REFURBISHMENT: Standardized tests will conform to new standards that will reduce dependence on multiple choice testing.
By Matt Kaye, Staff Writer
Revamped standardized tests will resemble educational initiatives, most notably the Common Core, that plan to solve educational deficiency among students. With the debut of the Common Core, many states have the opportunity to take advantage of this new, revamped method that will change the way students prepare for advanced schooling and employment, as well as raise the expectations for students nationwide. California is one of the states that plans to adopt the Common Core process as soon as possible. This school year, Common Core-based tests will be sampled in schools across the state where California Standardized Tests will see their first changes since they were last modified in 1997.
Poly will be one of the schools receiving the sample tests this spring. “2013-2014 will prove to be a benchmark year…In order for us to move forward we must work together to identify where we have been, where we are currently and who we wish to become,” the Poly Administration said. The integration of Common Core does not stop at annual student examinations. RUSD laid out an entire blueprint that does more than integrate Common Core into standardized tests. The new approach will reach into everyday classroom activities as well. “[We will] continue to explore and expand specialized intervention programs that focus on reading comprehension and Algebra,” the blueprint reads. This highlights the increased importance that the district now places on preparing students for college and careers after high school.
The tests themselves will be different than any previous form of testing. At this point, the “standardized” form of standardized tests will soon be nonexistent. Individual districts will need to create their own tests. These tests will be administered on an online template. The virtual interface will allow for actual student responses instead of tests composed solely of multiple choice questions, which previously was the most dominant form of standardized testing in California and many other states in the nation. The system of Smarter Balanced Assessments will make not only district-unique examinations possible, but also the ability to score tests with written responses to properly assess students’ abilities in a more personalized way.
The process could not come sooner as universities and employers look for better preparation to meet the standards of living in the real world. Education reformers now look at schools across the nation and are beginning to find solutions that meet the needs of students. All that is left is to see how they play out.