Board members test skills with new state exams

School board members went back to school Tuesday night during a public work session to review the new Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) exams set to roll out this spring to students in grades 3-11.
School board members were each provided a Chromebook for the exercise to simulate what students will be experiencing during the online exams in math and English/Language Arts. Assessment Coordinator Maria Garcia, Common Core State Standards Transition Coordinator Casey Monahan and Technology Director Forrest Baker facilitated the session.

School board members commented on the rigor of the exams and depth of understanding students must demonstrate to be successful. They also said the district needs to provide students more access to technology for them to be ready for these new tests. Test results are expected back within a couple of weeks of taking the exams.

Passing scores on the SBAC indicate students are on track to be ready for credit-bearing college courses when they graduate from high school. Results from this spring’s testing will likely show fewer students meeting these new, higher, benchmarks than have been passing the Measurement of Student Progress (MSP) and High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE) in recent years. In fact, pass rates are expected to be similar to those seen when the WASL, Washington state’s first assessment, was implemented in 1997. Garcia and Monahan are producing a video and other communications tools to help inform parents about SBAC.

Photo (L-R): School board members Sam Wells, Anne Golden and Cindy Meyer take practice Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium tests as part of a review of the state’s new assessment system. This spring students in grades 3-11 will take online exams in math and English/Language Arts.