Hollister elementary schools continue to lag behind statewide averages in the annual standardized test scores for third through eighth grade students.
School officials remain upbeat about progress in the schools, saying student test scores in Hollister’s elementary and middle schools improve steadily as children get older.
“We believe that the test scores for children in our district should be celebrated due to the growth our children show over time,” said Hollister Superintendent Diego Ochoa.
“Our district is home to one of the highest achieving schools in California, Accelerated Achievement Academy,” Ochoa said. “Our district is home to high-achieving dual language schools serving a highly diverse population..”
“We are excited about the many initiatives in place to increase achievement of all students in the upcoming year,” he said. “We are investing heavily in training staff to implement Eureka Math, implement Saturday Scholars, and provide increased site-based supports.”
To find out scores at your school and grade, visit https://caaspp-elpac.cde.ca.gov/caaspp/
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond last month released to the public the scores of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress for English language arts/literacy and mathematics. Students took the tests last spring across the state, and the results were given to school districts in May.
Thurmond expressed concern that improvement is less consistent across the score range in the later grades at many schools, and statewide.
TEST SCORES
3rd-8th grades
Percentage of students that meet or exceed state minimum standards:
Statewide
English Math
51% 40% 2018-19
50%, 40% 2017-18
49% 38% 2016-17
Hollister
47% 35%, 2018-19
50% 34%, 2017-18
48% 35%, 2016-17
And yet we spend a ton of money on the schools and end up with poor performance. Throwing more money into the bottomless pit of county schools is not the answer. The extra costs thrown onto our property taxes is enormous. They spend it on new pools and football fields for the San Benito High School, which is not related to better education. Why do property owners that have no school children have to foot the bill for those that rent and have a lot of kids.