HomeSchools & YouthSMUSD Still Atop State, According to Standardized Tests

SMUSD Still Atop State, According to Standardized Tests

A local school official once joked that the San Marino Unified School District had been ranked #1 in the state for so long that bureaucrats had changed the standards in an effort to get a different result.

It didn’t—and hasn’t—worked, as the SMUSD once again finished tops in California, according to data that was released Tuesday morning. According to the 2018 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, or CAASPP, scores, the San Marino Unified School District still leads the way, albeit by a thin half-point margin over rival La Cañada.

The recent scores mark the fourth consecutive year in which the SMUSD has had the highest percentage of students meeting and exceeding standards on the CAASPP, a computer adaptive standardized test that is administered to all public school students in grades 3-8 and 11. Before CAASPP, the district had ranked first among the state’s unified school districts for a remarkable fifteen consecutive years due to its percentage of students meeting and exceeding state standards as reflected by the Academic Performance Index.

This year, the SMUSD was ranked tops in the state due to 87% of its tested students meeting or exceeding standards in English Language Arts and Mathematics. La Cañada scored 87% in English Language Arts and 85% in Mathematics for an average of 86.5%, just a half point off the pace.

South Pasadena was 5th in California with an average of 81.5, highlighting the fact that the three Rio Hondo League schools are competing as mightily in the classroom as they are on the fields, courts, courses and pools.

School Board President Shelley Ryan agreed.

“San Marino students speak to the possibilities in public education that success is attainable by those who take advantage of every learning opportunity, and that there is a value in continually striving for academic excellence,” Ryan said. “Congratulations to our amazing students, and to the families, the San Marino community, administrators, teachers, and support staff that work so hard to support them.”

Interim Superintendent Loren Kleinrock has been associated with the SMUSD for 42 years, is also not surprised at the district’s success.

“This is truly an incredible accomplishment,” Kleinrock said. “Year after year, we are gratified to see that our education strategies and high-caliber teaching result in demonstrated academic success at all levels. I would like to thank our amazing teachers for leading the way and our outstanding students for their hard work and dedication. The entire San Marino community should celebrate this success.”

Tuesday’s announcement came a day after Dr. Alex Cherniss began his new role as superintendent of the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District. Cherniss had spent the previous four years in the same position at the SMUSD.

“These test scores validate the work of our teachers and students, but most importantly, it validates the effectiveness of the San Marino Unified School District’s Board of Education,” Cherniss said from his new office. “The San Marino community owes a debt of gratitude to the current school board, who despite enduring a number of challenges, has been steadfast in supporting our students and our schools. Board President Shelley Ryan, Vice President Lisa Link and Board Members Joseph Chang, Nam Jack, and Chris Norgaard have dedicated countless volunteer hours to support our students. It doesn’t have to be a thankless job if the San Marino community can step up and thank them. This #1 ranking is as much for them as it is for the community.”

Piedmont (3rd) , Palo Alto 4th), Manhattan Beach (6th), San Ramon (7th), Pleasanton (8th), Laguna Beach (9th) and Los Alamitos rounded out the top ten.

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