Opinion: Why California teachers and schools can’t fix low test scores on their own

California’s latest standardized test results have triggered the usual alarm: Why are students underperforming?

But the familiar narrative — blaming teachers, curriculum or school culture — misses deeper structural realities behind the numbers.

Just 47% of students met English standards and 36% met math standards, according to the 2024–25 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress results. On the National Assessment of Educational Progress exam, only 29% of California...