The results on California’s Common Core-aligned Smarter Balanced assessments give us a look at how our schools and districts are doing as they prepare students for college and career. The good news in this year’s results is that we see some improvement across the board – overall math scores for the state are up an average of 4 percentage points across all grades and English scores are up an average of 5 percentage points across all grades. These improvements mean more students are on track for college and career readiness and should be celebrated. However, the vast number of schools and districts where the majority of students of color and low-income students aren’t meeting standards tell us we’ve got a lot of work to do.
![](https://west.edtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/daughter-father-doing-homework_edited-copy1-300x151.jpg)
What is the Cradle-to-Career Data System?
California’s information about opportunities and outcomes in early learning and care, TK-12 schools, colleges, social services, and employment is currently disconnected. A longitudinal data system can