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Lawndale staff cite modest gains on statewide tests, urge site councils to target gaps
Summary
District officials presented May’s statewide test results showing modest year-over-year gains in English, math and science and highlighted grade- and school-level pockets of double-digit percentage-point growth. Presenters urged site councils to use disaggregated data to set targeted plans for groups that remain behind.
Dr. Kaye, speaking at a Lawndale district parent/community meeting, said the district saw “slight increases in all areas” on last May’s statewide assessments and highlighted several schools with large gains. “Language Arts is back to pre pandemic levels. Math is back to pre pandemic levels,” Dr. Kaye said, adding that science—assessed only in specific grades—had shown strong growth.
District staff showed site-by-site slides that flagged examples of rapid growth in single grades: Mitchell showed two- and three-digit gains in several grades, Green posted notable increases in several elementary grades, and Rogers recorded gains across middle-school grades. Dr. Kaye emphasized the importance of looking beyond overall averages: the district also shared disaggregated results by race and subgroup to show where achievement gaps remain and where growth must accelerate.
Why it matters: district officials said that, while the trajectory is positive, many students are not yet proficient and closing gaps will require focused work. Dr. Kaye told parents that to reduce achievement gaps, lower-performing groups must show steeper growth than higher-performing groups. She urged school site councils to review grade-level and subgroup data, set measurable short- and long-term goals, and tie those goals to local budgets and interventions.
The presentation included concrete data points and next steps: multiple formative assessments (I-Ready each trimester and benchmark units) provide ongoing measures of progress; the California School Dashboard will be updated before Thanksgiving and the district plans to share that data at a future meeting. Parents reacted with a mix of optimism about pockets of progress and concern that “about half” of students in some grades are still not meeting proficiency.
Dr. Kaye also reminded attendees that assessment results are snapshots and part of a broader accountability cycle: site councils should use trimester assessments to monitor growth and adjust interventions well before the annual CAASPP release. The district has set a target to accelerate growth for lower-performing groups and recommended parents and site councils ask for the school’s disaggregated trimester results to track progress.
The meeting did not include any formal board actions or votes on curricula or adoption decisions; the next opportunity to view more district-level metrics will be when the California School Dashboard updates and at the next district board meeting.
