Common Core Testing Ready for Trial

Beginning Monday, April 7th, Moreno Valley Unified students are helping California give the state’s new Smarter Balanced assessments a test run. The new assessments replace California’s long-standing annual STAR tests. The field test will be administered by schools over multiple days, and close to 19,000 Moreno Valley Unified students will take part. The Smarter Balanced field test, which is being given online, is a practice run of annual assessments for grades 3-8 and 11 in English Language Arts and mathematics that will be given starting next spring. It is aligned to the new California Common Core State Standards, which Moreno Valley teachers have been using this school year. As this is a practice run, student results will not be counted for the purposes of determining schools’ and districts’ Academic Performance Index (API) scores. The Smarter Balanced assessments are intended to better measure students’ real-world skills, such as critical thinking and problem solving. Proponents say that the field test will also help ensure that assessments are accurate and fair for all students, and will provide MVUSD and other districts a chance to test their ability to give the assessments online and identify any technology improvements needed in time for next year’s official testing. “Our teachers have devoted a great deal of their time and energy, even outside the regular work day, to learn and help implement the new Common Core standards because they believe the standards will allow us to provide a richer education for all students that will better prepare them for college and careers,” said Superintendent Dr. Judy D. White. “So we’re ready to help test the new assessment to make sure it reinforces the work we’re doing.” More information on the new assessments is available on the Smarter Balanced website: www.smarterbalanced.org.