San Diego Unified Students Increase and Outperform Counterparts on Key State Outcomes With Biggest Increases in Math and College/Career Indicator
The San Diego Unified School District made modest improvements to key student outcomes measured by the state, according to data in the 2023 California School Dashboard released by the California Department of Education.
Part of the state’s school accountability system, the Dashboard includes the latest data on test scores, graduation rates, suspension rates, English Learner progress, college and career readiness, chronic absenteeism, and local indicators that measure student outcomes.
San Diego Unified students saw the following increases:
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Math standardized test scores: Increased by 6 points, outpacing the statewide average (2.6 points) by more than double. The majority of student groups outpaced their statewide counterparts. Increases ranged from 4.2 points for African American students, 5.5 points for students from socioeconomically disadvantaged households, to 13.8 points for students with disabilities.
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English Language Arts standardized test scores: Increased by 1.9 points outperforming the statewide average, which decreased by 1.4 points. Students with disabilities saw an increase of 8.4 points, foster youth students saw an increase of 7 points, and students experiencing homelessness saw an increase of 1.9 points.
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Student readiness for college/career: Overall, students performed 16 points above the statewide average, and some student groups surpassed their statewide peers ranging from 11.5 points for students with disabilities, 15.2 points for students from socioeconomically disadvantaged households, and 18.7 points for African American students.
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Suspensions: While suspensions for African American students remain at 5.3%, there was a slight decline from the prior year and remains far below the statewide average suspension rate for African American students at 8.8%. Overall, suspensions remained low (2.5%) when compared to the statewide average (3.5%).
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Chronic absences: While still high (27.1%), there was a 9.5 percentage-point decline in the chronic absence rate. The number of students chronically absent decreased in every group and decreased at a rate faster than the statewide average. Students experiencing homelessness saw a decrease of 15.1 percentage-points, students from socioeconomically disadvantaged households saw a decrease of 12.5 percentage-points, and students with disabilities saw a 10.7 percentage-point decrease.
Among the large urban school districts, San Diego Unified had the highest performance in graduation rates and college- and career-preparedness. The top large urban school districts include Los Angeles Unified, San Diego Unified, Fresno Unified, Long Beach Unified, and San Francisco Unified.
The College/Career Indicator (CCI) measures student preparedness for college and career based on measures such as graduation rate, test scores, and college credit courses.
Since the pandemic, San Diego Unified has made strategic investments in programs and recovery efforts that include Universal Transitional Kindergarten expansion, literacy and math instruction, mental health and counseling resources, credit recovery opportunities, and Level Up summer academic and enrichment programs.
“San Diego Unified is proud of our students who continue to work hard to overcome obstacles brought on by the pandemic,” Superintendent Dr. Lamont Jackson said. “Although we have much work to do, these data from the state offer encouragement, and serve as a testament to the dedication of our educators and staff to create conditions for all students to thrive and develop a sense of belonging at school and in life.”
More information is available on the California Department of Education Dashboard Resources web page.
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