Los Gatos, Saratoga students outscore county, state averages in standardized testing
Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District students scored higher than the state and county averages on last year’s standardized test, despite the academic turbulence caused by the pandemic and distance learning.
Students in grades 3-8 and 11 across the state take the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress to measure career and college readiness and overall student success.
“The test serves as just one measure for student achievement within our district,” said Superintendent Bill Sanderson in an email. “In addition to these tests, students’ performance in the classroom and other various assessments, it’s important to measure success through our students’ ability to develop critical thinking, communication, collaboration skills and creativity.”
Still, Sanderson added, “We’re incredibly proud that despite the challenges this pandemic has brought our staff and students, their scores remain high.”
The state paused testing during the 2019-20 school year due to the pandemic and subsequent remote learning.
In the 2018-19 school year, 61% of Los Gatos and Saratoga high school students met or exceeded standards in the science portion of the test. In 2021-22, 65% of students tested in those ranges.
For the English test, 86% of district students met or exceeded standards in the 2018-19 school year, as did 87% in 2021-22. Students scored slightly lower in the math section, with 78% meeting or exceeding standards in 2018-19, and 74% in 2021-22.
These scores reflect only the 31% of district 11-graders who completed the standardized tests in 2021. The district said participation was low because the test was conducted via distance learning, making it challenging for teachers to moderate.
Still, the district’s scores were higher than those of students across the state, 28% of whom met or exceeded standards in science on average. That average was 55% for English and 27% for math. Averages for Santa Clara County students were somewhere in between at 48% for science, 67% for English and 47% for math.