English Language Arts and Mathematics Growth
The English Language Arts Growth and Mathematics Growth Indicators, reported on the California School Dashboard, applies to local education agencies, schools and student groups with students in grades 4-8.What is this Indicator?
The English Language Arts (ELA) Growth and Mathematics (Math) Growth Indicators are included in the state indicators that the California Department of Education (CDE) reports on the California School Dashboard
(Dashboard). It represents the average growth of students from one grade level to the next among fourth through eighth grade students.
At the July 2026 State Board of Education (SBE) meeting, the SBE adopted the ELA Growth Indicator and the Math Growth Indicator as full state indicators within Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) Priority Area 4 - Student Achievement, starting with the 2026 Dashboard. However, these indicators will not be used for Differentiated Assistance or Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) support eligibility criteria on the 2026 Dashboard.
This indicator is reported on the Dashboard for any local educational agency (LEA) and school that administers the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments to students in grade four through grade eight.
Resources
General Information about the Indicator
- ELA and Math Growth Indicator flyer (Coming October 2026)
Technical Information about the Indicator
- Dashboard Technical Guide web page - The technical guide is the key to unlocking how state indicators are calculated on the Dashboard. The technical guide is broken up into multiple "mini-guides" for ease of access and provides explanations on the calculation formulas and business rules.
- District of Residence flyer - The District of Special Education Accountability rule for students with disabilities is applied to all state indicators, including ELA Growth and Math Growth. Download this flyer from the Flyers for Educators tab on the Dashboard Communications Toolkit web page to learn more.
- Downloadable Data Files: ELA Growth and Math Growth Indicators - Access statewide LEA, school, and student group data for the Dashboard ELA Growth and Math Growth Indicators results.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The ELA Growth and Math Growth Indicators FAQs web page (Coming October 2026) addresses the common questions received on these state indicators.
Additional Information about the Dashboard
- The Dashboard Communication Toolkit web page provides a variety of informational materials that help explain the data reported on the California School Dashboard.
- The Dashboard Resources web page provides an extensive selection of resources relating to the California School Dashboard for parents, educators, and community partners.
- Connect to the Dashboard Measures section on the Dashboard Resources web page to learn about other state indicators reported on the Dashboard.
- The Dashboard Performance Levels and Categories web page provides the Status cut scores, Change cut scores, and Performance Levels (or colors) for all state indicators excluding growth-based indicators which report Performance Categories.
Next Steps
SBE will continue to evaluate if ELA Growth and Math Growth will be incorporated into either state and/or federal support determinations in the future.