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Folsom Cordova students show growth in statewide tests
Students in Folsom Cordova schools continued to make progress and, districtwide, perform above state averages in English-language arts and math, according to new state test results released on Aug. 24.
That included modest gains among the District’s most vulnerable student populations, including English learners and socioeconomically disadvantaged students, though achievement gaps continue to persist.
“Our teachers and staff are committed to ensuring all students have a personalized pathway to success, and our students continue to make progress in developing the skills they’ll need to achieve in the years ahead,” said Superintendent Deborah Bettencourt.
More than 10,500 students in grades 3-8 and 11 took the state’s Smarter Balanced assessments last spring, part of California’s comprehensive testing program. The scores are one tool designed to help teachers better understand how our students are performing under new state standards, measure student growth, and implement effective learning strategies tailored to individual children.
In English-language arts, 59 percent of students districtwide met or exceeded state standards, up four percentage points from last year, the first year of the state’s new testing program. Similar growth was seen in math performance, where 50 percent of Folsom Cordova students met or exceeded state standards, up four percentage points from 2015.
Statewide, 49 percent of students met or exceeded English language arts standards, while 37 percent of students met or exceeded standards in math.
Dig deeper into the results: District and individual school performance can be found on the state’s website: http://caaspp.cde.ca.gov/sb2016/default
Under the new state standards, Folsom Cordova has begun to see an incremental narrowing of achievement gaps, though much work remains.
Low-income students - comprising about one-third of all of this year’s test takers - improved in both English language arts (ELA) and math: 33 percent met or exceeded state ELA standards, up 5 percentage points from last year, while 23 percent scored at or above state math standards, a 4 percent increase.
About 9 percent of all of this year’s test takers were English learners, and those students also saw growth in performance: 10 percent of English learners met or exceeded ELA standards, up 3 percent from last year, while 13 percent of English learners met or exceeded math standards, an increase of 5 percent over the previous year.
“We recognize that we must all work harder to close achievement gaps,” Bettencourt said. “In the last year, Folsom Cordova has invested more resources into new curriculum, intervention teachers, student data analysis, and staff training so that our dedicated teachers have the tools they need to support all learners.”
In the coming days, Folsom Cordova families will begin receiving their child’s individual score reports. These test results are just one tool teachers and families can use to better understand how well students are performing in school. The District encourages families to reach out to their teachers to better understand their child’s performance, and how they can work together to support learning.
For details on how to understand score reports, parent resources, answers to common questions, and more, please visit www.fcusd.org/testing.