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RICHARD QUINN/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Debbie Moore (left) helps students in her fourth-grade class at Los Primeros School get logged on to their laptop computers to work on Common Core-aligned tests.
PHOTO BY RICHARD QUINN, VENTURA COUNTY STAR
RICHARD QUINN/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Students in Sue Ross’s fourth-grade class at Los Primeros School in Camarillo get set to take their Common Core-aligned tests.
In the Pleasant Valley School District, where annual standardized testing began about four weeks ago, Sue Ross’ fourth-graders were actually enjoying it.
“They’re loving it,” said Ross, who teaches at Los Primeros School in Camarillo. “This is the first time they haven’t complained. In previous years, we had a lot of whining.”
The excitement comes from the novelty of new laptops. The district purchased 900 Chromebooks before the exams.
“Using the Chromebooks has been a thrill for them,” Ross said.
The STAR test, the yearly exam used in California since the late 1990s to measure student achievement, has been replaced this spring with a computerized test produced by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. The change comes as public schools in California and 43 other states adopt a new set of English and math standards known as Common Core. This fall, the new academic standards will be fully implemented.
Also read New standards, new tests driving school bandwidth demand | Take the practice test
When all California schools finish the Common Core-aligned exam in June, more than 3 million students will have participated. The test is given to students in grades 3-8 and some students in grades 9-11.
Common core test - Third grade level English
In Ventura County, students began taking the new test in April and will continue through May 16. The exam is known as a field test, an experience meant to judge schools’ technological capacity and assess classroom readiness for such a major shift. Scores will not be recorded or compared in an Academic Performance Index.
“It’s very frustrating for those of us who want an idea of how students perform,” said Valerie Chrisman, associate superintendent for theVentura County Office of Education. “We’re not going to have any scores.”
When scores are tabulated next year, they will serve as a baseline to measure growth in subsequent years.
“This time, we’re just testing it out. I want to see if our technological capacity will hold up,” said Michael Babb, superintendent of the Mesa Union School District. Mesa Elementary began testing on Monday .
PHOTO BY RICHARD QUINN, VENTURA COUNTY STAR
RICHARD QUINN/SPECIAL TO THE STAR A fourth-grader at Los Primeros School in Camarillo gets logged on to his laptop computer to work on his Common Core-aligned test.
“I’m glad we’re not accountable. We’re not judging our results to teaching,” Babb said.
California’s decision to have a transition year was fought by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who thought students shouldn’t go an entire year without being assessed and measured.
But in recent weeks, many in the classroom welcomed the time allotted to work out the kinks.
At Fremont Intermediate School in Oxnard, where most students took the test on iPads, technology teacher Anne McGloughlin said the first couple of days of testing were riddled with issues. Many devices did not work, and students took turns testing on the devices that did work.
“It was not an ideal testing environment,” McGloughlin said. “It did improve as we went on. It wasn’t perfect. We felt like our kids were incredibly patient.”
PHOTO BY RICHARD QUINN, VENTURA COUNTY STAR
RICHARD QUINN/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Sue Ross, a fourth-grade teacher at Los Primeros School in Camarillo, helps her students get logged on to their laptop computers to work on Common Core-aligned tests.
Oxnard Assistant Superintendent Catherine Kawaguchi said the problem involved the app used for testing. Kawaguchi said eight of the district’s schools were using the iPads and it took up to two hours to switch the app to a certain mode to begin testing. The problem was fixed after adjusting the testing schedule, Kawaguchi said.
Across the county, some students are going to their school’s computer lab to take the test, while others have laptop computers brought to the classroom.
At Sinaloa Middle School in Simi Valley, students are taking the test in the cafeteria.
Students at McKevett and Grace Thille schools, two Santa Paula campuses that don’t have computer labs, take a bus to Barbara Webster School to take the test.
Compared to the old test, this one takes longer to set up, particularly for first-time test takers. Students have to enter two sets of identification numbers and make sure the audio works before beginning.
In a Los Primeros fourth-grade class, one student’s headphones didn’t work and another student’s computer froze.
Aside from the technology, the new test is also different because it’s more rigorous and structured differently.
PHOTO BY RICHARD QUINN, VENTURA COUNTY STAR
RICHARD QUINN/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Victoria Conception gets ready to start a Common Core-aligned test with classmates in the fourth grade at Los Primeros School in Camarillo.
When Ross was explaining the performance-based assessment — one problem with multiple parts that can take up to 90 minutes to complete — jaws dropped for a number of students.
“We’re hearing a lot about the rigor of these assessment questions,” said Steve Carr, chief technology officer for the county Office of Education. “The style is so different from what we’ve seen. These are far more challenging with more open-ended questions.”
In addition to multiple-choice questions, the test requires students to highlight text, click and drag and write complete sentences and paragraphs.
PHOTO BY RICHARD QUINN, VENTURA COUNTY STAR
RICHARD QUINN/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Aaron Yoshita hands out headphones to his fourth-grade classmates at Los Primeros School in Camarillo as they prepare to work on Common Core-aligned tests.
A math question might list a set of fractions and ask the student to drag them to the proper spot on a number line. An English question might ask a student to read a passage and type an answer to an open-ended question while citing a specific source.
When it comes to using computer skills to take the test, teachers and administrators are more nervous than students.
“Students have no problem, they’re digital natives. This is all they know,” said Oxnard School District Superintendent Cesar Morales. “It’s the adults coping with this change.”
Morales said in a K-8 school, all students were born in the 21st century and think that working on computers is normal.
Grace Lisak, 10, a Los Primeros student, said she prefers the computer test over the bubble test.
Common core test - Third grade level math
“It’s much easier. You don’t have to write, you just click,” Grace said.
But some of the students at Fremont Intermediate disagreed.
“Many students said, ‘Can’t we do bubble Scantrons again?’ ” said McGloughlin. “I never thought I’d hear that again.”
Next year, all eyes will be on the first set of results to see how students measure under more rigorous standards.
“I think we as an education community are prepared for a dip,” said Chrisman. “What we’re trying to do is anticipate this year with the field test where the mechanical issues are for students so we can help them, whether it’s how to use a mouse or drop-down menu — things that might be difficult for students who haven’t had a lot of use with computers.”
Most schools are planning to spend the next year trying to close the gap in computer literacy, whether it’s using more technology in the classroom or providing more summer computer courses.
Fillmore Unified School District Superintendent Alan Nishino said he’s confident students without access to computers at home will get more opportunities to work with technology.
“Every year we give our kids more access, the easier it will be for them and the more comfortable they’ll feel,” Nishino said. “The whole Smarter Balanced assessment has really upped the ante to get technology not only in schools but in homes. I’m hoping that’ll occur.”
Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2014/may/06/schoolwatch-in-transition-to-common-core-tests/#ixzz313N5CzOW
- vcstar.com
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