By DR. GEORGE MEGENNEY
Principal, Collegeville and Farmington
Beginning in January, the California Department of Education (CDE) opens the testing window for designated students in the public school system to begin taking tests collectively called CAASPP (pronounced ‘casp’) or California Assessment of Student Progress and Performance. At the elementary level, these tests involve our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students and include assessments in English Language Arts and Math. In addition, our 5th grade students also take the California Science Test, or CAST for short. The State of California requires public schools to administer these tests as one means of gathering data on student learning and performance, as well as to provide transparency and accountability to the public. The results of these and other tests, along with data related to attendance, discipline, and, at the secondary level, graduation rates, are published for every K-12 public school online on a platform called the California School Dashboard.
The CAASPP is made up of a total of four individual tests, two in English Language Arts and two in Math. One each is a multiple-choice style computer adaptive test (CAT), which means that as students answer questions correctly or incorrectly, the test will adapt itself to become more or less challenging to the individual student. The other test is referred to as a ‘performance task’ (PT) and, while having fewer questions, typically requires students to type out answers in more detail than what is expected on a multiple-choice style exam. For example, an English Language Arts performance task may ask a student to read a short passage and then type out a response in complete sentences.
CAASPP tests are not timed, which means that students should not feel pressured or rushed to complete them. In addition, students new to California whose primary language is not English are not required to take the English Language Arts assessments since their knowledge and understanding is assumed to be very limited.
In Escalon Unified, students typically take these exams between April and May, the thought being that our educators want to provide as much time as possible for learning before students take the tests. The CAASPP assessments are summative, which means that they are intended to measure student learning from throughout the school year. Students are not allowed retakes (unless there is a verifiable technical problem) nor are they allowed to receive any help answering questions. The fact that the results of these assessments are used by the state to ‘score’ school performance gives schools good reason to take them seriously and to collectively do our best to prepare students for them through a combination of regular day-to-day instruction and some test-specific practice and preparation.
Unfortunately, high-stakes testing has its drawbacks, not the least of which is causing some stress to students who are repeatedly reminded that state tests are important and ought to be taken seriously, as well as to our teachers who work to see their students grow and learn over the course of a school year. One test, on one day of the year, does not accurately measure the abilities, knowledge, or understanding of every student, especially those as young as 8 and 9 years old. While many aspects of our lives do not allow for ‘do-overs,’ the classroom and our public system of education is nothing if not a place where students should be able to make mistakes and learn from them in an environment that does not generate any undue anxiety.
In addition, it should be noted that a 95% or greater student participation rate is required by the State; otherwise, a school’s scores are punitively impacted, resulting in significantly lower school-wide academic scores. While the State’s intention of providing parents and the general public with a means to gauge the effectiveness of their local schools through the mechanism of summative testing is sound in theory, in practice, there is room for improvement.
In the meantime, given the requirements imposed by the State of California, parents, guardians, and educators can work together to prepare students to do their best and show off their academic skills. Preparation should include a number of common-sense strategies for both the short and long term:
Early and periodic practice in the classroom with the state’s test platform so that students are comfortable with the layout and tools they can use while taking the test.
Practice at home alongside a parent or guardian. When interest and importance in something happen in the home, it helps to reinforce it at school.
Reminders to students to take their time and answer questions accurately.
The day before the actual test, getting a good night’s sleep and the morning of, a good breakfast.
Parents and guardians who are interested in learning more about the CAASPP can visit the following website for more information: https://ca.startingsmarter.org/
Principally Speaking is a monthly article, contributed by principals from Escalon Unified School District sites, throughout the school year. It is designed to update the community on school events and activities.
