The first round of testing is in and students and educators are adjusting to new formats and criteria for what is replacing the "STAR" tests. Reading appears to be up, mathematics is much lower. See article for details. As "I Can Read" Literacy Initiative reaches out with UCMerced to include Wright Elementary as well as Franklin Elementary, we appreciate the dedicated staff and volunteers who make our supplemental efforts in literacy successful.
Below is the Sun Star article on testing:
California released student scores from new computerized tests done last spring, giving the public the first glimpse at how districts are meeting Common Core State Standards. Scores for Merced County show most students falling short of expectations in math and English.
Countywide in Merced, 81 percent of tested students failed to meet minimum standards in mathematics, according to the statewide database. About 68 percent of students tested in all of Merced County did not meet the English literacy standard.
In this first year of testing, districts are unlikely to face sanctions for falling short of goals. Federal assessment of their academic progress is expected to be announced in October. Virtually all schools have failed to meet rising standards of the expired No Child Left Behind Act, which now requires 100 percent of students to be at or above grade level. A remake of the law is being considered in Congress.
The computerized tests, which followed earlier paper exams, were given to students in third through eighth grades and 11th grade. About 30 percent of students tested in the Merced City School District performed at or above their grade level overall, Superintendent RoseMary Parga Duran confirmed.
“At first, people might look at that and say 30 percent is nothing and we obviously do have work to do,” Parga Duran said. “But for us, 30 percent is more than 2,000 students, and that’s a very good baseline to start on and to build from.”
Parga Duran noted that nearly 30 percent of students in her district do not speak English as their first language, a significant disadvantage while testing.
“The math test is not just finding the answer, it’s critical thinking and analysis of word problems,” she said.
The computer-adapted test threw a curve to many students, said Winton Superintendent Randy Heller.
“With this test, you’re not sure what you’re going to get. It’s not the same every year,” he said Wednesday. “There’s just such uncertainty, so much unknown, for our profession, really.”
But his district, like the rest, will focus on going forward, using this first year as a guidepost.
“It’s not about hope, it’s about good teaching,” he said. “When the rubber meets the road, when the teacher’s got it flowing in the classroom, it gels and success happens.”
For high school students, the English scores were better than under the old standards and paper tests, said Scott Weimer, head of curriculum and instruction for Merced Union High School District.
“In previous years, the California State University system used the (state test) to determine if students were ready for college-level course work. Students who did not score ‘ready’ or ‘conditionally ready’ were required to take a placement test or remedial courses,” Weimer explained.
For the class of 2014, 26 percent of MUHSD students were ready for college-level coursework in English and 28 percent were ready in math. This year, with the new testing, 40 percent of MUHSD students met this standard in English and 20 percent in math, he said.
WE WERE HAPPY TO SEE AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS READY FOR COLLEGE-LEVEL WORK IN ENGLISH.Scott Weimer, Merced Union High School District
“The results show our starting point as a state, a window into where California students are in meeting tougher academic standards that emphasize critical thinking, problem-solving and analytical writing,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson.
The state as a whole did better than almost every district in this region, with 44 percent of students overall meeting English standards and 33 percent hitting the mark in math.
“California’s new standards and tests are challenging for schools to teach and for students to learn, so I am encouraged that many students are at or near achievement standards. However, just as we expected, many students need to make more progress. Our job is to support students, teachers and schools as they do,” Torlakson said in releasing the scores Wednesday morning.
It is also an important time for parents to stay informed, said California State PTA President Justine Fischer.
“Today’s assessment-scores release serves as the back-to-school signal for parents to get engaged in their child’s education as they are learning new, more rigorous academic standards,” Fischer said in a statement Wednesday.
“Decades of research show what we know: Family engagement is key to student success,” she said. “Parents’ engagement in children’s education matters more than their own education, income or ZIP code. Use your child’s assessment scores as an opportunity to get engaged and chart the course for student success this school year.”
The scores mean there is more work to do, especially for poor kids and English learners, said Debra Brown, director of education policy for the nonprofit advocacy group Children Now.
“These tests will serve as a gauge for schools and parents on where kids are excelling and where they may be struggling, as we have raised the bar on what we expect our kids to know,” Brown said. The higher standards will help close the achievement gap, she said. “We must not lose our momentum.”
Parga Duran said schools in Merced would improve upon their test scores in the future.
“It’s important to remember this is the first time we’ve tested this way. I’m very proud of our teachers and students,” she said. “I’m looking forward to testing again (after spring break). That will, I think, give us a much better idea of how things are going and how we’re performing.”
Find complete test result listings at http://caaspp.cde.ca.gov.
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