SFUSD test scores inch upward

Half of San Francisco Unified School District students meet or exceed national math and English standards, according to test results released by the California Department of Education Wednesday.

SFUSD students earned higher scores than the state average in both math and English, according to SFUSD spokeswoman Gentle Blythe.

The California Department of Education released the results from the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, which are based on Common Core State Standards for English and math.

In English, 53 percent of SFUSD students are meeting or exceeding the standards this year, up from 52 percent last year. The state average was 49 percent this year, up from 44 percent last year.

In math, half of SFUSD students are now meeting or exceeding the standards, up from 48 percent last year. The state average was 37 percent this year, up from one-third of students last year.

Superintendent Richard Carranza said in a statement:

“We are on the right track with transitioning to a Common-Core-aligned curriculum in Math and ELA, and our students are better prepared for college and careers. … While SFUSD students demonstrate greater proficiency than many of their peers in urban schools across the state, these results also show that we must continue to focus on closing the achievement gap for our African-American and Latino students.”