What Parents Should Keep in Mind
Every day, throughout our school district, educators are assessing student learning and the effectiveness of our instructional programs. Feedback about what students know and are able to do helps us to improve our teaching and identify how best to serve our students. That’s why we use multiple measures to assess student learning in our district, including teacher observation and local assessments that are administered throughout the year.
Since each student improves daily, families are urged to maintain regular communication with teachers. Student work, periodic report cards, local and state assessments are all important tools in keeping families informed about how their student is progressing in school. Families should also keep in mind the areas in which students are not formally tested. These include the arts, music, nutrition, and gardening. All of these areas contribute to a student’s overall learning and experience.
Principals and teachers can use this comprehensive information to make necessary instructional adjustments to improve classroom instruction, and thus each child’s personal success. The ºÚÁÏÍø³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ Research, Evaluation & Assessment (BREA) Office is dedicated to collecting, analyzing, and using data to help educators continuously improve our instructional programs. BUSD staff has been able to look at preliminary state test results to make important decisions about staff and resource allocations as early as June. Individual student reports are available to families in the fall through the family portal. State, district, and site results are available through a .
A Changing Landscape for State Assessments
The has replaced the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program. The CAASPP program is only one part of the state’s multiple-measure . The in English Language Arts and mathematics are important metrics used to measure student progress in grades 3-8, and 11. Similarly, the provides information on students’ understanding of the science standards in grades 5, 8, and 11/12. The and are designed to track the academic progress of the students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. Additionally, the is a valuable indicator measuring annual progress towards English proficiency. Finally, the is administered to all students in grades 5, 7, and 9 to assess fitness levels.
For frequently asked questions about the state assessments, please review the following guides for families: