CSUN University News Clippings

California school test scores due; here’s what they mean

(August 18, 2009)

By Diana Lambert

What was one goal of post-Civil War congressional Reconstruction? Why was Hammurabi’s Code of Mesopotamian society important? Why did the German military design the Schlieffen plan?

You may not know, but at certain grades your child should. These all are questions asked on the Standardized Testing and Reporting exam. Results of the exam, given in the spring, will be made public by the state Department of Education this morning.

Over the next two weeks, parents and students will be besieged with results from a variety of tests.

“They are all for different purposes,” said Sacramento County schools chief David Gordon. “I’ve found that parents appreciate getting feedback on how their children are doing.”

Here’s a guide to help you though it.

STAR: The Standardized Testing and Reporting exam is designed to measure how well students meet state standards in English, math, science and history-social science. Students in grades two through 11 are scored as advanced, proficient, basic, below basic and far below basic.

A summary of STAR results by school, district, county and state will be released at star.cde.ca.gov after 9:30 a.m. this morning.

Parents seeking more information can go to www.starsamplequestions.org, a Web site launched Friday by the state Department of Education. It offers a sampling of test questions at all grade levels, as well as parent guides. The site is the result of feedback from parents, teachers and community members, gathered during focus groups held throughout the state, according to the Education Department.

ACT: On Wednesday the nonprofit ACT will release its national report for the class of 2009. The college admissions exam tests students in English, reading, math and science and includes a 30-minute writing test. It is given six times a year.

National and state results will be available online at www.act.org/news/data.html.

SAT: On Aug. 25, the nonprofit College Board will release SAT scores for the class of 2009. This college admissions exam tests reading, writing and math and assesses critical thinking skills. The test is given seven times a year. For more information, go to the College Board’s Web site at www.collegeboard.com.

Exit Exam: On Aug. 27, a report on the 2009 California High School Exit Exam will be made public. The state-mandated exam must be passed before a student can graduate. It gauges whether a student has grade-level competency in math, reading and writing. View school, district, county and state CAHSEE results at cahsee.cde.ca.gov.

Publication: Sacramento Bee