
LAUSD test scores hit a new high, erasing pandemic lows with a second year of strong gains
After years of struggling to recover from deep pandemic setbacks, Los Angeles Unified students have achieved a 'new high watermark,' with math and English scores rising across all tested grades for the second straight year, surpassing results from before the 2020 campus closures, Supt. Alberto Carvalho said.
Two years of incremental gains at every tested grade level is generally considered solid evidence that instruction is moving in the right direction, said Carvalho along with education experts.
'The coolest thing is that the district, despite all that this community went through, has now reached the highest-ever performance at all levels in English language arts and math,' Carvalho said in an interview with The Times. He is to announce the results Tuesday during his annual address to administrators and guests at Disney Concert Hall.
Advertisement
'We didn't just take it back to pre-pandemic levels. We exceeded pre-pandemic levels of performance,' he said to The Times. 'We established a new high watermark.'
Morgan Scott Polikoff, a professor at USC's Rossier School of Education described the gains as 'indeed impressive and seem to have, in most cases, more than erased losses attributable to the pandemic ... This is an important development and the district should be proud of it.'
Nonetheless, overall results show that achievement — as measured by test scores — in the nation's second-largest school system remains a work-in-progress.
Advertisement
'Large proportions of students in the district, especially students from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, are still performing below state standard,' Polikoff said.
In total, 46.5% of students met or exceeded grade level standards in English Language Arts in tests conducted in April and May. In math, the figure was 36.7%. The overall numbers indicate that nearly two in three students are not meeting the math standards for their grade in the school system of about 400,000 students.
Brights spots in the scores
But scores look better in the details.
In math, for example, scores rose 3.92 percentage points, a strong gain for one year. Last year, the gain was 2.3 percentage points — also a solid gain — bringing L.A. Unified, at the time, to within 2.7 points of the entire state. It's possible that L.A. Unified overtook the state average this year in math — although statewide data has yet to be released.
Advertisement
This year's gains appeared to be across the board — reaching students with disabilities, students from low-income families, Latino students and Black students.
As a group, Black students rose at least four percentage points in both English and math. Nonetheless, three in four Black students still are not achieving grade-level standards in math. The number is better but still low for reading, with 36% of Black students meeting or exceeding the state standards for their grade.
In its preliminary release of data, the district did not include scores for white and Asian students, so it was not possible to evaluate the extent to which the district is closing the achievement gap between these students and Black and Latino students. The gap remained substantial last year.
Data from this parameter would be important to examine, said UC Berkeley emeritus professor of education Bruce Fuller.
All the same, 'this post-COVID bounceback in student learning is quicker and reaching higher levels than observed in most school districts across the state.'
Fuller also attributed success to the district's long-term efforts — scores had been gradually improving before the pandemic.
Advertisement
'Public schools have successfully lifted the education attainment of Angeleno parents in recent decades, which helps explain their children's stronger success in school,' he said.
Carvalho told The Times that the most recent scores — which reflect tests taken in the spring — were especially impressive in context.
In anticipating the results, 'I had fear in my heart to a certain extent,' he said.
'You know the disruptions. We had to shut down the system because of the inclement conditions, some of it weather, but some of it smoke, ash and all that as a result of fires. And then the immigration raids. The stress. The fears.'
'This was a year without precedent for us,' he said.
The longest disruption was in March 2020, when L.A. Unified campuses were shut down for more than a year during the pandemic, forcing classes online. That long-running public health emergency — during a time of job losses, disease and higher death rates — demonstrably drove down student performance on the standardized tests.
Carvalho became superintendent in February of 2022.
During the more recent crises, students and staff have largely soldiered through with better outcomes.
A slide prepared for Carvalho's Disney Hall presentation touted the gains as the 'Highest-Ever Achievement.'
Advertisement
What that means is that, overall, L.A. Unified has never performed better as measured by the current state testing system, which began collecting data in 2015. L.A. Unified also had not previously improved across all grades for two years in a row, district officials said, during the 11 years of the current testing regime.
Students are tested in grades 3 through 8 and grade 11 in English and math. In science, student are tested in grades 5 and 8, and once during high school. In these relatively new science tests, scores remain especially low, although they improved. Overall, 27.3% of students met the state standards in science.
What contributed to the gains
The testing rebound was helped by record levels of state and federal funding to cope with the harms of the pandemic.
Carvalho, whose contract expires next February, said that the district used the one-time money effectively and, although it is gone, the system in place should continue to build on the academic gains.
He listed a number of key initiatives as contributing to gains, such as giving more resources and applying more oversight to schools and groups of students that needed more help. He also cited better data and an ability to use it faster to tailor instruction.
Tutoring — before, during and after school, and in-person and online — was a central strategy. So was increasing classroom instructional time by promoting summer school and offering mini-academies during winter and spring break, he said.
Advertisement
Intervention teachers were deployed to work with small groups of students and coaches helped refine teaching.
Some of these efforts pre-dated Carvalho's arrival from Miami, where he had been the longtime superintendent.
Challenges ahead
The challenges ahead involve more than improving the quality and pace of learning.
'One of my biggest concerns is really the unpredictability of the moment in which we live, the instability of funding, but also the unpredictability and instability of policy that influences public education,' Carvalho said.
California Revised LAUSD budget saves jobs today, trims future retiree health benefit contributions
The L.A. school board approved an $18.8 billion budget that postpones layoffs for a year and does not cut services to students. But future years may looking much different.
The U.S. Supreme Court recently cleared the path for massive layoffs at the U.S. Department of Education, as one example.
'What does that really mean in terms of at the local level for a student?' Carvalho said.
In addition, enrollment has declined steadily for about 20 years.
Ongoing immigration enforcement could accelerate that trend, Carvalho said.
'We have a very large number of immigrant students, or students who are children of immigrant parents with mixed status,' Carvalho said. 'I have to believe, based on stories I read and reports that I watch, that there will be families, unfortunately, in our community, who have made a decision to self -deport with their children.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Los Angeles Times
13 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
4 homemade dog recipes fit for a canine king or queen
My dog's name is Milady — as you'd refer to an English noblewoman — and she lives up to it. She declines to go out in the rain, all 22 pounds of her holding strong as I lightly tug her leash in encouragement. Whenever someone comes over, she perches on their lap as if it's a throne. And despite my best efforts to break this habit, whenever I make a meal or order in, she hovers around my feet waiting for a treat of her own. After I've made my plate and if I deign to sit down and eat, she'll stubbornly stand in the kitchen and stare at me until I acquiesce. But Milady is the closest thing I have to a child, and as recipe developer Carolynn Carreño wrote about her dog Rufus, 'I felt it was my responsibility that Rufus lived as long as caninely possible, and to make sure that Rufus' every day on Earth was as good as I could make it.' For Carreño, that meant adopting the progressive-at-the-time task of making Rufus' food from scratch, especially after learning from a friend that many store-bought formulas contain corn and wheat — potential allergens for dogs. Instead, she purchased made-just-for-your-pet meat blends at Huntington Meats and mixed in steamed or baked sweet potatoes, fresh broccoli, ground beef and bone meal for a concoction she called Rufus' hash. While Milady typically eats vet-approved kibble and I don't make her food daily, during the summer her treats turn from dehydrated slices of sweet potato to bone broth that I freeze into cubes with blueberries, cucumbers or raspberries. And who knows? Maybe I'll start following Carreño's example and eventually devise a homemade meal plan for Milady. In the meantime, I'll be gauging her tastes with the following recipes. Eating out this week? Sign up for Tasting Notes to get our restaurant experts' insights and off-the-cuff takes on where they're dining right now. Carreño recommends using her recipe for Rufus as a 'jumping-off point' and adjusting based on what your pup likes. She recommends making the mixture in big batches, freezing it and stirring in boiling bone broth or water before the recipe. Cook time: 25 minutes. Makes about 3 quarts. Novelist and food writer Michelle Huneven rescued a dog — Tatty Jane — that had previously suffered from a bad diet. Determined to rectify that, she began researching homemade dog food and eventually landed on a blend of the following recipe with a topping of vet-approved kibble to ensure Tatty Jane got all of her recommended trace vitamins and the recipe. Cook time: 1 hour. Makes about 5 quarts. Former Food editor Amy Scattergood scored this recipe for dog biscuits from chef Lincoln Carson of now-shuttered Bon Temps restaurant. Carson once sold these treats alongside his famous French pastries. The recipe is perfect for vegetarians who prefer not to handle the recipe. Cook time: 2 hours 30 minutes. Makes about 2 dozen cookies. This gluten-free dog biscuit recipe was crafted by former Lincoln Cafe and Flower Candy Co. chef Cecilia Leung, with peanut butter as the main ingredient, along with grains and flours you might already have in your pantry. Get the recipe. Cook time: 1 hour. Makes about 3 dozen biscuits.


Boston Globe
16 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Lucas, 12, is confident, compassionate
He loves reading, swimming, playing soccer, riding his bike, and spending time with others. Whether he's engaging in a favorite activity or chatting with someone new, Lucas brings energy and positivity wherever he goes. He is also incredibly proud of his cultural background and speaks English, Ukrainian, Russian, and Spanish. Lucas lights up when he gets the chance to speak Russian or Ukrainian and enjoys connecting with others about heritage and identity. Lucas is a strong self-advocate with a mature perspective. He prefers meaningful conversations — especially with adults — and often shares one of his favorite sayings: 'Your words must match your actions.' Advertisement With the right support, Lucas is sure to thrive and continue growing into the confident, compassionate person he's becoming. Can I adopt? If you're at least 18 years old, have a stable source of income, and room in your heart, you may be a perfect match to adopt a waiting child. Adoptive parents can be single, married, or partnered; experienced or not; renters or homeowners; LGBTQ+ singles and couples. As an adoptive parent, you won't have to pay any fees, adoption from foster care is completely free in Massachusetts. The process to adopt a child from foster care includes training, interviews, and home visits to determine if adoption is right for you. These steps will help match you with a child or sibling group that your family will fit well with. Advertisement Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange (MARE) can give you guidance and information on the adoption process. To learn more about adoption from foster care visit Reach out today to find out all the ways you can help children and teens in foster care.


Los Angeles Times
17 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Jim Crow meets ICE at ‘Alligator Alcatraz'
A few years ago I came across a profoundly unnerving historical photo: A lineup of terrified, naked Black babies cowered over the title 'Alligator Bait.' As it turned out, the idea of Black babies being used as alligator bait was a beloved trope dating back to the antebellum South, though it didn't really take off until after the Civil War. The image I saw was created in 1897, just one year after Plessy vs. Ferguson established 'separate but equal' as the foundational doublespeak of segregation. With formerly enslaved people striking out and settling their own homesteads, the prevailing stereotypes deployed to justify violence against Black people were forced to evolve. We were no longer simple and primitive, in desperate need of the civilizing stewardship of white Christian slave owners. After emancipation, we became dangerous, lazy and worthless. Worth less, in fact, than the chickens more commonly used to bait alligators. White Floridians in particular so fell in love with the concept of alligators hungry for Black babies that it birthed an entire industry. Visitors to the Sunshine State could purchase souvenir postcards featuring illustrations of googly-eyed alligators chasing crying Black children. There was a popular brand of licorice called 'Little African,' with packaging that featured a cartoon alligator tugging playfully at a Black infant's rag diaper. The tagline read: 'A Dainty Morsel.' Anglers could buy fishing lures molded in the shape of a Black baby protruding from an alligator's mouth. You get the idea. When I first learned of all this, naturally, I was unmoored. I was also surprised that I'd never heard of the alligator bait slur. Why doesn't it sit alongside the minstrel, the mammy and the golliwog in our cultural memory of racist archetypes? Did it cross some unspoken line with the vulgarity of its violence? Perhaps this particular dog whistle was a tad too audible? Or was it the plausible deniability? Did people (including historians) wave it away because babies were never 'really' used as alligator bait? It's true that beyond the cultural ephemera — which includes songs (such as the ragtime tune 'Mammy's Little Alligator Bait') and mechanical alligator toys that swallow Black babies whole, over and over again — there are apparently no surviving records of Black babies sacrificed in this way. No autopsy reports, no court records proving that anyone was apprehended and convicted of said crime. But of course, why would there be? The thing I found so unnerving about the alligator bait phenomenon wasn't its literal veracity. There's no question human beings are capable of that and far worse. Without a doubt, 'civilized' people could find satisfaction — or comfort, or justice, or opportunity — in the violent slaughter of babies. Donald Trump's recently posted AI clip 'Trump Gaza,' which suggests the real world annihilation of Palestinians will give way to luxury beachfront resorts, is a shining example. The thing that haunted me about alligator bait was the glee with which the idea was embraced. It was funny. Cute. Harmless. Can't you take a joke? Now here we are, 100 years after 'Mammy's Little Alligator Bait,' and the bigots are once again using cartoon alligators to meme-ify racial violence, this time against immigrants. Just like the title 'Alligator Bait,' the Florida detention center name 'Alligator Alcatraz' serves multiple ends: It provokes sadistic yuks. It mocks. It threatens. But most crucially, it dehumanizes. 'Alligator Bait' suggests that Black people are worthless. By evoking the country's most infamous prison, 'Alligator Alcatraz' frames the conversation as one about keeping Americans safe. It suggests the people imprisoned there are not vulnerable and defenseless men and women; anyone sent to 'Alligator Alcatraz' must be a criminal of the worst sort. Unworthy of basic human rights. Fully deserving of every indignity inflicted upon them. 'Alligator Alcatraz' cloaks cruelty in bureaucratic euphemism. It's doublespeak, masking an agenda to galvanize a bloodthirsty base and make state violence sound reasonable, even necessary. It has nothing to do with keeping Americans safe. Oft-cited studies from Stanford, the Libertarian Cato Institute, the New York Times and others have shown conclusively that immigrants, those here legally and illegally, are significantly less likely to commit violent crimes than their U.S.-born neighbors. If those behind 'Alligator Alcatraz' cared at all about keeping Americans safe, they wouldn't have just pushed a budget bill that obliterates our access to healthcare, environmental protection and food safety. If they actually cherished the rule of law, they would not deny immigrants their constitutionally guaranteed right to due process. If they were truly concerned about crime, there wouldn't be a felon in the White House. As souvenir shops and Etsy stores flood with 'Alligator Alcatraz' merch, it's worth noting that none of it is played for horror. Like the cutesy alligator bait merchandise before it, these aren't monster-movie creatures with blazing eyes and razor-sharp, blood-dripping teeth. The 'Alligator Alcatraz' storefront is cartoon gators slyly winking at us from under red baseball caps: It's just a joke, and you're in on it. And it's exactly this cheeky, palatable, available-in-child-sizes commodification that exposes the true horror for those it targets: There will be no empathy, no change of heart, no seeing of the light. Dear immigrants of America: Your pain is our amusement. The thing I keep wondering is, would this cheekiness even be possible if everyone knew the alligator bait history, the nastiness of which was buried so deep that 'Gator bait' chants echoed through the University of Florida stadium until 2020? Would they still chuckle if they saw the century-old postcards circulated by people who 'just didn't know any better'? My cynical side says: Yeah, probably. But my strategic side reminds me: If history truly didn't matter, it wouldn't be continuously minimized, rewritten, whitewashed. There's truth in the old idiom: Knowledge is power. Anyone trying to keep knowledge from you, whether by banning books, gutting classrooms, denying identities or burying facts, is only trying to disempower you. That's why history, as painful as it often is, matters. Remembering the horror of alligator bait isn't about dwelling on the grotesque. It's about recognizing how cruelty gets coded into culture. 'Alligator Alcatraz' is proof that alligator bait never went away. It didn't evolve or get slicker. It's the same old, tired cruelty, rebranded and aimed at a new target. The goal is exactly the same: to manufacture consent for suffering and ensure the most vulnerable among us know where they stand — as props, as bait, as punchlines. And no joke is more vulgar than one mocking the pain of your neighbors, whether they were born in this country or not. Ezra Claytan Daniels is a screenwriter and graphic novelist whose upcoming horror graphic novel, 'Mama Came Callin',' confronts the legacy of the alligator bait trope.