Category Archives: Standardized tests

State gets $11M in fed grants to help poor kids take AP tests – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

In an effort to boost college and career prospects for California’s poor children, the U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday announced it has awarded the Golden State more than $11 million in grants so low-income students can take Advanced Placement tests.

Federal education officials, pointing out the poor have been a historically underserved group, noted that California is one of 41 states and Washington, D.C., to receive a total of $28.4 million to help pay for the taking of AP tests by students from low-income families.

States receiving the next highest grant amounts were Texas ($3.5 million), New York ($2.7 million) and Illinois ($1.8 million).

Mark Frazier, the chief academic officer for Vacaville Unified, said the announcement did not come as a surprise, since the district has applied to set aside some money so poor students can take the AP tests if they wish.

 

Source: State gets $11M in fed grants to help poor kids take AP tests

Vacaville USD leaders to hear test score results, nutrition program update – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

Vacaville Unified leaders, when they meet Thursday night, will hear a report on the most recent state standardized test scores, hear an update on the school district’s student nutrition program, and likely approve support for Proposition 51 on the November ballot.

Mark Frazier, chief academic officer, and Kim Forrest, director of instruction, curriculum and assessment, will note results of the 2015-16 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, or CAASPP.

Released to the public Aug. 24, the tests scores indicated that 37 percent of those taking the all-computerized tests last spring — some 6,200 students in grades three to eight and 11 — met or exceeded state standards in mathematics, an increase of 1 percent over last year.

Source: Vacaville Unified School District leaders to hear test score results, nutrition program update

Area students show progress on state tests – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

Thousands of Vacaville-area public school students, like their counterparts statewide, showed across-the-board progress in the second year of new state standardized tests, the California Department of Education reported Wednesday morning.

State schools chief Tom Torlakson made the state results known in a 9 a.m. public announcement while visiting a Los Angeles elementary school and in the afternoon at San Leandro High School in the East Bay.

Vacaville Unified

In Vacaville Unified, 37 percent of those taking the all-computerized tests last spring, some 6,200 students grades three to eight and 11, met or exceeded state standards in mathematics, an increase of 1 percent over last year, said Mark Frazier, the district’s chief academic officer.

Source: Area students show progress on state tests

Statewide Student Test Results Released – Year 2016 (CA Dept of Education)

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State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today that California students made significant progress in the second year of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) online tests, with the percentage of students meeting or exceeding standards increasing at every grade and in every student group.

Nearly half the students tested met or exceeded standards in English language arts, and nearly four in ten met or exceeded standards in mathematics (see Table 1). These online tests, based on California’s challenging academic standards, ask students to write clearly, think critically, and solve complex problems, just as they will need to do in college and on the job.

“The higher test scores show that the dedication, hard work, and patience of California’s teachers, parents, school employees, and administrators are paying off. Together we are making progress towards upgrading our education system to prepare all students for careers and college in the 21st century,” Torlakson said.

Source: Statewide Student Test Results Released – Year 2016 (CA Dept of Education)

Start of Annual CAASPP Testing – Year 2016 (CA Dept of Education)

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State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announced today that students have begun taking the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP), the state’s computer-based, online assessments given in grades three through eight and eleven.

“These tests in mathematics and English language arts/literacy are one of the many ways we measure how well students are doing at the challenging job of preparing for college and a career,” Torlakson said. “I encourage all students to take advantage of this opportunity to put their learning and their skills to the test.”

2016 marks the second year more than 3 million California students will take part in CAASPP, which was designed to gauge their progress toward the learning goals set for California students. Districts and schools select their individual testing dates.

The CAASPP asks students to demonstrate the kinds of abilities they will need to do well in college and the 21st century workplace—including analytical writing, critical thinking, and problem solving.

Source: Start of Annual CAASPP Testing – Year 2016 (CA Dept of Education)

Dozen districts offer free SAT to all juniors | EdSource

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By John Fensterwald

A dozen California school districts are joining more than two dozen states and a fast-increasing number of districts that are making the SAT or its rival, the ACT, available to all high school juniors for free in an effort to encourage more students to apply to college.

Beginning this month, the students are taking the new SAT, which debuted last week. The College Board, the nonprofit that developed and administers the test, says the latest version better measures the core skills that students learn in high school, such as citing evidence from lengthy reading passages to back up their answers. The test also aims to reflect what students learn under the Common Core standards. Among the changes, it eliminated the vocabulary quiz of arcane words that students would rarely see outside of SAT prep courses.

Source: Dozen districts offer free SAT to all juniors | EdSource

New-look SAT debuts Saturday – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

The new-look SAT, in its biggest redesign in 10 years, debuts Saturday for hundreds of Vacaville-area students and hundreds of thousands more nationwide who will, in most cases, grapple with the hours-long reading, writing and math test that is used for college entrance.

By all accounts, the revamped version seems to be more in line with assessments based on the new Common Core State Standards, with reading portions more focused on current issues rather than passages from classic literature. The math portion, likely more often than not, will be in the form of word problems.

An essay portion — although the results are sought by admissions officers at many colleges, especially elite private schools and some major public universities — is optional. Students who decide not to write an essay would see about 50 minutes shaved off the length of the test.

Source: New-look SAT debuts Saturday

Final tally shows few opt-outs from Common Core-aligned tests in California | EdSource

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By Sarah Tully

Just over 20,000 California students opted out of last year’s Smarter Balanced assessments – far fewer than in other states, where resistance to the Common Core has been greater, a final tally from the state shows.

In December, the California Department of Education issued a final list of opt-outs in each school district. It indicates that a mere .61 percent of the 3.3 million students who took the Common Core-aligned tests in math and English language arts last spring opted out.

Only 39 districts out of all 1,022 districts statewide had more than 100 students opt out of English testing. For math, only 37 districts reported more than 100 opt-outs.

Statewide, the highest number of opt-outs was in the 11th grade – 8,526 students, or 1.8 percent of the total number of high school juniors, from the math test, and 8,318 students, or 1.7 percent, from the English test. Opt-opt rates were under .5 percent in all other grades.

via Final tally shows few opt-outs from Common Core-aligned tests in California | EdSource.

California is ahead of President Obama in reducing testing in schools | EdSource

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By Louis Freedberg

California’s efforts to dilute the dominant role of testing in schools – prominently led by Gov. Jerry Brown – are getting support from some of the same players responsible for entrenching it in the national education reform agenda over the past decade.

In recent days, both President Barack Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan have called for reducing the standardized tests children have to take to 2 percent of their instructional time.

In California, that would amount to no more than 3.5 days per year out of an average school year of 180 instructional days. That would be in addition to the quizzes, tests, Advanced Placement exams and local district “benchmark” tests that students take on a regular basis throughout the year.

via California is ahead of President Obama in reducing testing in schools | EdSource.

Educators try to come to terms with low math scores on Smarter Balanced tests | EdSource

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By Fermin Leal

As parents across the state open the envelopes containing their children’s scores on the new Smarter Balanced assessments administered last spring, only a third of them will see that their children met or exceeded the math standard on the new Common Core-aligned tests.

In fact, only one-third of California students in grades 3-8 and grade 11 met the math standard – compared to 44 percent of students who met the standard in English language arts. That is also significantly lower than the percentage who scored at a proficient level in math on the old California Standards tests.

via Educators try to come to terms with low math scores on Smarter Balanced tests | EdSource.

New times demand new ways to support students and schools | EdSource

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By Tom Torlakson

California’s education system is transforming in positive ways. Replacing the high school exit exam with more modern and meaningful measures is a critical part of that work.

Governor Jerry Brown recently signed Senate Bill 172 into law, eliminating the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) as a requirement for high school graduation. I was proud to sponsor this bill, and I deeply appreciate state Senator Carol Liu, D-Pasadena, for bringing forward this urgently needed legislation.

The state Legislature created the exit exam requirement in 1999, and schools began using the test a few years later. Since then, however, the world – and California’s education system – have changed dramatically.We have instituted new, more rigorous state academic standards.

via New times demand new ways to support students and schools | EdSource.

Benicia students perform better than state average – Times Herald

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By Irma Widjojo

Benicia school students did well in the inaugural standardized test — based on the Common Core State Standards — compared to the state’s average, according results released this week.

“It’s a real solid first effort,” said Charles Young, Benicia Unified School District superintendent.

Of more than 3.1 million public school students tested in English statewide, only 44 percent met or exceeded standard. In math, only 33 percent met that threshold, according to the state Department of Education.

Meanwhile, 60 percent of Benicia students met or exceeded standards in English and 47 percent did so in math. These results rank the Benicia school district as the highest achieving district in Solano County.

via Benicia students perform better than state average.

Kairos students score well on new state tests – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

Kairos students posted some of Solano County’s highest scores on the recently released new, all-computerized state tests taken by some 3.2 million California public school students last spring, the California Department of Education reported.

While most Vacaville-area school district students, in grades three through eight and 11, failed to meet state standards in English and mathematics, nearly 300 Kairos students did.

At the Elm Street campus in Vacaville, nearly 60 percent of the students at Kairos — an independent charter not formally governed by Vacaville Unified officials — met or exceeded the standard; in math, 52 percent met or exceeded the standard. The CDE did not list Kairos’ scores as part of Vacaville Unified’s, treating them as if from a separate school district.

via Kairos students score well on new state tests.

Vallejo students perform poorly on Common Core exams – Times Herald

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By John Glidden

A majority of California students are not ready for college, according to results from new standardized tests released on Wednesday.

Forty-four percent of California students met or exceeded the English language/literacy standard, while 33 percent met or exceeded the math standard.

Students in the Vallejo City Unified School District fared even worse.

Only 25 percent of VCUSD students exceeded or met the English standard, while 17 percent met or exceeded the math achievement.

The tests are connected to new Common Core standards, which outline what students should now at the end of each grade level.

via Vallejo students perform poorly on Common Core exams.

Vaca-area students fall short of meeting standards on new state test – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

Results of the new, all-computerized tests taken by thousands of Vacaville-area public school students indicate a majority did not meet state standards, the California Department of Education reported on Wednesday.

In Vacaville Unified, 64 percent of those tested last spring, some 6,200 in grades three to eight and 11, failed to meet the standard in mathematics. In English, 55 percent of students overall did not meet the standard of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, or CAASPP for short.

In Dixon Unified, a Title 1 district, meaning the majority of its 3,500 students are classified as low-income and poor, 69 percent of 1,700 students tested failed to meet the standard in mathematics, and 67 percent overall failed to meet the standard in English.

In Travis Unified, with about 5,100 students, many from Travis Air Force Base, some 61 percent of nearly 2,900 tested failed to meet the standard in mathematics, and 49 percent failed to meet the standard in English.

via Vaca-area students fall short of meeting standards on new state test.

Decoding new state test results, enrollment, staffing report on DUSD agenda – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

Interpreting last year’s all-computerized state tests, a resolution to comply with state law about relocating portable classrooms, and a report on enrollment and staffing are among the items up for discussion by Dixon Unified leaders.

Tonight, Mike Walbridge, assistant superintendent for educational services, will offer a slide presentation about how the trustees may interpret results from the California Assessment of Student Performance & Progress, the test — given to all students in grades three to eight and 11 — that measures student achievement under the new Common Core State Standards.

School districts statewide have received test results from the 2014-15 year, but the state Department of Education has not officially released them to the public and is expected to do so in the coming weeks.

via Decoding new state test results, enrollment, staffing report on DUSD agenda.

State delays releasing Common Core-aligned test scores until September | EdSource

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By Sarah Tully

As educators eagerly await the results of the new standardized assessments aligned with the Common Core standards that more than 3 million students took in the spring, state officials now say they plan to release the scores in early September, later than originally projected.

Parents can expect to start receiving their children’s scores about the same time.

As early as last month at the State Board of Education’s most recent meeting, California Department of Education officials anticipated that results of the Smarter Balanced Assessments would be released to the public sometime in August.

Officials say that because this is the first time results on the new assessments will be released, they want to take extra care to make sure everything is accurate and complete before the official release in September. A date has yet to be announced.

via State delays releasing Common Core-aligned test scores until September | EdSource.

State superintendent to form task force for new accountability plan | EdSource

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By Sarah Tully

The state’s superintendent announced today the formation of a new task force to help overhaul California’s accountability system, along with a new plan to guide public schools.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson unveiled the Blueprint for Great Schools 2.0, a 20-page document that outlines plans for everything from early education and English learners to funding and teacher preparation.

This is the second blueprint for second-term Torlakson, who released his original plan in 2011 shortly after his first election.The task force comes at a time when the state’s accountability system is changing.

via State superintendent to form task force for new accountability plan | EdSource.

Parents to receive results soon from state’s new standardized test – The Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

By late August or early September, parents of students in Solano County public schools likely will receive results from a new standardized test, county education officials have announced.

However, state officials caution parents and the public against comparing the results of the new assessment with the old STAR exam, and acknowledge that many schools and students will need more time to become accustomed to the state’s standards and new exam.

“The online exams in English language arts/literacy and mathematics are based on the state’s more challenging academic standards and are helping us transform education to better prepare California students for college and careers in the 21st century,” County Superintendent of Schools Jay Speck said in a written statement.

via Parents to receive results soon from state’s new standardized test.

Parents to see results of new testing format for students – Daily Republic

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By Kevin W. Green

Parents of students in Solano County schools will soon see the results of the new testing format, known as the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress.

The new format was given to students from March to June of the 2014-15 school year in third through eighth grade and 11th grade, according to a Solano County Office of Education press release Friday.

This was the first administration of the new tests – replacing the paper-based, multiple-choice Standardized Testing and Reporting program, the release said.

via Parents to see results of new testing format for students.