Earlier this month, we shared the news that Orange County students posted higher scores on average than the rest of California after taking new English and math assessments.
Well, it looks like one O.C. district has posted the highest math scores of all large districts in the state — and the second highest English scores among the bigger districts.
Approximately 74 percent of students in the Irvine Unified School District met or exceed the standard for mathematics, leading all school systems with student populations of 25,000 or more, according to Irvine’s own number-crunchers. Irvine Unified reports it placed second in English among large districts, with about 77 percent of its students meeting or exceeding the standard.
“I am incredibly proud of Irvine Unified students’ outstanding performance,” IUSD Superintendent Terry Walker said in a statement. “These results are a testament to our collective efforts and the special partnership between our hardworking students, dedicated families and talented staff.”
Irvine Unified has more information here, and the Orange County Register has a story here.
About 3.2 million students in grades three through eight and 11 took tests aligned with the new state standards for English language arts/literacy and mathematics in the spring. Results released on Sept. 9 revealed that 53 percent of OC students met or exceeded the English standard, while 45 percent met or exceeded the standards in mathematics. Statewide, 44 percent of students met or exceeded the English standard and 34 percent met or exceeded the math standard.
Administered through the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, or CAASPP, the assessments were designed to measure depth of understanding, writing, research and problem-solving skills.
Each test consists of two parts: A web-based exam alters follow-up questions based on the student’s response to show which skills and content areas have been mastered. The other portion features performance tasks that challenge students to apply their knowledge and skills to real-world problems.
If you consider the number of students who met or nearly met the standards, Orange County posted rates of 76 percent in English and 72 percent in math. By contrast, the state rates were 69 percent and 62 percent.