This year, the state testing is taking place during the month of April. Juniors know the state testing, or as they are called here in California, “CAASPP” (California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress) is a very important part of their grades and overall important to their future success. This test revolves around the main subjects, such as Math, ELA and Science.
At Sanger High School, “There are many people that are in charge of administering the state tests in Science, Math, and English. Our assistant principal Diego Lopez is in charge of state testing for juniors, but a team is necessary to make sure it goes well. Angelique Duvet Tovar is responsible to make sure the ELPAC exam is given to multi language learners. Kris Boyer is responsible for ELA testing. I work collaboratively with Michelle Dillon for Math and Science testing,” says science teacher and Curriculum Support Provider (CSP), Davin Aalto.
With this team working together to help juniors with their CAASPP testing, they are for sure to do their best. The CAASPP test is not just students doing the test, but their test scores also affect their school and state,
“Teachers and administrators on campus use scores as one of the measurements of effective instruction. Teachers look at their scores and adjust their teaching rigor and pacing based upon the previous year’s scores. Schools that score poorly on the CAASPP can be flagged by the State of California, which may lead to changes and higher rates of accountability for that school,” says Assistant Principal, Michael Hamilton.
“The impact of one student failing is not a big deal, but if our entire school cannot show mastery of standards then we will begin to see a very different climate around here,” says Vizcarra.
“Each school in California is measured against the average scores. This is one of the accountability measures to ensure all public schools are focused on the goal of student learning,” adds Aalto.
The main purpose for this test is to see what each individual student knows.
“Parts of the CAASPP are actually adaptive. This means that the test may change depending on how well you’re doing on it. If you hit a question that is really tough, keep going…that typically means that you are doing well and the test is trying to see your ceiling,” says Hamilton.
Once the student finishes the test, it is their scores that are important and tells them their academic level.
“The scores are a measure of the academic success of students at Sanger High. The results and yearly growth are public information and published on the California State dashboard so anyone can see them,” says Aalto.
“The scores are used as one of the many metrics for schools to identify areas of strength and areas of improvement,” adds Aalto.
“The purpose of the tests varies depending on what you mean– funding, mastery of standards, critical thinking skills, college entrance exam replacement… all of which are true, but ‘purpose’ is a big question,” says Vizcarra.
With this type of test, most students tend to lose interest or just feel like giving up, but according to Vizcarra, “Trying your best at something that is difficult is more rewarding than not trying and being apathetic and complacent. Accomplishment feels better than indifference.”
The CAASPP test is important and very important for the students and the entire school. Juniors should do their best to keep in mind how the test is important for their academic future.
