OC Students Exceed California Assessment Expectations

ORANGE COUNTY, CA - The performance of Orange County and Los Angeles County students on the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress tests was generally on par or higher with that of students statewide, according to the department. Both Orange and Los Angeles County students made gains in English and math achievement compared to the previous year, according to standardized test scores released Tuesday by the California Department of Education.

The CAASPP tests were administered in the spring to more than 3 million students across the state in grades 3-8 and 11.

Scores were all generally higher in Orange County, where 28.72 percent of students exceeded the state standard in English and 29.65 percent met the standard, 20.01 percent nearly met it and 21.62 percent failed to meet it. In math, 27.15 percent of Orange County students exceeded the standard in math, 22.24 percent met it, 23.5 percent nearly met it and 27.11 failed to meet it.

In Los Angeles County, 20.58 percent of the more than 777,000 students who took the tests exceeded the state standard in English, up from 19.15 percent the previous year. According to the state, 28.35 percent met the standard, up slightly from 28.05 percent last year; while 22.84 percent "nearly" met the standard, down from 23.45 percent in 2017; and 28.23 percent failed to meet it, down from 29.35 percent the previous year.
In math, 17.66 percent exceeded the standard, 19.8 percent met it, 26.04 percent nearly met it and 36.5 percent failed to meet it. The percentages from the previous year were 16.32 percent, 19.57 percent, 26.69 percent and 37.42 percent, respectively.

Statewide, 21.25 percent exceeded the standard in English, while 28.63 percent met it, 22.58 percent nearly met it and 27.54 percent failed to meet it. In math, 18.64 percent exceeded the standard, 20.01 percent met it, 25.9 percent nearly met it and 35.45 percent failed to meet it. The statewide scores were generally modest increases from the previous year.

"We're encouraged by what we see, especially since these tests are more rigorous than previous paper and pencil tests," said state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson. "However, we need to make sure all students continue to make progress. We must continue our work to narrow achievement gaps as we raise the bar for our students, and better prepare them for 21st Century college and careers."

In the Los Angeles Unified School District -- the nation's second- largest district -- students generally lagged behind their statewide counterparts. According to state figures, 16.49 percent of students exceeded the standard in English, 25.82 percent met it, 23.44 percent nearly met it and 34.25 percent failed to meet it. In math, 13.67 percent of students exceeded the standard, 17.95 met it, 26.3 percent nearly met it and 42.07 percent failed to meet it.

The LAUSD numbers were generally up from the previous year.

City News Service contributed to this report.

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