Standardized testing for student assessment within the California public education system will be revamped for the 2013-2014 school year after legislation sponsored by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson was approved May 1 by the Assembly Education Committee.
The new statewide assessment system, which will use computer-based exams, is designed to “measure and promote student progress toward career and college readiness,” a shift that would limit the use of outdated Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) system tests in 2013-14. The new tests will also be aligned to California’s Common Core State Standards in 2014-15.
“California’s students need the real-world skills that open the door to success in a career and in college,” Torlakson said. “These new assessments will tell us whether we’re getting the job done – and give teachers and parents new insights and new tools to address the needs of students who need more help.”
Torlakson added the stigma of “teaching to the test” for multiple choice questions on STAR tests will no longer be the case as the new assessments will “ask students to reason through complex problems, and think in-depth.”
Assembly Bill 484, which will retain assessments required by federal mandates, establishes the California Measurement of Academic Performance and Progress for the 21st Century, or CALMAPP21, including the use of the Smarter Balanced assessments, to replace the existing STAR program.
AB484 will now move to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
