Students tested on unfamiliar curriculum
We have all taken the test to get our drivers' license. You get the DMV study guide, memorize it (25 mph or 35 mph?) and take the exam. No problem, right? But if you had to take the test in Ireland, kilometers and roundabouts? without a study guide, your score would probably be lower. Does that mean you are not as good a driver? No, but you might need a little time to get up to speed.
This is the challenge that our schools are facing as we navigate the new California state assessments. The curriculum is new to students and teachers, the vocabulary has changed, and the expectations for student performance are high.
We don't even have the study guide yet.
Our Carlsbad students took the Smarter Balanced assessments last month, and soon parents and educators will get the results. Schools and members of the broader community have expressed concern that students' scores might go down. There are a few things that we have to keep in mind.
• The new assessments do not test students on the knowledge and skills they have acquired over their many years of schooling, but on the new content standards that are only now in the process of being implemented in textbooks and in the classroom.
• These assessment cannot be compared to previous state assessments because they are reflective of the increased rigor of our new state standards. Instead, they will set a baseline for the progress we expect students to make over time.
• We might find that fewer students score within the top tiers. This does not mean that students have fallen behind or learned less. It simply means that we're expecting more from them and are aligning what's being taught in the classroom with what they will need to know when entering college or the workforce.
What we do know is that CUSD teachers and students are motivated to do their best and have always risen to the occasion. Higher expectations are a good thing for schools across the state. It is our goal to prepare our students for a successful future, and, with the support of parents and the Carlsbad community, we look forward to the challenges we have before us.
We have all taken the test to get our drivers' license. You get the DMV study guide, memorize it (25 mph or 35 mph?) and take the exam. No problem, right? But if you had to take the test in Ireland, kilometers and roundabouts? without a study guide, your score would probably be lower. Does that mean you are not as good a driver? No, but you might need a little time to get up to speed.
This is the challenge that our schools are facing as we navigate the new California state assessments. The curriculum is new to students and teachers, the vocabulary has changed, and the expectations for student performance are high.
We don't even have the study guide yet.
Our Carlsbad students took the Smarter Balanced assessments last month, and soon parents and educators will get the results. Schools and members of the broader community have expressed concern that students' scores might go down. There are a few things that we have to keep in mind.
• The new assessments do not test students on the knowledge and skills they have acquired over their many years of schooling, but on the new content standards that are only now in the process of being implemented in textbooks and in the classroom.
• These assessment cannot be compared to previous state assessments because they are reflective of the increased rigor of our new state standards. Instead, they will set a baseline for the progress we expect students to make over time.
• We might find that fewer students score within the top tiers. This does not mean that students have fallen behind or learned less. It simply means that we're expecting more from them and are aligning what's being taught in the classroom with what they will need to know when entering college or the workforce.
What we do know is that CUSD teachers and students are motivated to do their best and have always risen to the occasion. Higher expectations are a good thing for schools across the state. It is our goal to prepare our students for a successful future, and, with the support of parents and the Carlsbad community, we look forward to the challenges we have before us.