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Making California School Reform Work
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"Our system has momentum." That's how Tom Torlakson, state superintendent of public instruction, describes California's second year of Smarter Balanced test results, which came out this week.
The scores were released against the backdrop of California's efforts to assess how schools and districts are doing based on multiple measures, not just tests.
The overall results show a modest increase in scores. At the same time, they underscore how far students still have to go. Just under half of all students met or exceeded standards
in English language arts, and only 37 percent did so
in math.
This issue of Leading Change brings you analysis of and initial responses to the test score release. Is your district seeing momentum? Share your thoughts on the second year of test data with us--comments will be posted in our next issue.
Thanks for reading!
Erin Brownfield, editor
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Smarter Balanced test score release
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More California students are meeting achievement targets in math and English language arts
compared with last year
, according to standardized test results released Wednesday.
In spring 2015, students took the new
Smarter Balanced tests aligned to more rigorous
Common Core standards for the first time. In spring 2016, the percentage of students who met the targets increased at every grade level and in every student subgroup, the new results show.
However, in both English and math, more than half of students tested failed to meet
targets.
Read more.
Fensterwald: 'Wide gaps' in scores persist
Editor-at-large
John Fensterwald provides in-depth analysis of the test score data, including, he writes, the "wide gaps in subgroup scores that education analysts said reflect the challenges of online tests and the rigors of the Common Core standards."
Read more.
The number of 11th-graders who are judged ready for college-level coursework, or are on track to become ready, climbed slightly compared with last year, results from the state's latest Common Core-aligned tests show. The tests serve as the main tool for California State University and nearly 80 community colleges statewide for measuring student readiness in math and English.
How students perform can help decide whether they can take credit-bearing college-level math or English courses as freshmen, or if they need to take placement tests to determine whether they need remedial courses.
Read more.
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EdSource used the new California Smarter Balanced test score data to create a
user-friendly database that offers a few key features.
- Results are viewable as a complete list of all schools or all districts.
- Results are sortable: You can look at which schools and districts scored highest--or lowest--according to subject area.
- You can view and compare schools in a single district, and rank them by score. To do this, click on the " Search Schools" tab at the top of the page, then enter the district name. All schools in the district will be displayed and can be shown in ranked order.
- The EdSource database even allows you to sort schools by the amount their scores improved--or declined--within the entire database or by district. Just click "percentage change" at the top of a test score table to sort.
- The database also includes charter school data. To find charters, search by name under "Schools" rather than "Districts."
- You can create a report for each district with all the data on a single page, including breakdowns by subgroup.
Have comments or suggestions after using the database? Let us know.
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The Education Trust-West has posted
a response to the new test score data including a slide deck that compares various subgroups' scores.
In their statement, the advocacy group says, "We need faster progress for all students, and swifter gap closure for our students of color, English learner, and low-income students. If not, it will be decades before some groups of California students are fully meeting standards and on track for college, careers, and life."
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Common Core Watch
According to a new poll from Education Next, support for the Common Core State Standards dropped from 49 to 42 percent over the last year. When asked about support for "
standards for reading and math that are the same across the states," however, 55 percent of respondents were in favor--suggesting the lack of support for Common Core may be an issue of branding.
In this opinion piece, Tamyra Walker of the YesWeCode initiative and Peggy McLeod of the National Council of La Raza, express support for the Common Core standards' ability to help high-needs students "think critically, problem solve and analyze--all of which are essential for a career in the tech industry."
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