LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The majority of the 18 LA Unified schools managed by the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools (Partnership) showed considerable gains in English language arts (ELA) and math over the 2016-2017 school year, according to today’s California Department of Education (CDE) report on California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) test results, and some schools in the network led the Los Angeles Unified School District (LA Unified) in growth for both English and math.
The Partnership manages a network of high-need, K-12 LA Unified schools in Boyle Heights, South Los Angeles and Watts. One of the nation’s only in-district transformation organizations, the Partnership works within the LA Unified district context, which includes honoring all collective bargaining agreements.
CDE results of the CAASPP tests — commonly known as “Smarter Balanced” tests — indicated that for the 2016-17 school year, the number of students in the Partnership network meeting or exceeding math standards increased by five percentage points (from 15% to 20%) and the number meeting or exceeding ELA standards grew by seven percentage points (from 24% to 31%). This is the third year that the Smarter Balanced tests have been administered in California.
“We now have three years of Smarter Balanced testing results for our schools,” says Joan Sullivan, chief executive officer of the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, “and the results are extremely encouraging. They show the benefits of sustained efforts at our high-need schools, as we focus on narrowing the achievement gap and turn our attention to college readiness for all our students. While we have changed the trajectory at our schools, we have much more work ahead to increase the absolute proficiency of our students so that they all meet and exceed standards for math and English.”
Growth results* for Partnership schools in 2016-17 by grade level indicated that:
ELEMENTARY
- All nine Partnership elementary schools achieved growth in ELA test scores and eight of nine grew in math
- 20th Street Elementary was #1 in math growth among LA Unified elementary schools and #6 in ELA growth
- Dolores Huerta Elementary and Ritter Elementary were both among the top 10 LA Unified elementary schools in math growth
MIDDLE
- All five Partnership middle schools grew in ELA test scores and four of five grew in math
- Hollenbeck Middle was tied for #1 in math growth among LA Unified middle schools and tied for #3 in ELA growth
- Edwin Markham Middle was #4 in math growth and tied for #6 in ELA growth in the District with Carver Middle
- Stevenson Middle was #5 in ELA growth among LA Unified middle schools
HIGH
- Two of five Partnership high schools saw growth in ELA and four of five grew in math
- Mendez High was #2 in math growth among LA Unified high schools
- Santee High was #2 in growth in ELA among LA Unified high schools
- Roosevelt High was tied for #8 in ELA growth among LA Unified high schools
LA Unified School Board President Praises Results
“I’d like to thank the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools for leading in collaboration with L.A. Unified,” said LA Unified School Board President Mónica García. “The Partnership leads with compassion, care, and love towards 100% graduation in Los Angeles. These results are a reflection of parent, educator, and stakeholder support across 18 campuses, focused on kids first.”
“Academic success looks different at every school,” Sullivan adds. “Some of our schools have been in our network only a short time, and some have been with us multiple years. But today we are celebrating what each of our schools has achieved. We could not be more proud of what our students accomplished last year and I want to recognize the hard work of our dedicated teachers and school leaders as well the tremendous support our students receive from their families and from our amazing community and LA Unified partners.”
About the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools
Launched in 2007, the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools is a nonprofit organization that serves 14,500 students across 18 campuses in Watts, Boyle Heights and South Los Angeles, California. The Partnership is one of the largest in-district public school transformation organizations in the U.S. and its model combines the rigor and innovation of instructional leadership programs with authentic community partnerships and family engagement to transform district public schools and lead transformational system-wide reforms. As an in-district partner, the Partnership works within the Los Angeles Unified School District context, which includes honoring all collective bargaining agreements for its teachers.
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* Growth highlights are based on the difference between percent of students meeting and exceeding standards in 2016-17 subtracted by the percent of students meeting and exceeding standards in 2015-16. The difference is then ranked highest to lowest. In the case of a tie, two or more schools may share a ranking. The rankings do not include magnet, continuation, community day, special education, or opportunity schools due to differences in student population and self-selection into special programs. In total these schools make up 14% of LA Unified schools and 8% of students tested in LA Unified.