GO Public Schools Statement on 2017 SBAC Results
Jonathan Klein of GO Public Schools released the following statement on the results of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress released by the California Department of Education today:
“For every child and for every family, every school year matters as an opportunity to develop knowledge, skills, and mindsets that students need to thrive. Flat results are unacceptable.
“As we mark the 60th anniversary of the Little Rock Nine this week, these scores are evidence that we are still giving some students less than they deserve.
“California cannot continue to do the same things and expect different results for our students. We must invest more and design learning environments and schools that individualize to meet the unique needs of students so that every child has the support and resources she needs to succeed,” said Jonathan Klein, co-founder and CEO of GO Public Schools.
Other Coverage
- EdSource: No Growth Statewide in Third Year of Smarter Balanced Test Scores
- Los Angeles Times: Students’ progress stalls on California’s standardized tests
Background
Officially launched in Spring 2015, this computer adaptive test is designed to effectively assess and understand student knowledge. This year’s eye-opening results offer some insight into how the school districts and communities that nonprofit GO Public Schools serves (Oakland, West Contra Costa, and Fresno) are performing in preparing our students to thrive in the future.
Most notably, Math and English scores showed little change from last year. 38 percent of California students met or exceeded standards in Math and 49 percent were proficient in English; last year’s results were 37 percent and 49 percent respectively.
The test results also continue to show a massive opportunity gap that exists between student groups. Only about 19 percent of African American students and 25 percent of Latino students are proficient in math, compared to 53 percent of white students and 73 percent of Asian students.
GO Public Schools recognizes that the Smarter Balanced assessment is just one among many measures of school quality and student learning — to truly understand how our schools are serving students, we must consider multiple sources of data, including additional information like school climate, discipline data, graduation rates, attendance information, and more. We are committed to continuing our work in partnership with families, educators, and other decision-makers over the next school year to ensure that all students have the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in school and life.
