Mathematics Performance Not Measured During Pandemic
Research shows that basic math skills are necessary in order to navigate through life, and competence in math is associated with readiness for the workplace and higher future earnings. 1 This indicator measures fifth grade scores for mathematics using the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress assessment (CAASPP) results. The CAASPP assessment is a computer-adaptive, end-of-year academic performance test that is aligned with the California’s Common Core State Standards.
How is San Bernardino County Doing?
TREND
In 2020, the state did not conduct academic performance testing due to the pandemic. In 2019, 29% of fifth graders in the county met or exceeded standards for mathematics, higher than in 2018, when 27% met or exceeded standards. The longer term trend also shows an improvement, with 21% of fifth graders meetings standards in 2015. San Bernardino County’s fifth grade performance in 2019 was lower than the California average (38% of students met or exceeded math standards) and all counties compared, including Orange (49%) San Diego (45%), Los Angeles (38%), and Riverside (33%).
APPROXIMATELY 1-IN-5 SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY FIFTH GRADERS MEET OR EXCEED MATHEMATICS STANDARDS
Percentage of Fifth Graders Meeting or Exceeding Mathematics Standards in San Bernardino County and California, 2014/15 – 2021/22
RACE/ETHNICITY DETAIL
In 2019, 69% of Asian students met or exceeded math standards, compared to 62% of Filipino students and 41% of White students. Black students and Native American students were least likely to meet or exceed standards (15% and 17%, respectively). This substantial variation in outcomes contributes to an Equity Gap Score of 4.6. This score means that the group of students with the highest rate of meeting or exceeding standards (Asian students) is more than four and a half times higher than the group of students with the lowest rate (Black students).
Equity Gap Score
4.6
WIDE DISPARITIES IN FIFTH GRADE MATHEMATICS PERFORMANCE
Percentage of Fifth Graders Meeting Mathematics Standards by Race/Ethnicity in San Bernardino County, 2019
SOCIOECONOMIC DETAIL
Less than one-quarter (23%) of socioeconomically disadvantaged students met or exceeded math standards, compared with 47% of those who are not economically disadvantaged. Socioeconomically disadvantaged students include students eligible for the free and reduced-priced meal program, foster youth, homeless students, migrant students, and/ or students for whom neither parent is a high school graduate. For children whose parents were college graduates, 47% met or exceeded standards, compared to 23% of students whose parents do not have a high school diploma. English Language Learners, who are simultaneously developing their native language and English, were least likely to meet or exceed standards (6%).
FIFTH GRADE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE VARIES ACROSS A RANGE OF CHARACTERISTICS
Percentage of Fifth Graders Meeting Mathematics Standards by Socioeconomic Characteristics in San Bernardino County, 2019
The Importance of Mathematics for Child Outcomes
A growing body of research suggests that early math skills are a better predictor of later academic success than early literacy skills. In a widely cited study of large longitudinal data sets, University of California, Irvine professor Greg Duncan and colleagues found that in a comparison of math, literacy, and social-emotional skills at kindergarten entry, “early math concepts, such as knowledge of numbers and ordinality, were the most powerful predictors of later learning.”
In a separate, large-scale longitudinal study conducted by Duncan and his colleagues for children in elementary school, the type of math knowledge most essential for children to know was fractions and whole-number division. The researchers found that mastering these two concepts were important predictors of students’ long-term learning and success in high school.