EXPLORE: Quick GuidesSmarter Balanced test scores for 2022
Academics
Topic

Testing and Accountability

California is evolving to a new system of testing and accountability that will weigh eight priorities, including school climate and parent engagement, to judge school progress. An education law, passed in 2013, orders a new generation of computer-based standardized tests, starting with Common Core assessments of English language arts and math in 2015.

English Learners
February 6, 2023

Bilingual students do better on tests than native English speakers. Why?

Some researchers say the bar to be considered proficient in English is so high that only students who perform well can be reclassified.

Zaidee Stavely
Commentary
December 19, 2022

Science instruction needs the same attention as math and English

Fewer than one-third of California's students are meeting state standards in science. The numbers are almost as bad for math.

Jessica Sawko
Reforms
December 9, 2022

Does your district have what it takes to significantly improve?

Pivot Learning releases the District Readiness Index, a database for measuring how well California districts have met the conditions needed to make sustainable change.

John Fensterwald
Los Angeles Unified
November 28, 2022

LAUSD’s stunning reading score on NAEP: Illusion, real or something in between?

Was a quick computer distribution during Covid, a literacy initiative or a combination of factors, plus random error, behind a surprising 8th grade score in Los Angeles Unified?

John Fensterwald
Teacher Voices
November 22, 2022

Don’t throw out standardized student testing – make it better

If TikTok can accurately predict which images, songs, videos you will like the most, why can't algorithms similar to those that power TikTok help suggest which course of study and career you may excel in?

Janie Dam
Testing and Accountability
October 28, 2022

Stanford-Harvard 'scorecard' translates California's test scores into months of missed learning

'Education Recovery Scorecard' shows vast disparities among districts by converting results on NAEP and state tests into a common measure: how much learning declined during the pandemic.

John Fensterwald
Commentary
October 28, 2022

Middle school math needs to be every superintendent’s new priority

New test results point to an urgent need by California to improve learning during pivotal years for education.

David Scarlett Wakelyn
Testing and Accountability
October 26, 2022

Why some schools saw their scores soar despite Covid — and others didn't

A look at individual districts reveals a nuanced picture of Smarter Balanced test results.

Carolyn Jones
Testing and Accountability
October 24, 2022

2022 California standardized test results wipe out years of steady progress

Smarter Balanced scores fell sharply in both math and English language arts, indicating it could take years for students to fully recover from the pandemic.

John Fensterwald And Daniel J. Willis
Testing and Accountability
October 23, 2022

Scores nationwide crater on national math test, California’s not quite so much

Scores for the nation and California took a historic drop in fourth and eighth grade math on the National Assessment for Educational Progress or NAEP. There was some good news, too, for California, despite the pandemic.

John Fensterwald
Anne's Insights
October 7, 2022

Why EdSource pushed for the release of California test scores

My children, who were in 4th and 9th grade when the world shut down in March 2020, lost some ground over the last two years in key academic areas. How could they not? 

Anne Vasquez
Testing and Accountability
September 22, 2022

State delays public release of English, math and science test score results to later this year

Delaying the public release of Smarter Balanced tests taken last spring undermines the urgency of addressing setbacks in learning during the pandemic.

John Fensterwald And Thomas Peele
English Learners
August 1, 2022

California could paint a clearer picture of English learner achievement if new bill passes

The bill would require the state to separate out test scores in English language arts, math and science for subgroups of English learners.

Zaidee Stavely
Math and Science
April 5, 2022

Student math scores touch off ‘five-alarm fire’ in California

The pandemic compounded the challenge of teaching math at grade level when many California students may be three or four years behind.

John Fensterwald
Commentary
April 5, 2022

California’s detailed test data gives it an advantage for the road ahead

A deeper dive into the Smarter Balanced test data reveals that the news is both better and worse than we previously realized.

David Wakelyn