“Our children deserve orange juice not orange drink.” That comment by John E. Deasy, Ph.D., superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, made Wednesday during his first official address to district principals, teachers and other leaders drew applause and was designed to set the tone for what he expects will be year of fast-track growth and improvement.

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Los Angeles Unified School District 10th graders fared slightly better on the California High School Exit Exam than last year’s class, with 75 percent passing the math portion and the same percentage passing the English section, according to test results released today.

The scores were an improvement over last year’s 10th grade class, which had a 72 percent pass rate for the math section of the test, and 73 percent on the English section, according to the California Department of Education.