West Covina Unified Schools Named to California Honor Roll for Equity in Education

Seven West Covina Unified schools were recognized for their efforts to provide equity for every student, earning places on the Campaign for Business and Education Excellence (CBEE) Honor Roll based on their overall performance on state standardized tests.

Edgewood High, West Covina High, Walnut Grove Intermediate, Hollencrest Middle and Merced, Merlinda and Vine elementary schools were named Star Schools, a category for high-performing schools with significant populations of socioeconomically disadvantaged students.

“West Covina Unified places a premium on providing dynamic and innovative learning environments where every student can thrive academically,” WCUSD Superintendent Dr. Charles D. Hinman said. “It is an honor for our schools to be recognized as role models for others.”

Comparing test scores from 2016-17 to 2017-18, West Covina High and Merlinda Elementary showed significant improvement in meeting or exceeding the state standards in ELA and math. West Covina’s ELA numbers rose 7 percentage points to 64 from 57 percent, while its numbers in math rose to 38 from 36 percent.

Merlinda rose 9 percentage points in ELA, to 62 from 53 percent and 10 percentage points in math, to 48 from 38 percent. Merced once again posted strong numbers, with 69 percent in ELA and 63 percent in math. Hollencrest, Walnut Grove and Vine all had aggregate test scores that placed them above the state standard in both ELA and math.

The Honor Roll, released on June 5, aims to shine a light on bright spots in education by identifying schools that generate strong student outcomes and provide a model of best practices. The Honor Roll is created for CBEE by the Educational Results Partnership (ERP), which analyzes 14 measures taken from California Department of Education data, including performance on state math and English language arts standardized tests, UC/CSU course requirements, and graduation rates.