District English Language Arts Scores Nearly Doubled Since 2002

The Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) announced that it has received the “California Pride of SRA Academic Recognition Award” from educational publisher SRA McGraw-Hill in recognition of outstanding improvement and achievement in reading and language arts over the past seven years.

"This award represents our elementary schools’ commitment to a standards-based curriculum, high-quality instruction and research-based professional development to raise student achievement," said Superintendent Edwin Diaz. "I am very proud of their hard work to accelerate student performance District-wide."

Since 2002, PUSD elementary schools have provided a consistent, structured reading program using direct instruction and research-based materials, and as a result, English Language Arts scores in grades two through six have nearly doubled. During this same period, the District’s Academic Performance Index score, used to measure student academic achievement, increased from 635 to 720.

The "Pride of SRA Academic Recognition Award" is an annual awards program, initiated in 2001, to recognize schools and districts nationwide that are models in reading education. Honorees have demonstrated significant improvement and consistently high reading test scores through the implementation of a research-based reading curriculum. The awards are presented each spring.

Superintendent Diaz accepted the award on behalf of the District at a dinner program attended by elementary school principals and teachers. Each elementary school also received a recognition award.