2015.
Additional details are available in the attached charts.
Individual Student Reports
Local school districts are mailing customized Individual Student Reports to parents. The reports provide a clear picture of how individual students performed in math and English language arts. The four categories of performance on the assessment are Standard Not Met, Standard Nearly Met, Standard Met and Standard Exceeded. Parents will be able to see how their children’s scores have progressed over the past four years. The reports also detail performance in seven key skill areas which include reading, writing and math concepts and procedures. This information allows parents and teachers to identify the areas where students can use some extra help.
The Bigger Picture
The CAASPP results website shows scores for individual schools, districts, counties and the entire state. 2018 results will be posted after 9:00 am on October 2, 2018.
Additional Resources
- Test Score Guide website for parents: http://testscoreguide.org/ca/
- CAASPP Student Score Report Guide (English and Spanish):http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/ca/caasppssreports.asp
- Video: Understanding Your 2017-18 Student Score Report:https://youtu.be/xEDnk0I5unA
About the Ventura County Office of Education: The Ventura County Office of Education provides a broad array of fiscal, training and technology support services to local school districts, helping to maintain and improve lifelong educational opportunities for children, educators and community members. VCOE also operates schools that serve students with severe disabilities and behavioral issues, provides career education courses, and coordinates countywide academic competitions including Mock Trial and the Ventura County Science Fair. Learn more at: www.vcoe.org.