Data-loving district sees big learning gains: Is there too much testing?

Compton Unified, a high-poverty district near Los Angeles, is improving math and reading scores significantly.

Compton Unified School District, which borders Los Angeles, used to be known for failure and mismanagement. In the last decade, under the leadership of Superintendent Darin Brawley, Compton has "soared in its academic performance" on both reading and math, reports Mallika Seshadri in EdSource.

But some teachers say there's too much testing and not enough time for teaching. “We’re testing every month, so that the district has the numbers,” said Kristen Luevanos, the president of the Compton Education Association, the district’s teacher’s union. “But as a classroom teacher, you know how to assess your kids as you go. . . . we’re wasting precious instructional time.”

Ten years ago, Compton students -- nearly all come from low-income Hispanic or black families -- were 2.54 grade levels below the national average, according to the Education Recovery Scorecard, writes Seshadri. Now they're 0.86 levels behind the national average and at the California average. In reading, Compton students used to be more than two grades behind in reading. Now they're one grade below the national average, one third of a level below the state average.

Using test scores to analyze progress and see what's working is a key part of the upswing, says Brawley. “Our testing is aligned to state standards that determine whether or not kids have mastered the information," he says. It's not just test prep. It's life success prep.

In an earlier story, Brawley talked about how the district uses diagnostic assessments to allocate resources and align district standards to state standards. He holds "data chats every six weeks, so principals can meet and discuss their school’s data," the superintendent told EdSource.

Tutors help students who've fallen behind. “The secret to getting better is using assessments to guide your instruction, to develop your intervention groups, to identify the students that are doing well,” Brawley said. “Don’t be afraid to do what we know works.” 

Compton Unified fielded 11 robotics teams at a FIRST Tech Challenge tournament in January.

Compton is a national leader, writes Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times. "An analysis of recent standardized test score shows Compton has proved to be a standout exception to overall poor math and reading test scores — even though its overall student proficiency rates have much room to grow."

While most districts lost ground in reading and math during the pandemic, Compton continued to improve.

"The data analysis in Compton happens at all levels," writes Blume. "Teachers meet weekly with their colleagues within their schools. Principals at each academic level — elementary, middle and high school — gather every four to six weeks with one another" and with Brawley.

Compton has doubled the number of students interested in pursuing STEM careers, note Pedro Noguera, dean of USC's school of education, and Louis Freedberg of EdSource. Their Sparking Equity podcast has produced two episodes on Compton.

It starts in preschool, they write. Preschoolers "begin to learn basic coding concepts even as they’re still playing with blocks. In kindergarten, they start building robots with Legos, and by first grade, some are participating in First Lego League robotics competitions."

STEM topics are part of the curricula in all subjects, including social studies and English, they write. "Students see that their STEM knowledge can be applied to a variety of fields."

If students can do math, they can pursue STEM careers. If math is confusing, frustrating or so watered-down it's useless, they'll be shut out of most "good jobs."