News Release
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Shannon Haber, 213-241-6766
Los Angeles Unified Extends Gains on State English and Math Assessments
LOS ANGELES (Oct. 9, 2019) - Los Angeles Unified students made progress on the 2019 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CASPP), with across-the-board gains at every grade level, according to results released today by the California Department of Education.
In English-language arts (ELA), 43.9 percent of Los Angeles Unified students scored proficient or above, and 33.7 percent achieved those results in math. Scores increased in both subjects for nearly all major subgroups, with reclassified English-learners posting the greatest gains of more than 3 percentage points.
For the first time in many years, Los Angeles Unified is making progress across all education indicators, including graduation rates nearing 80 percent; a decade-high reclassification rate of English-learners of 23 percent; 80 percent of high school juniors taking the SAT; and decreases in both chronic absences and suspension rates.
“Thanks to the dedication and hard work of our teachers, school leaders, support staff and families, our students are making real progress,” Superintendent Austin Beutner said. “Our challenge is to build on this foundation and accelerate the rate of progress.”
More detailed information can be found at: https://caaspp.cde.ca.gov.
"I am pleased to see notable gains in the ELA and math performance among our students, in particular the noted score increases for our fifth-grade students,” Board President Dr. Richard Vladovic said. “While Los Angeles Unified now ranks sixth among the 12 major urban school districts in California, we still have a long way to go. We need to ensure that all of our children are improving and succeeding academically before we are satisfied.”
“While we are pleased to see gains, we want to accelerate this progress,” Board Member Dr. George J. McKenna III said. “We can use this data to personalize how we are providing instruction to our students.”
“It is with hard work, community support and ganas that we are where we are today,” Board Member Mónica García said. “I am proud of that work that we have done together to increase student achievement, but the work is not done yet. Let’s continue this movement so that we do right by all kids. ¡Adelante, Los Angeles schools!”
“I applaud the steady progress that our neighborhood schools have demonstrated in both ELA and math scores despite the challenges our students, administrators, teachers and support staff face very day due to the lack of fair and adequate funding and resources,” Board Member Scott M. Schmerelson said. “Imagine what we could do if our children enjoyed the same level of school revenue as students in states like New York. Congratulations to everybody who worked so hard serving the students and families of Los Angeles Unified.”
“I am glad that our District is making progress overall, but we have a long way to go when more than half of the students in this district do not meet expectations in English and math,” Board Member Nick Melvoin said. “I am alarmed by ongoing opportunity gaps – particularly for English-learners, students with disabilities and African-American and Latino students. We must accelerate the pace of these incremental gains in order to close persistent achievement gaps and give every Los Angeles Unified student the opportunity to succeed. We can’t do that without looking closely at, and learning from, successful schools, or without an aligned vision of where we want to be and strategic plan to get us there.”
“I’m heartened to see many schools in Board District 6 continue to make significant progress in student outcomes, including one school that grew over 20 percentage points in ELA,” Board Member Kelly Gonez said. “I hope we can build on that success this school year, as well as share promising practices to help support schools that haven’t yet seen such gains.”
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