In an announcement on October 15, the California Department of Education (CDE) released the results of the “Smarter Balanced” tests for K-12 students in the 2025-26 school year in math, English, and science, revealing that over 50% of students did not meet the California standards. The two California Education Director candidates, Sonja Shaw and Richard Barrera, responded to these results.
The spring assessment system belonging to the “California Student Performance and Progress Evaluation” covered students in grades 3-8 and grade 11, with scores divided into 4 levels: minimal, developing, proficient, and advanced.
In English, 49.3% of students achieved proficient or advanced scores in the 2025-26 school year, a 0.5 percentage point increase from the previous year; in math, 38.4% of students attained proficient or advanced scores, a 1.2 percentage point improvement from the previous year.
In the science field, 36% of students reached proficient or advanced scores, a 3.3 percentage point increase from the previous year and a significant 6.1 percentage point increase since before the outbreak of the pandemic, marking the most substantial progress in the subject.
According to the non-profit education independent media EdSource, Linda Darling-Hammond, Chair of the California State Board of Education, stated in a release, “Today’s results tell a story of ongoing progress and future work. Our responsibility now is to build on this momentum and ensure progress reaches every student and every community.”
In the 2025-26 school year, the percentage of 3rd grade students achieving proficient or above proficiency in English was 44.1%, slightly lower than the previous school year’s 44.2%. Contrary to the findings, a study by the education think tank PACE highlighted that these students were among the first beneficiaries of the significant investment and phased implementation of universal pre-school education by the state government four to five years ago (in 2021), but test results did not demonstrate the effectiveness of the policy.
Over 133,000 English language learners, representing 15.4% of the total, reached proficiency levels in the English Language Proficiency Assessments (ELPAC), making them eligible to be classified as fluent English speakers. Notably, 60.9% of former English learners attained English fluency, compared to only 53.5% of students whose first language is English.
Other data includes: 1. Compared to the 2016-17 school year, there was a decrease of nearly 500,000 students (496,975 people) in the 2025-26 school year, an 8% drop despite a significant population increase in California during that period. 2. The graduation rate for California students in the current school year reached 87.9%, the highest in the last decade. 3. The “chronic absenteeism” rate for students this school year was 18%, a decrease but still higher than pre-pandemic levels; during the 2021-22 school year amid the pandemic, the chronic absenteeism rate in California soared to 30%.
Sonja Shaw, a Chino Valley Unified School District Board Chair, garnered 22.6% of the votes in the primary election. In her district, 63.12% of students achieved proficient or advanced levels in English, a 1 percentage point increase from the previous year, while in math, 51% of students attained proficient or advanced scores, a rise of 1.21 percentage points.
Shaw highlighted that over half of California students did not meet grade-level standards in English reading proficiency, yet the graduation rate stood at 87.9%, which she found to be “embarrassing.” She stressed that graduation certificates should represent students’ real capabilities rather than just completing the academic process.
Richard Barrera, a member of the San Diego Unified School District Board, received 20.30% of the votes in the primary election. In his district, 56.9% of students reached proficient or advanced levels in English, and 45.85% in math, showing a 0.55 percentage point increase.
Shaw advocates raising expectations, focusing on academic rigor and accountability, emphasizing learning and improvement in foundational subjects like reading, writing, and math, and ensuring that every graduate is prepared for higher education, the workforce, or technical training.
Barrera expressed pride in the achievements of the district under his leadership, with a graduation rate of 94% and a student rate of 72% prepared for higher education and employment, outperforming other large districts. However, he acknowledged that the pandemic has brought about “learning loss” in California, necessitating a reduction in absenteeism rates and tackling challenges through career development and dual enrollment programs (allowing high school students to take college courses concurrently).
Both candidates agreed that there is much work to be done in education in California based on the current student performance assessments.