By Jeff Ursino
New State Testing Results
Recently, students across PVUSD took a test called the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, coined the CAASPP. This is the first time the test has been administered district wide and this year’s results will be used as the baseline to gauge improvements and needed areas of concentration.
Why New Tests?
Before we get into the results let’s first discuss why the change to a new set of testing. The state of California along with 43 other states have in the last decade or so adopted the Common Core State Standards to better prepare students for the world outside of the classroom. As schools started to implement this new curriculum the need for achievement tests that had a focus on the use of technology and college readiness became more apparent.
The goal of the CAASPP is to help students be more ready for college once they graduate from our local schools and to support the Common Core curriculum. The district, with its focus on technology, strives to measure how students are progressing towards that goal. The CAASPP assessments are computer based and are presented to students in a variety of ways including multiple choice and short answers.
Not only are students asked for the solutions to problems but they also must explain how they arrived at their answer. This critical thinking component is a major piece of the Common Core curriculum and thus it weighs heavily in the testing students undergo to rate its success. The ratings for the students on the test range from exceeding standard to not met and the goal for the state of California is to have all students performing at the met or exceeding of standards level.
2015 Test Results
In the spring of 2015 district students took the series of assessment that will serve as the baseline to gauge improvement and progress in the years ahead. Test results were low, as anticipated. Approximately 22% of our local third graders scored well on the mathematics section of the tests either exceeding standards or meeting standards while 50% of our local third graders did not meet the standard. At the high school level eleventh graders the results were not better with 57% not meeting the state standard for the mathematics test while 20% meeting or exceeding it.
Local districts with similar demographics did not fare better. The San Benito High School district had 55% of its eleventh graders not meet the state standards while in Gilroy the score number was 57% not meeting it.
To address these shortcomings and to improve our students’ educational experiences the district is currently working on a couple of items.
Steps Taken To Improve Results
First, administrators have pulled together teachers from the math departments at our local high schools to find new teaching materials that better mirror the Common Core curriculum and critical thinking. Some of this material has already been introduced at Aptos High School in a pilot program. The same process for identifying new materials and techniques are being rolled out at both the middle and elementary schools locally. The results from these pilot programs will be presented to the Board this spring and I, for one, am looking forward to seeing the results from this work.
The second focus is on professional development and the coaching of teachers. The district plans to hold Math Institute training this summer to help teachers utilize the new materials. Administrators have also hired specialized coaches to help teachers with the new processes and teaching methods. These individuals will be working throughout the district and all grade levels to insure local students get the support they need to be successful.
As mentioned this year’s CAASPP scores are a baseline against which the board will assess the success of the district’s efforts to educate our local students. As the Board President I am glad that the district is working to address the changes that are needed to better implement the Common Core. Though these are good first steps we must, as a district and community, continue to build better techniques and a strong educational process so our students can compete in the global workforce. If it benefits our students by helping them to learn in a new way we all win and that is something we can all stand behind.