Marin schools take action to address state test results

Marin school districts are setting game plans to address a countywide decline in state test scores in math and English during the pandemic.

Administrators at some of Marin’s 17 school districts are presenting their test results and plans for improvement at public board meetings around the county.

Jim Hogeboom, district superintendent of San Rafael City Schools, said a board presentation is planned on Nov. 14. He said there is “not just one silver bullet” among the interventions and extra help underway for students.

“Learning loss is a big deal — and it’s not just one thing,” Hogeboom said.

Jan La Torre-Derby, superintendent of the Novato Unified School District, said each school is developing a plan to address its own 2021-22 test results.

“We’re using targeted interventions to address each student’s needs,” Michael Casper, principal of San Jose Middle School, told the Novato board of trustees on Tuesday. He added that the school’s math teachers are selecting small groups of students who need the most help for special “math tutorials.”

Becky Rosales, superintendent of the Miller Creek School District, said her board will hear a report on the test results on Nov. 8. Kristy Treewater, the deputy superintendent will give the presentation, Rosales said.

The 2022 test scores for the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, announced last week, were the first full set of results since pre-pandemic scores in 2019. The standardized test was either not given or only partially given during the brunt of the pandemic.

While Marin’s test scores were still above those elsewhere in the state, there was a substantial drop countywide in the level of proficiency in math from 2019 to 2022. In 2022, 51% of Marin students met or exceeded the standards for proficiency in math, down from 58% in 2019.

In English, there was a slight decline among Marin students, with 62% who were proficient or above in 2022, down from 65% in 2019.

Statewide, math scores fell from 39.7% proficient in 2019 to 33.4% proficient last year. English scores dropped from 51.1% proficient in 2019 to 47.1% last year.

The test was given to students in third through eighth grades and 11th grade.

Marin’s school districts had mixed results, according to an analysis by CalMatters, a nonprofit news organization:

In the Bolinas-Stinson Union School District, math proficiency rose from 37% of testers in 2019 to 57.4% last year. English proficiency rose from 56.3% of testers in 2019 to 72% last year.

At the Kentfield School District, math proficiency fell from 72.2% of testers in 2019 to 65.3% last year. In English, proficiency fell from 75.4% of students in 2019 to 73.7% last year.

For the Lagunitas School District, math proficiency increased from 41.5% of testers in 2019 to 53.5% last year. English proficiency declined from 64.2% of testers in 2019 to 53% last year.

At the Larkspur Corte-Madera School District, math proficiency declined from 73.7% of testers in 2019 to 71.1% last year. English proficiency increased from 79.2% of testers in 2019 to 79.4% last year.

For the Marin County Office of Education, math proficiency rose from 10% of testers in 2019 to 10.5% last year. English proficiency fell from 13.3% in 2019 to 5.6% in 2022.

At the Miller Creek School District, math proficiency declined from 66.8% of testers in 2019 to 59.2% last year. English proficiency declined from 75.9% of testers in 2019 to 69.1% last year.

In the Mill Valley School District, math proficiency declined from 79.6% of testers in 2019 to 73.3% in 2022. English proficiency declined from 84.1% of testers in 2019 to 78.3% last year.

At the Nicasio School District, math proficiency was down from 56.5% of testers in 2019 to 38.1% last year. English proficiency declined from 69.6% of testers in 2019 to 52.4% last year.

For the Novato Unified School District, math proficiency declined from 48.6% of testers in 2019 to 38.9% in 2022. English proficiency rose from 55.1% of students in 2019 to 55.4% last year.

In the Reed Union School District, math proficiency declined from 79.4% of testers in 2019 to 74.2% last year. English proficiency declined from 84.2% in 2019 to 80.9% last year.

At the Ross School District, math proficiency declined from 80.7% of testers in 2019 to 80.3% last year. English proficiency rose from 85% to 85.1%.

In the Ross Valley School District, math proficiency declined from 69.3% of testers in 2019 to 64.8% last year. English proficiency fell from 77.8% to 74.6%.

For the San Rafael Elementary District, math proficiency declined from 38% of testers in 2019 to 31.9% last year. English proficiency declined from 43.7% to 38%.

At the Sausalito Marin City School District, math proficiency rose from 20.8% of testers in 2019 to 26.9% last year. English proficiency rose from 20.8% to 37.7%.

In the Shoreline Unified School District, math proficiency declined from 27.4% of testers in 2019 to 26.5% last year. English proficiency declined from 43.6% to 42.4%.

At the Tamalpais Union High School District, math proficiency rose from 57.9% of testers in 2019 to 58.6% last year. English proficiency rose from 71.8% to 75.6%.

Information on individual school results is available at the state Department of Education’s website at bit.ly/3U0KcwP.