Torlakson's report follows the passage of Assembly Bill 250, also known as the Curriculum and Reform Act, written by former state Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, a Democrat currently serving in Congress, and signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown in October 2011.
“Multiple-choice, fill-in-the-bubble tests alone simply cannot do the job anymore, and it's time for California to move forward with assessments that measure the real-world skills our students need to be ready for a career and for college,” Torlakson said via a recent news release.
And the school district is on board with the paradigm shift.
“Instead of just paper-based, filling in the bubbles, we'll have a computer-based assessment,” said Andrew Blumenfeld, a member of the LCUSD governing board. “You could have a much more dynamic evaluation. That way, you're not just evaluating a student in that sort of static dimension.”
La Cañada, like other districts throughout the state, is poised to begin the process of moving away from STAR testing to comply with Common Core standards. Common Core is a national education initiative that is expected to create clear standards at nearly every school in the country. The STAR program is scheduled to sunset on July 1, 2014.
“With so much to do to prepare for Common Core, I'd welcome the opportunity to begin to shift focus and resources away from CST testing,” Sinnette said.
But, added Blumenfeld, there are “a lot of logistical challenges” associated with making the transition to computer-based assessments.
The district may need to obtain additional computers and beef up its bandwidth.
