Gov. Gavin Newsom, center, and Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, second from left, celebrate marked improvement on state standardized tests for Los Angeles Unified School District students. LAUSD students improved more than three percentage points in English, math and science test scores.
Courtesy photo
Wave Wire Services
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Unified School District students showed marked improvement on state standardized tests, with results released Oct. 9 showing across-the-board gains that exceed pre-pandemic levels.
The results were touted by LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho and Gov. Gavin Newsom during a news conference in Exposition Park.
Carvalho called the latest scores “historic” for the district, reflecting year-over-year improvements in all grade levels.
According to the latest scores, nearly 46.5% of LAUSD students who took part in the testing met or exceeded the state standard in English language arts. That’s up 3.4 percentage points from last year, and is 2.35 points above the pre-pandemic level of 2018-19.
In math, nearly 36.8% of tested students met or exceeded the standard, up 3.93 points from last year and up 3.29 points from 2018-19.
For science, 27.28% of students met or exceeded the standard, up 3.32 points from last year and 4.48 points above the 2018-19 level.
Students in grades 3-8 and 11 are tested in English and math. Students in grades 5, 8, 10, 11 and 12 are tested in science.
The scores mark the highest levels the district has achieved since the state’s Smarter Balanced Assessment system was implemented. The scores are still behind the statewide average, but officials said LAUSD students were improving more quickly than their counterparts statewide.
During his appearance in Exposition Park, Newsom signed legislation — AB 1454 — that his office said would ensure teachers and schools have the training and resources to help improve students’ reading skills.
“At a time when our federal government is focused on dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, in California, we’re doubling down on our efforts to support our schools, students and teachers,” Newsom said in a statement.
“Through significant investments in initiatives like community schools, universal meals, and literacy coaches — and legislative action like the bill I signed today — we’re working to provide students with the resources they need to succeed. And California’s promising test scores show our efforts are paying off.”
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond credited “significant” investments in education for creating the statewide gains in test scores.
“Some growth is modest and some is profound, but in all cases the data reflects the impact of these investments and the hard work of educators to help students succeed,” Thurmond said. “We aspire to achieve even greater student outcomes. We are working to secure additional investments to support comprehensive, long-term, statewide strategies to further move the needle in student proficiency for years to come.”
