Headachy scores follow pandemic

Las Virgenes, Oak Park tests are still better than rest of the state



ON TRACK—Students at Lupin Hill Elementary School in Calabasas fared well when comparing 2022 English/language arts test scores to pre-pandemic levels, but their math performance fell by 4%. Overall, both Las Virgenes and Oak Park exceeded California’s 2022 average in student standardized testing, further affirmation of their strong standing in the state’s public school hierarchy. Courtesy photo

ON TRACK—Students at Lupin Hill Elementary School in Calabasas fared well when comparing 2022 English/language arts test scores to pre-pandemic levels, but their math performance fell by 4%. Overall, both Las Virgenes and Oak Park exceeded California’s 2022 average in student standardized testing, further affirmation of their strong standing in the state’s public school hierarchy. Courtesy photo

Remote learning during the pandemic took its toll on student achievement throughout California. Results for the state’s Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) for students in grades three through eight and grade 11 during the 2021-22 school year were released in October, and show a significant drop in how students performed in the areas of English/ language arts and math.

It was the first time the test was administered statewide since the 2018-19 school year due to interruptions by the pandemic.

Statewide, scores fell between 5 and 7.5 percentage points, with larger discrepancies in low-income areas where students were already struggling.

Last spring nearly 3 million students took the standardized tests. The statewide results showed a drop in reading comprehension in third-grade students as well as a decrease in math skills among eighth-graders.

While the two local school districts—Las Virgenes and Oak Park—fared better than their statewide counterparts, many campuses experienced a drop in scores when measured against pre-pandemic testing.

ACED IT—Oak Hills Elementary in Oak Park is one of the few schools that improved both their English and math CAASPP scores in the 2021-22 year. Acorn file photo

ACED IT—Oak Hills Elementary in Oak Park is one of the few schools that improved both their English and math CAASPP scores in the 2021-22 year. Acorn file photo

Las Virgenes Unified School District

While 68% of Las Virgenes students scored higher than the state average, they tested slightly lower than they did in 2019 in both English and math, down 2% and 3.9% respectively.

Some LVUSD elementary schools improved on their pre-pandemic scores. Students at Round Meadow Elementary School in Calabasas boosted their English/language arts scores by almost 5 percentage points. Math scores went up slightly.

Round Meadow Principal Sara Exner said the school’s teachers faced the challenge of remote learning head-on.

“Round Meadow offers exceptional teachers and staff, targeted small class sizes, academic and emotional supports, art and music programs, and extracurricular learning opportunities,” Exner said.

“We know that the formula that we are using at our LVUSD schools works, and we are proud of our outstanding results,” the Round Meadow principal said.

LEARNING PLATFORM—Principal Eric Anhalt welcomes students to the first day of class 2021 at Lindero Canyon Middle School in Agoura Hills. Coming out of the pandemic, Lindero showed solid gains in English but, like many schools, fell down in math when comparing the pre- and post-COVID test scores. Acorn file photo

LEARNING PLATFORM—Principal Eric Anhalt welcomes students to the first day of class 2021 at Lindero Canyon Middle School in Agoura Hills. Coming out of the pandemic, Lindero showed solid gains in English but, like many schools, fell down in math when comparing the pre- and post-COVID test scores. Acorn file photo

Students at White Oak Elementary School in Westlake Village improved their scores in both English and math with more than 70% of students meeting or exceeding state standards.

Lindero Canyon Middle School in Agoura Hills outperformed testing results from 2019 in English/language arts, though scores in math dropped.

Agoura High School’s 11thgrade students outperformed the state by all measures.

“We continue to closely monitor the academic progress of our LVUSD students, and have done so throughout the entire pandemic,” Superintendent Dan Stepenosky said.

“While CAASPP results are important to review and used to set our academic interventions, it’s critical that we remain focused on our students’ well-being. As we continue our exciting return to normal, we are working hard to support our students who are experiencing stress, anxiety and/or isolation.”

 

 

Stepenosky credits the strong Las Virgenes performance compared to the state to the use of full-time counselors at every elementary school, academic interventionists at each school, and expanded wellness centers and other programs geared toward the students’ well-being.

LVUSD’s biggest winner was Bay Laurel Elementary School in Calabasas, which clocked an impressive 6.8% increase in 2022 math scores compared to 2019 scores. The biggest drop came at Alice C. Stelle Middle School in Calabasas, which fell 13% in English and 14% in math.

Oak Park Unified School District

All schools in Oak Park did well compared to state scores, the school district showing little falloff after the pandemic.

Overall, 81% of the OPUSD students who were tested in 2022 met or exceeded the English/language arts standard established by the state, and 71% met or exceeded the standards in math.

District campuses, in fact, improved on their pre-pandemic English cores by a half percent, while math fell by only 2.5%.

Some schools in the district performed better than others when comparing 2022 to 2019. For instance, Oak Hills Elementary School boosted its English/language arts score despite remote learning. In math, students also did well, meeting or exceeding state standards by 75%.

More than 80% of the Red Oak Elementary students tested met or exceeded state standards in English and math. The scores for English/language arts were up since 2019, though there was a slight decline in math scores.

Medea Creek Middle School improved its English scores, while there was a slight drop in math.

Oak Park High School dropped significantly in scores, but since overall student achievement was high to begin with, the lower scores still left the school among the state’s elite.

“Despite a very challenging two years of education during the COVID-19 pandemic, we are excited to see that district-wide, 81.18% of OPUSD students met or exceeded the state standards in English/language arts, while 71.08% of our students met or exceeded the standards in mathematics, and 68.45% met or exceeded standards in science,” OPUSD Superintendent Jeff Davis told The Acorn.

“Even though the pandemic presented unprecedented challenges for us all, our student achievements are a result of our teachers’ strong commitment to offering engaging and challenging instruction, their constant reflection and efforts to innovate in the classroom, a dedicated support staff, skilled administrators, supportive families and outstanding students,” said Davis.

He said that amid worries of learning loss during the pandemic, the district focused on “providing intervention and assistance to students who needed it the most.”

“These initiatives, provided through a multi-tiered system of support, included increased intervention, online supplemental academic programs and extra help during the school day,” Davis said.

“In addition, OPUSD invested in social-emotional learning and the well-being of students to assist with the return to in-person learning. All these efforts and the commitment and dedication of our students, staff and families are evident in the test results.”

Oak Park’s biggest net winner was the high-achieving Oak Park Independent School with a whopping 10.45% increase in math scores, tempered by a 2.6% drop in English. The school that struggled the most was Oak Park High, which fell a combined 18% in English and math.