Local Learning Loss

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation’s Report Card, shows California students struggling with learning loss after the Covid pandemic.  Data released by the California Department of Education on November 13th allows the extent of learning loss for Del Mar students in English Language Arts (ELA) to be quantified. 

The California Smarter Balanced test is given annually to students in third through eighth grades and in 11th grade as part of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP).  The CA test is not directly comparable to NAEP. Only 29% of CA fourth-graders meet the reading proficiency standard on the NAEP, whereas 46% of all CA fourth-graders statewide, and 77% of DMUSD fourth-graders, meet or exceed the California-specific ELA standards. 

While DMUSD is doing very well relative to other CA districts, the average test scores have dropped relative to our pre-pandemic levels. Between 2015 and 2019, roughly 13% of DMUSD students in grades 3-6 were failing to meet the ELA standards each year.  In 2025, that proportion is now 18%.  The average scores for students at Del Mar Heights and Hills have dropped nearly 20 points compared to pre-pandemic levels, the highest drops in the district. Ocean Air’s scores only dropped 2.5 points, Carmel Del Mar’s scores increased by 1.7 points, and Sage Canyon’s scores improved by 14.4 points between 2019 and 2025.  Similar to math, there appears to be widening gaps between the highest and lowest-achieving students in ELA as well.