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Monrovia Unified Shows Strong Performance in State Standardized Tests
Education Oct 02, 2017
Teachers undergo professional development led by subject area experts, enhancing curriculum and lessons to boost student comprehension in ELA and math. Students continue to perform strongly in their third round of state testing on the California Standards. – Courtesy photo
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Teachers undergo professional development led by subject area experts, enhancing curriculum and lessons to boost student comprehension in ELA and math. Students continue to perform strongly in their third round of state testing on the California Standards. – Courtesy photo
Monrovia Unified School District students continue to perform strongly in their third round of state testing on the California Standards for English language arts (ELA) and math, according to a new state report.
The two standardized tests, introduced in 2015, are computer-adaptive exams that focus on writing and critical-thinking skills aligned with the rigorous California Standards, adopted in 2010 and required in school instruction as of 2014-15. The exams are part of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP), a cluster of exams that includes science, assessments for special education students and an English language development (ELD) test for English learners.
“The Monrovia Unified School District is committed to the academic and social growth of our students,” Superintendent Dr. Katherine Thorossian said. “While this is just one measure of student academic success, it is the most public, and we look to the data this yields to refine not only our pedagogy and our curricula, but our programs as well. I am very proud of our students’ performance as it reflects the solid instruction provided in every classroom by our expert teachers.”
The District provides rich teacher professional development opportunities to implement Common Core Standards, including using specialized subject area experts, such as in middle and high school mathematics, to assist in enhancing curriculum and lessons. Middle and high school students use a robust writing and reading curriculum developed by the California State University system that prepares them for college-level writing and ELA state tests.
Monrovia Unified students, in almost every cohort of students, have continually improved scores over the past three years that matched or exceeded ELA and math standards. This is best reflected by 75 percent of Monrovia High School 11th graders meeting or exceeding ELA standards as compared to the state average of 59.76 percent. From 2015 to 2017, overall ELA District test scores increased by more than seven percentage points, from 51 percent to 58.28 percent, and math scores by more than five percentage points, from 37 percent to 42.1 percent.
“One of our goals is to prepare students for college and career as they learn and grow in Monrovia Unified,” Board of Education President Bryan Wong said. “Our teachers, administrators and support staff have done incredible work in ensuring that our students reach increasing higher levels of success each year.”
