Students in Mt. Diablo Unified School District Make Gains On Testing

LAMORINDA, CA — Mt. Diablo Unified School District (MDUSD) students made overall gains on state assessments, consistent with or slightly ahead of their peers at the state level, according to data released last week by the California Department of Education showing results from the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress Tests (CAASPP), now in its second year of administration. The data also show the number of students who met or exceeded the state standards increased, while the number of students who nearly met or did not meet the standards went down.

Nearly 17,000 students across the student took the computer-adaptive tests.

“Overall, we are pleased with the results, and applaud our students for working hard to build skills in critical thinking, analytical writing and real-world problem solving as measured in these assessments,” said Dr. Nellie Meyer, MDUSD Superintendent. “These results are a testament to the very hard work of our schools and our teachers, the expanded integration of technology into our classrooms as an important tool for teaching and learning, and the aggressive focus of our instructional team and coaches on supporting teachers and enhancing instruction in each and every classroom to help all students meet these new, more rigorous standards.”

Highlights include:

• More students overall are meeting or exceeding standards
• More African American and Hispanic students are meeting or exceeding standards in English Language Arts
• More Special Education students are meeting or exceeding standards in English Language Arts

Meyer credited the inclusion of new online adaptive diagnostic tools which have helped pinpoint student needs across the district for helping improve student outcomes. “We’ve been much more successful in identifying achievement gaps at all grade levels and with all subgroups, and this has allowed us to zero in on areas of need and enable our teachers to further personalize instruction for students who are starting to struggle,” she added.

The goal of the state’s assessment system is to improve and ensure high-quality teaching and learning, but Meyer cautioned families should not determine their child’s success by a single test score.

“The CAASPP is but one tool we use to see how well our students are doing in school. We also have monthly, weekly and even daily measures for monitoring student success, “said Meyer. “We have much to do to close achievement and opportunity gaps, but are grateful to have these baseline scores, which represent an opportunity to focus on the needs of students and support teachers and schools in their work to achieve college and career readiness. “

CAASPP Results:

• Mt. Diablo Unified School District (MDUSD) students made gains on the tests, meeting or exceeding state level percentages.
  • In English language arts/literacy, 49% of MDUSD students met or exceeded standards, compared to 49% at the state level, up from the previous year.
  • In mathematics, 39% of MDUSD students met or exceeded standards, compared to 37% at the state level, also up from the previous year.
• Statewide CAASPP tests support student learning by measuring the skills of all tested students against the same standards in the same way.

About CAASPP (background)

• It replaced the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program and encompasses the assessments and alternative assessments for English language arts and literacy, mathematics, and science. (The California Standards Test for Science will be strategically abandoned and eventually replaced by a test aligned to the new Next Generation Science Standards.)

• These assessments are aligned with new state standards, which were designed to encourage critical thinking, analytical writing, and real-world problem solving. These are skills students need to be successful in school and in life.
• There are fewer multiple-choice questions and more short answers and extended responses that require students to demonstrate a deeper understanding of key concepts.
• The new assessments and standards connect to the state’s new funding formula that shifts spending decisions to us locally through the Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP).
• The standards tell school districts, teachers, families, students, and the community what students to show know and be able to do at each level.
• The assessments are one way we can monitor our students’ progress in meeting those standards.
• We address our students’ needs through our LCAP, which is available here. We thank our advisory groups, school sites, and countless staff, students and community members who provided essential input on the district’s instructional program. You can view a summary of their input here. For additional ways you can get involved, click, here.
• This is the first time that 11th graders are automatically opted in to the Early Assessment Program (EAP) College Readiness to assess their level of proficiency with college-level coursework.

--Announcement from Mt. Diablo Unified School District; Image via Shutterstock