Over a span of 14 years and at least two rating systems, one fact remains unshakeable; San Marino’s schools are still the best in California.
So says the 2016 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, or CAASSP, which again placed the San Marino Unified School District atop the more than 400 unified school districts in California.
“It is simply amazing that we continue to remain the number one school district in California,” said School Board President Nam Jack. “This marvelous success is directly attributable to the efforts of our superintendent, administrators, teachers, and staff as well as the support of our parents and community who all collectively strive to provide an optimal learning environment for our outstanding students.”
The CAASPP method, now in its second year, is a computer adaptive standardized test administered to all students in grades 38 and 11. Similar to the Academic Performance Index, or API, which preceded it, each district is evaluated using four levels of performance; exceeding standards, met standards, below standards, and far below standards. For the second consecutive year, the SMUSD has the highest percentage of students meeting and exceeding CAASPP standards. San Marino enjoyed similar success using the API, ranking first in California the previous 12 years.
“We couldn’t be more proud of our students,” said Superintendent Dr. Alex Cherniss. “It was a total team effort. Our teachers worked so hard this past year along with our administration and staff. We have so much support from our parents and community members. This is truly an amazing accomplishment and something the entire community of San Marino should celebrate.”
Not only did San Marino finish at the top of the list, it also showed the most growth of any district in the top 10, improving by 5.36% over their 2015 scores.
Three other local school districts cracked the top 10. La Cañada was 3rd with an average score of 86; South Pasadena finished 5th at 79.5% and Arcadia was 9th with a score of 77.
