2016 standardized testing results released for Sonoma Valley schools

The scores are still lower than the district would like to see, but they are rising.|

Sonoma Valley students sat last May for just the second go-round of the new Smarter Balanced Asessments. The Smarter Balanced tests replaced the STAR testing that had occurred in California since 2000.

Sonoma Valley students improved overall on the second administration of the tests according to results released by the California Department of Education.

Sonoma Valley Unified School District Superintendent Louann Carlomagno was pleased with the “growth” Sonoma Valley students showed over the past year.

“The Smarter Balanced Assessments are challenging,” said Carlomagno. “But our students are making strong progress.”

The new SBAC tests are administered online and strive to measure the ability to write clearly, think critically and solve problems.

Sonoma Valley schools still lag behind the county and state average toward the goal of meeting and exceeding the standards at every grade level in English language arts and math (except eleventh grade math) but SVUSD narrowed the gap significantly this year in several grades.

“Most importantly,” said Carlomagno, “we had tremendous cohort growth at every level.”

2016 marked the first year of testing that districts can compare their current results with those from the previous year, a major improvement from the previous state-mandated achievement tests.

Within the state website, caaspp.cde.ca.gov/, parents can see the progress this year over last for a specific grade at a specific school.

Karla Conroy, director of curriculum and instruction, said, “This seems like a simple concept – that we would want to compare last year’s third graders with this year’s fourth graders – but this is the first time we have had a system that allows us to do that.”

Although students do come and go in each grade, there is enough continuity that district officials can now identify and highlight trends in the data as students progress through the grades.

Students in grades three through eight, and grade 11, took the test in the spring of 2016. Scores fall into one of four categories: Standard Exceeded, Standard Met, Standard Nearly Met, and Standard Not Met. Students were tested in two subjects: math and English.

The percentage of students in the district whose results placed them in the categories of “meeting or exceeding” the English language arts standards improved from 35 percent to 42 percent.

The percentage of students in the district whose results placed them in the categories of “meeting or exceeding” the math standards improved from 21 to 29 percent.

When comparing 2015-2016 results to the previous school year, each grade level showed an improvement in both math and English language arts, according to Conroy. “[Overall], we recorded an average growth of 11.4 percent in students meeting and exceeding standards in English language arts.”

“We can attribute the wide-ranging improvement to the dedication of our teachers,” said Conroy. “Transition to the new standards progressed this year as teachers continued to modify lessons, implement new curriculum, and more fully understand the assessment. We are also fortunate to have strong teacher leaders who provide professional development to their peers – an incredibly effective and powerful model.”

The results for 11th graders at Sonoma Valley High School were the most positive of all. “Those scores reflect the continued success of many of the district’s educational initiatives that focus on graduating students who are ready for college and career,” said Carlomagno. In that grade 59 percent of the students met or exceeded the standard in English language arts and 44 percent in math.

While the scores across the district reflect growth, Carlomagno remains acutely aware that targeted attention needs to be paid to the diverse subgroups in the Valley.

“Meeting the needs of students with disabilities, English learners, socio-economically disadvantaged, and gifted and talented students pose a unique challenge,” said Nikarre Redcoff, director of student services.

For example, the district continues to serve a large population of socio-economically disadvantaged students: 62 percent of Sonoma students taking the test in 2016 fell into that category compared to a county-wide figure of 48 percent. Many of the students come from a background of multi-generational poverty, and schools have struggled to overcome barriers to achievement that the students experience.

Superintendent Carlomagno emphasized that enhancing and modifying systems of support for subgroups of students is a top priority this year, as it has been in the past. These efforts further support the district’s goal that all students will be college and career ready upon graduation.

Conroy notes that the district will adopt new math and English language curricula this year, freeing up time for teachers to focus more on direct instruction rather than curriculum development. She also noted that Sonoma school leaders are continuing to analyze the results in detail so that educators can reflect on areas of instructional strength as well as areas we need to examine more closely.

“Our goal is to use the data for the continuous advancement of teaching and learning,” said Conroy.

Added Carlomagno: “We’re on the right path, but there is more work to do.”

More information is available at caaspp.or. [Editor’s note: Sonoma Charter and Woodland Star Charter’s test results were not included in this data.]

Contact Lorna at ourschools@sonomanews.com.

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