Dr. Elisha Smith Arrillaga, Executive Director of The EdTrust-West, today issued the following statement in response to the release of 2019 results of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP)

“At the rate we’re going, my five-year-old-son will be old enough to be a grandparent before California achieves educational justice for low-income students and underrepresented students of color. That’s simply not good enough. We have to do much better, much faster. Today’s assessment results should be a wake-up call for educators and advocates across the state to recommit to accelerating progress in true partnership with communities.

Districts and schools should immediately adopt proven, equity-focused best practices. And policymakers must urgently address the systemic failures that stand in the way of educational justice. For example, today’s results show that just 27% of low-income students, 21% of African American students, 28% of Latinx students, and 13% of English learners are meeting math standards. We know that’s not because of lack of ability but because, as a state, we have not invested in the supports students need to succeed. Students in high-poverty schools, which tend to serve more students of color, have dramatically less access to highly qualified STEM teachers and crucial coursework such as calculus or computer science. California needs a plan to prepare, recruit, and retain many more STEM teachers — especially women and teachers of color — now. And we need to reject efforts — such as the proposal to change CSU admission requirements — that would double down on these inequities.

As a state, we have taken some good, initial steps, including renewed focus on bilingual education and teacher diversity, improved funding formulas, and strengthened protections for undocumented students and families. But today is a painful reminder that we’re crawling forward when we need to be sprinting.”

Among the key results of the 2019 CAASPP:

• Overall, 51% of students are meeting English-Language Arts (ELA) standards and 40% are meeting Math standards; this represents only a 1 percentage point increase in both Math and ELA from last year.
• Math and ELA scores have increased 7 percentage points over the last 5 years for all students, closely mirroring the change for underrepresented students of color and low-income students. However, improvement for English learners has been much slower — just 2 percentage points in 5 years across both subjects. 
• At the current rate of Math improvement, all Latinx students won’t be proficient until 2071, and all African American students won’t be proficient until 2118. 
• Improvement has been stagnant in particular grades across years and subjects. In 11th grade Math and ELA, the percentage of students meeting standards has increased just 1-3 percentage points since 2014-15, but a closer look reveals flat or declining performance for particular groups. For example, Math scores for African American students increased less than 1 percentage point and ELA scores actually declined slightly. 
• Across most grades and subjects this year, significant gaps remain between student groups. For example, 1 in 10 English learners met Math standards compared to 4 in 10 English Only students. Four in 10 low-income students met ELA standards compared to 7 in 10 non-low income students. 

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