Understanding My School’s Reading Data
By Brian Villalobos, Energy Convertors x Lodestar Fellow
Recently, I learned about my school’s ELA performance data for the first time. I was shocked to see that in 2023–2024, 30 percent of 11th graders did not meet standards, 34 percent nearly met standards, 24 percent met standards, and only 10 percent exceeded standards.
As shocking as this data seems, the past year was even worse. During the 2022–2023 school year, 48 percent of 11th graders did not meet standards, 30 percent nearly met standards, 16 percent met standards, and only 4 percent exceeded standards.
I was shocked to see this because I thought, since they were upperclassmen, they would have more experience and perform better. As the years went by, we can see that Lodestar’s percentages did not significantly increase or decrease; they remained stable.
When I compared Lodestar to other schools like Oakland Unified, I was shocked to see how their percentages were similar to Lodestar’s. For the Oakland Unified 2023–2024 school year, 42 percent of students did not meet standards for ELA, while Lodestar did better, with 30 percent of students not meeting standards.
Although having students in the standard-not-met area is still bad, we can see that Lodestar is doing a better job. When I looked at California's percentages for standard met and standard exceeded, I saw that California had a higher percentage: 29 percent of students met the standard, while 26 percent exceeded it.
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Lodestar still has room for improvement, but its performance in preventing students from falling below standard is noticeable. This data helped me understand that even though our percentages are improving, some students still need support in certain areas.
The data also helped me consider steps schools could take. For example, they could offer targeted support in reading and writing or have tutoring programs to help students meet or exceed their standards.
While reviewing this data, I noticed that it is not just Lodestar struggling to raise its percentages. It is other schools as well.
This can mean a lot of things. For example, it could mean the issue is how we are being taught rather than how much effort we put in.
I also feel like schools in Oakland can do much better than they are right now. If they do better, it will help future generations succeed.
I know Lodestar has a lot of students not doing well on CAASPP, which makes me not want to be part of those percentages. Knowing this data makes me think about my future and what I need to improve to reach my goals.
Personally, this means setting goals that can help me improve my reading and writing skills. It means not being afraid of asking for help when I need it and always staying focused so that I am able to be part of the group that exceeds standards.
With these goals, I hope to contribute to a stronger school community in which students can succeed.
