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School to Community Connection |
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Issue 109 STUDENTS REACH FOR THE STARS Within the next few weeks, students in Healdsburg public schools will take the “STAR” tests required by the State of California and the federal government. “STAR” stands for “Standardized Testing and Reporting,” and the tests are given to all students in second through eleventh grades. Although controversy surrounds many aspects of this testing, almost everyone agrees with the goal of the testing scheme: to improve the performance of students and schools throughout California. STAR testing allows state education officials to track the performance of students and schools over time, compare them across the state, and assist under-performing schools in improving STAR test results are not used in calculating student grades. However, they provide important information to parents and teachers about each student’s progress in mastering the core curriculum for the student’s grade level. Test scores show how a student’s performance looks from an objective perspective compared to the subjective evaluation done by the classroom teacher. The more information parents and teachers have about each student’s learning progress, the better equipped they are to help the student succeed in school. Of course, parents should remember that STAR tests cannot measure everything a student knows or can do. The STAR tests do not take into account individual student’s starting points in that school year, learning differences, test anxiety, or language capabilities. The test process is also useful because it gives students practice at taking formal, standardized tests. Students will have to take a number of standardized tests over their academic careers – a high school exit exam and college entrance exams like the SAT, for example. STAR testing helps get students used to taking standardized tests so they become familiar with using fill-in-the-bubble multiple answer sheets, taking tests in a timed test period, and understanding standardized test questions. The more practice students have with formal testing situations, the better they will be able to perform. STAR testing has important consequences for the school community. Under the federal “No Child Left Behind” law, schools and districts are sanctioned if they do not make adequate yearly progress toward proficiency in English/language arts and mathematics, or if they fail to test 95% of all students and all significant subgroups (such as any one grade level or students identified as English Language Learners). This means that if students do not participate in the test process, then the schools and district can receive sanctions and be classified as a Program Improvement School. So, although the test results do not affect a student’s grade, the cumulative effect of school-wide test results have a direct impact on every student. Because the district is penalized if it does not test 95% of the student body, it is especially important that students attend school for each day of testing. (Make-up testing dates are scheduled for students who are absent.) As on any other school day, students should be well rested and have eaten breakfast. Studying ahead of time for the STAR tests is not necessary. Healdsburg Unified School District teachers teach the required academic content for the appropriate subject area and grade, so students are prepared through their regular attendance, participation in classroom activities, and completion of homework assignments. Students take the tests in their classrooms over the course of a week, with the test content varying by grade level and subject area. Parents and others interested in seeing sample and past questions can find them on the California Department of Education website under “Program Resources” at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sr/css05rtq.asp. Parents will receive individual student test results by mail, usually in August or September following the testing. Group results are released to the public for each school, district, county, and the state in August and are posted on the California Department of Education’s website at http://star.cde.ca.gov. More information about the upcoming STAR testing can be obtained from teachers and principals at any Healdsburg public school and from the district office. The Healdsburg Unified School District’s “Frequently Asked Questions About School Testing” can be found at http://www.husd.com/testingFAQ.html. By Diane Hock Diane Hock is a
parent of a 4th grade student at Healdsburg Elementary School (HES),
co-president of the HES PTO, and a volunteer on the HUSD Communications
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