LGSUHSD scores highly in CAASPP testing

Results released this fall show the school’s students continuing to perform at or near the top of the state in mathematics and English on a benchmark state test.

 On Oct. 18, the district released school-specific data regarding the Class of `24’s performance on the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) Test, taken in April. The district ranked first in the state for mathematics, had the third-highest English Language Arts scores in the state, and placed in the top 10% of high school science scores for comprehensive public high school districts. 

Overall, 73.30% of seniors in the district met or exceeded standards in math and 78.50% of seniors met or exceeded standards in English. 

 In English, 85.60% of seniors met or exceeded standards, while 88.81% of seniors met or exceeded standards in mathematics.

Comparatively, 74.90% of Los Gatos High seniors met or exceeded standards while 65.25% met or exceeded standards in mathematics. 

Patrick Bernhardt, the district’s director of Continuous Improvement & Accountability, reported that the district scores represent a small increase in mathematics and a moderate decrease in English. However, the results have caveats, with certain groups scoring significantly lower than others.

“Hispanic students and Students With Disabilities (i.e., students in a special education program) continue to score significantly lower than their classmates,” Bernhart said. “These achievement gaps are most pronounced in English and math, but they are somewhat smaller in science.”

The scores also dropped significantly for English learners, of which 66.7% did not meet state standards. Due to a larger influx of English learners to the district in the past couple of years, the board has indicated it will have to rethink how they provide resources to help this group. The board’s recent approval of the superintendent’s, Bill Sanderson, new strategic plan called “We INSPIRE” is part of the district’s effort to ensure students are prepared for ventures past high school. The name states out the values the district wants to instill, Inspiring & Nurturing Self-Confidence, Potential, Innovation, Respect & Ethics. The plan focuses on four areas, student engagement, professional practice, culture, and family alliances.
“These results are just one of many indicators that we will use to help ensure our students are receiving the highest quality and most well-rounded education possible,” Sanderson said.