FONTANA, CA – Fontana Unified School District students improved their performance on California’s English language arts (ELA) and mathematics tests in 2018, continuing an upward trend and highlighting the District’s ongoing efforts to close achievement gaps.

According to the state Department of Education, 38.44 percent of Fontana Unified students met or exceeded proficiency standards in ELA in 2018, an increase of 5 percentage points over the previous year. In mathematics, 23.22 percent of students met or exceeded standards in 2018, up nearly 4 percentage points from 2017.

“We are proud to see continued growth in student achievement and thank our dedicated teachers and staff for providing outstanding instructional support,” Superintendent Randal S. Bassett said. “Fontana Unified will continue to refine and improve its educational programs, offer rigorous curriculum and enhance its instructional strategies to ensure every student has the skills to succeed.”

English learners who have been reclassified as Fluent English Proficient (RFEP) also improved their progress. In 2018, 56.86 percent of RFEP students met or exceeded ELA standards, up nearly 5.7 percentage points from 2017.

Performance in math also improved in 2018; 32.80 percent of RFEP students met or exceeded standards, an increase of nearly 5.7 percentage points.

Fontana Unified students also displayed continued growth in ELA year over year. Students who started third grade in 2015-16 improved their ELA performance by 11 percentage points as fifth-graders in 2017-18. Sixth-graders in 2015-16 also improved their ELA performance by 10 percentage points as eighth-graders.

Statewide, Fontana Unified students experienced the most growth between 2017 and 2018 among school districts that have enrollments between 30,000 and 100,000 students and have 80 percent of students receiving free and reduced-price meals.

Developed by the multi-state Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, the computer-adaptive tests are the centerpiece of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP).

The tests are administered to students in grades three through eight and grade 11; they are aligned with California Standards adopted in 2010 and required in school instruction as of 2014-15. The standards challenge students to apply the knowledge and skills they are learning in the classroom, including writing, critical thinking and problem-solving.