State SBAC Testing May Soon Become Obsolete
New state bill approved by the state will allow students to replace their SBAC with SAT or ACT scores
By Joelle Gendzel
New state bill approved by the state will allow students to replace their SBAC with SAT or ACT scores
By Joelle Gendzel
Dreaded state testing could be coming to an end in some California high schools.
Assembly bill 1501 was approved by the state legislature on Sept. 4, 2018 and would allow high schools to report a student’s SAT or ACT scores to the state in the place of the state administered SBAC test.
Assistant Principal of Guidance Elizabeth Brush feels this change would help students in the long run. In her eyes, eliminating the SBAC would help students’ SAT scores go up, as the school would be able to dedicate more time to preparing for the SAT and reducing interruptions in learning.
“It would definitely be positive for our kids, as it would save (our students) those two to three weeks of testing. They might put more time into studying for SATs if that’s all they have to do,” said Brush.
Teachers at Pioneer often find themselves teaching course content for both the SAT and the SBAC to help better prepare students. English teacher Andrew Barlam uses this strategy and finds himself trying to integrate testing concepts into the classroom.
While it can be difficult to make time for everything he wants to teach, Barlam thinks it is important to give students an opportunity to prepare for these tests in the classroom.
“It’s certainly a challenge when you are a teacher and there is a certain curriculum you’re trying to teach and you’re also trying to find time to work on skills designed towards particular tests,” said Barlam. “What I try to do is incorporate those skills in a way where we are working on the things we’re trying to accomplish as far as our standards for eleventh grade English, while also tying into skills we’re going to need for the SAT and the SBAC at the same time.”
The students themselves also believe that some changes should be made to the testing system. Many find standardized testing stressful, tiring and inadequate at representing academic abilities. Joshua Radzinski, 12, found the SBAC test exhausting, as it repeated concepts he saw on the SAT.
“It wasn’t really that difficult, it wasn’t really that challenging of stuff, it was very repetitive to previous tests that we’ve taken before. It wasn’t something that I look forward to because it was a stressful time in the junior year,” said Radzinski.
Ana Matavulj, 11, feels neither the SBAC nor the SAT provides an accurate measure of a student’s academic performance.
“A lot of (the test) is different than school material that we do and it’s really pressuring and timed so I don’t think it accurately represents my abilities,” said Matavulj, who also feels that she is not properly prepared in the classroom for the SBAC.
“It’s a lot different than what we actually do in class,” said Matavulj.
Assembly bill 1501 was approved by the state legislature on Sept. 4, 2018 and would allow high schools to report a student’s SAT or ACT scores to the state in the place of the state administered SBAC test.
Assistant Principal of Guidance Elizabeth Brush feels this change would help students in the long run. In her eyes, eliminating the SBAC would help students’ SAT scores go up, as the school would be able to dedicate more time to preparing for the SAT and reducing interruptions in learning.
“It would definitely be positive for our kids, as it would save (our students) those two to three weeks of testing. They might put more time into studying for SATs if that’s all they have to do,” said Brush.
Teachers at Pioneer often find themselves teaching course content for both the SAT and the SBAC to help better prepare students. English teacher Andrew Barlam uses this strategy and finds himself trying to integrate testing concepts into the classroom.
While it can be difficult to make time for everything he wants to teach, Barlam thinks it is important to give students an opportunity to prepare for these tests in the classroom.
“It’s certainly a challenge when you are a teacher and there is a certain curriculum you’re trying to teach and you’re also trying to find time to work on skills designed towards particular tests,” said Barlam. “What I try to do is incorporate those skills in a way where we are working on the things we’re trying to accomplish as far as our standards for eleventh grade English, while also tying into skills we’re going to need for the SAT and the SBAC at the same time.”
The students themselves also believe that some changes should be made to the testing system. Many find standardized testing stressful, tiring and inadequate at representing academic abilities. Joshua Radzinski, 12, found the SBAC test exhausting, as it repeated concepts he saw on the SAT.
“It wasn’t really that difficult, it wasn’t really that challenging of stuff, it was very repetitive to previous tests that we’ve taken before. It wasn’t something that I look forward to because it was a stressful time in the junior year,” said Radzinski.
Ana Matavulj, 11, feels neither the SBAC nor the SAT provides an accurate measure of a student’s academic performance.
“A lot of (the test) is different than school material that we do and it’s really pressuring and timed so I don’t think it accurately represents my abilities,” said Matavulj, who also feels that she is not properly prepared in the classroom for the SBAC.
“It’s a lot different than what we actually do in class,” said Matavulj.