San Mateo County, CA — The State of California released the 2021–22 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) summary reports today. After a pause, the assessments resumed last year and provide a new benchmark to measure how schools in the state and county are doing to help students succeed in Mathematics and English Language Arts (ELA).
In San Mateo County, the results are somewhat mixed across the various assessments depending on district, grade, and student group. Students in San Mateo County met the standard at a higher rate in ELA (58.8%) than Mathematics (49%). While there are challenges in comparing these results with those of pre-pandemic years, they generally show a small decline in the percentage of students meeting the standard (2-3%). Students in San Mateo County performed higher than the state average (about 12% higher in both subjects), with a smaller decline from 2019 (statewide about 3% in ELA, 6% in Math).
As in previous years, it is critical to look at the results for individual student groups within a district or school to understand where additional support or inquiry might be needed. The student group results in San Mateo County were mixed. Some students performed the same or slightly higher on the 2021-22 assessments, such as Asian students (slight improvement from 2019) and Students with Disabilities (no change from 2019). However, Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino students saw declines in meeting the math standard — 6.7 and 6.5 percentage points lower than 2019, respectively. This represents a greater decline than the state-wide average (about 6%).*
During the pandemic, school districts relied on local assessments to help determine how students were doing and how schools could better serve them. The practice has led to a renewed interest in different ways to measure student learning. Schools across the county are currently engaged in work to gather high-quality, detailed information that teachers can directly use. This improved capacity, along with a return to in-person instruction, should give teachers and schools what they need to more precisely address specific student learning and developmental needs.
Our students have experienced an incredible upheaval in their short lives. As has been documented, the impact on their mental health and social-emotional development has been significant. However, our students have also shown tremendous resiliency throughout the pandemic.
As we move forward, schools must continue to use the resources at hand to support student well-being and employ strategies to accelerate learning. The need is urgent. Students are counting on schools to help them improve their skills and be prepared to pursue their goals and develop their talents for life success.
The CAASPP results can be found here.
* Updated for accuracy, 11/4/22.
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The San Mateo County Office of Education is committed to ensuring excellence and equity in education by inspiring students, investing in teachers, invigorating leaders, and involving communities.
October 24, 2022