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California graduation rates may be rising, but test scores remain relatively stagnant.

Here in Sonoma County, Dale Dougherty with the Sebastopol Times is diving into performance indicators, and how that can butt heads with reports from the state.

KRCB News speaks with Dougherty to talk about the findings.

SHANDRA BACK: For parents wondering how public schools in Sonoma County are doing, what does the data actually show?

DALE DOUGHERTY: I looked at standardized test scores from the state. Part of the goal of this series was to create a guide for parents — something that helps them compare schools. The state publishes the data, but it’s very hard to extract and interpret.

I think people would be surprised by the results. Overall performance is generally lower than you might expect. Not every school, and not every student, of course. But when you break it down by school, which I did for high schools, a pattern emerges.

I came up with what I call the “50–50 rule.” Out of all students taking the test, ideally about half would meet or exceed standards and half would not. But countywide, the averages fall below that. And when you look at individual high schools, some are higher and some are much lower.

In English language arts, nine of the 12 public comprehensive high schools are at or above 50 percent proficiency. Three are below that. In math, none of the schools are above 50 percent.

BACK: You also wrote about graduation rates. The California Department of Education says those rates continue to rise. How does that square with the test scores you’re describing?

DOUGHERTY: That’s the conundrum. We have rather mediocre test scores and very high graduation rates. In Sonoma County, the average graduation rate among comprehensive public high schools is about 90 percent.

BACK: Ninety percent here in Sonoma County?

DOUGHERTY: Yes. And the state seems to care most about keeping that number high. But graduation is becoming more a sign of completing four years of school, and less a sign of achievement or academic accomplishment during those four years.

BACK: In your series, you also note that state leaders often talk about closing equity gaps. Your reporting pushes back on that.

DOUGHERTY: State education leaders, including the governor, have been congratulating themselves on very small improvements in test scores. I think, in general, we’re bending over backward to justify the status quo instead of changing it. And the accountability framework we have, which is standardized testing, shows we’re not accomplishing those goals.

This pattern goes back to at least 2013. Performance levels have been fairly stagnant. Teachers tell me students aren’t motivated to take the tests — they don’t get anything out of them. Some students even say they just fill in patterns on the answer sheet.

So I see the scores as more of a verdict on the system than on the students. Scores aren’t everything, but there has to be a reason why some schools perform so poorly and why certain student groups consistently lag behind.

BACK: What’s next in your series? What should families be watching for?

DOUGHERTY: I’ll eventually get to middle schools. I’ve focused on high schools so far. Next, I want to dive deeper into a few specific schools and compare them more closely. I’ll be looking at Credo High, Rancho Cotate, and Tech High — three schools within about two miles of each other, with very different scores. One is a magnet school, one is a charter, and one is a traditional comprehensive high school. I want to look at how they compare.

BACK: Dale Dougherty, thanks for joining me.

DOUGHERTY: Thank you.