Performing Arts students boost SBAC English scores

BY DELMIS VAQUERANO THE MIRROR STAFF

Last spring, juniors took the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) tests. Previews of schoolwide score reports were released in September by the State Department of Education, signifying overall academic improvement. The Performing Arts Magnet students led the increases in both English and Math, with scores jumping an astonishing mean of 44 points over the past year.

Official detailed reports are set to be released next year. In the preliminary report provided by LAUSD, the school is projected to have improved in both the English and math sections of the SBAC test. Across magnet programs, the English score has increased by 10 points from 8.5 to 18.5, and the math score has increased by 11.7 points from -68.4 to -56.7.

Testing Coordinator Ms. Michelle Park compares the official schoolwide report from the 2021-22 school year to the preliminary report from the 2022-23 school year.

“We have increased by about 10 points overall, give or take,” Ms. Park said. “We definitely did better this year than last year.”

Though there is a projected increase in scores across magnets, the most significant increase is among Performing Arts students. Performing Arts Magnet Coordinator Ms. Fanny Arana is proud of what she considers to be a notable change in scores.

She attributes the difference in scores to the Performing Arts teachers who let students know that they are responsible for their academics.

“I think that the creativity that the Performing Arts students are ingrained with really helps them take a deeper dive into the academics,” she said