The latest California state test scores show that while schools and districts have made gains overall, wide gaps in student achievement persist between low-income, African American and Latino students and their peers. The California Department of Education (CDE) released the state’s latest California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) scores today. Parents will be receiving their own children’s test scores within the next several weeks.
Overall, proficiency rates are up 5% in English and 4% in math statewide. However, scores still show huge achievement gaps. In English, just 37% of Latinos and 31% of African American students have reached proficiency compared to 64% of white students and 76% of Asian students.
“Scores are going up a bit, but they aren’t improving fast enough for many students. The Bay Area is known as the hub of the innovation economy, with so many of the most desirable jobs in the world, but we are not preparing low-income students of color to participate in this new economy,” said Matt Hammer, Founder and CEO of Innovate Public Schools. “In the Bay Area, where we have access to so much wealth and so many resources and where we are perceived to be so progressive, there is no excuse for our schools to have such extreme inequities.”
“Last year, we saw a major achievement gap across California, including here in the Bay Area and, unfortunately, 
it looks like that gap isn’t closing and may even be widening in some cases,” said Carol Hedgspeth, Director of Research and Policy at Innovate Public Schools. “Test scores don’t tell the whole story, but they are a critical indicator of how well we’re preparing students.”
“Kids who aren’t reading and doing math at grade-level are going to have an incredibly tough time thriving in today’s economy — getting a good job, buying a home and raising their kids here,” said Hammer.
Within a few weeks, Innovate Public Schools will release its annual report, “Top Bay Area Public Schools for Underserved Students,” highlighting the Bay Area public schools that achieved strong results for underserved students. The report will shine a light on the schools that have the top results for low-income Latino and African American students in English and in math on the 2015-16 CAASPP.
- Look up the latest test scores for your school or district.
- Check out our guide for parents on How to Read your Child’s Test Results.
For media inquires, contact Amy Stretten at (415) 935-0426 or [email protected].
Media coverage
LA Times: Latest Test Scores – What they are, why they matter and how your school scored
Mercury News: California test scores: Amid gains, proficiency lags and ethnic gap widens
Edsource: Higher test scores, yes, but no narrowing of achievement gaps in California
About Innovate Public Schools
Innovate Public Schools is a nonprofit organization working to make sure that all students in the Bay Area — especially low-income students and students of color — receive a world-class public education that prepares them for success in college, careers and beyond. We’re building a movement of families, educators, and business and elected leaders who together will make this vision a reality. We build the capacity of parents and educators to innovate and act together to create world-class public schools, and we publish easy-to-understand school quality data and research that highlights both problems and solutions.