The San Ramon Valley Education Foundation invests heavily in professional development for math teachers in our district. We believe math is a subject any child can excel in when given the proper instruction. In 2016, SRVEF invested $140,000 in professional development to help teachers prepare students to perform well in the annual CAASP exam. Results are in and our investment was a good one!
About the San Ramon Valley Unified School DistrictLocated in the San Francisco Bay Area, the San Ramon Valley Unified School District stands among the highest-achieving school districts in California. It encompasses the communities of Alamo, Blackhawk, Danville, Diablo, and San Ramon (including the new Dougherty Valley communities in east San Ramon) as well as a small portion of the cities of Walnut Creek and Pleasanton.
Considered a “destination district” due to its strong reputation for academic excellence, businesses and families chose to move to the area for its schools. With approximately 32,000 students, the District has a 98.4% graduation rate. Almost 40% of students are enrolled in an Advanced Placement course and 95% of graduates plan to attend college.
August 26, 2016 San Ramon Valley Unified School District (SRVUSD) students showed significant increases in both English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics according to the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) released this week. The scores demonstrate growth at various grades levels but of particular note was the 11thgrade results where scores grew by 6 points in mathematics and 5 points in ELA from the previous school year. “We are especially proud of the gains we achieved in math. When the results of the first CAASPP administration were released, we recognized that there was a significant discrepancy between how our students performed on English Language Arts as opposed to mathematics,” SRVUSD Superintendent Rick Schmitt said. “We made a concerted effort to focus on math in 2015-2016 in terms of professional development for our administrators and our teachers, implementing interventions for our students and providing multiple opportunities for student success.” Last school year, the San Ramon Valley Education Foundation granted a generous donation to supplement professional development in the area of mathematics for all K-12 teachers across the District. This grant will also enable the District to continue its partnership with Silicon Valley Math Initiative and to work with Stanford University Mathematics professor, Jo Boaler. This year marks the second administration of the CAASPP, which replaced the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) system. The CAASPP is more rigorous than the STAR and focuses on college and career readiness. Unlike STAR, CAASPP is a computer-based assessment that measures students’ cognitive skills such as critical thinking and the ability to synthesize information from a variety of sources. In addition, the CAASPP is aligned with the new SAT and ACT assessments. Performing well on CAASPP is an indicator of success on the SAT and ACT. “The credit for our District’s continued improvement goes to many stakeholders,” Schmitt said.“First, our amazing teaching staff has done a remarkable job in transitioning to the new California State Standards. They have embraced the changes in both curriculum and instructional strategies. Next, the overwhelming involvement and support we have received from our parent community as we have implemented new standards has been instrumental in the success of our students. Finally, our remarkable students work hard each and every day and take advantage of every opportunity to learn and grow.” California provides a dedicated Web site,http://caaspp.cde.ca.gov, where parents and the public can view and compare aggregated results among schools, districts, and counties along with statewide results.