OAKLAND, CA (August 8, 2013) – The EdTrust——West issued the following statement in response to the release of the 2013 Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) results by the California Department of Education (CDE) today:

“”The results of the 2013 Standardized Testing and Reporting Program (STAR) were released today and show that California students’’ progress is stagnant across grades and subjects and has even declined slightly in certain areas. Unfortunately, the percentage of students scoring at or above proficient decreased slightly in English-language arts and mathematics from 2012 to 2013. In addition to this lack of progress, we are disheartened by the stubborn gaps that continue to separate economically disadvantaged, Latino, and African-American students from their more advantaged and white peers. The achievement gap between economically disadvantaged students and their more advantaged peers remains persistent. In English-language arts, 44 percent of students qualifying for free- or reduced-price meals were proficient compared to 74 percent of middle- and high-income students. In mathematics, the gap that has existed for the past ten years between low-income students and their more advantaged peers did not change from 2012 to 2013. Specifically, low-income students demonstrated no progress, and the percent of English learners scoring proficient decreased by 1 point.

Assessments from the STAR inform schools, teachers, parents, students and policymakers about the quality of their local public schools as well as the strengths and areas of growth in the system and in student understanding. The recent push in the legislature with AB 484 to suspend, either temporarily or permanently, all assessments except those that are federally mandated for accountability purposes would eliminate critical student performance data. Without an objective second grade test, for example, parents, teachers, and policymakers will not have early warning signs of academic needs or an accurate measure of early achievement gaps. At the high school level, suspending various assessments, including end-of-course assessments in math, science, and world history, will prevent students and their families from accessing vital information about how well prepared students are for college and career. Finally, suspending these assessments will impair the ability of parents and educators to determine an Englishlearner’’s progress in academic content, disrupt English learner reclassification, and curtail efforts to prevent inappropriate referrals to special education and determine eligibility for special education services.

California is in the midst of a large-scale transition to the new Common Core assessments. However, the transition to Common Core does not justify eliminating important assessments that provide critical information to parents, educators, and other stakeholders. In suspending or eliminating such a broad array of assessments, AB 484 fails to recognize the strengths of California’’s current system and the needs of parents, educators, and policymakers to have reliable information on student achievement.

Given students’’ lack of academic progress this year, greater urgency across the state to support growth and achievement is needed. Fortunately, we can utilize the Common Core standards and recent increases in funding to improve educational opportunities for all students in California, and especially those who have the greatest needs.” 

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About The EdTrust——West
The EdTrust——West works for the high academic achievement of all students at all levels, pre-k through college. We expose opportunity and achievement gaps that separate students of color and low-income students from other youth, and we identify and advocate for the strategies that will forever close those gaps.