Students in San Benito County schools will begin the
Standardized Testing and Reporting Program (STAR) testing this
week, and teachers and administration have been working all year to
get them prepared and pumped up.
Students in San Benito County schools will begin the Standardized Testing and Reporting Program (STAR) testing this week, and teachers and administration have been working all year to get them prepared and pumped up.
“We’re going to do very well on testing this year,” San Benito County Superintendent Tim Foley said. “We know what the testing is about and we’ve aligned our teaching to the test standards. The stars are lined up for a great performance.”
Student attendance and performance on the test are crucial to keeping funding in the schools. In 2003, there were 8,834 students enrolled on the first day of testing in the county. Only 8,708 were tested. With recent drops in enrollment, R.O. Hardin Principal Linda Smith said it’s very important for all the students to be present.
“One of the reasons why the district is in such a financial bind right now is because of attendance,” she said. “It’s important that we emphasize them being here for testing, and encourage them to do their best.”
The results from the testing are used to calculate each school’s Academic Performance Index (API), which is a state assessment, and contributes to calculations for federal Academic Yearly Process (AYP).
STAR testing includes four different tests: California Standards Test (CST), California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA), California Achievement Test (CAT/6) and the Spanish Assessment of Basic Education (SABE/2). Grades two through 11 are tested on English and math. Grades eight, nine and 10 also take history exams and nine through 11 are tested on their level of science curriculum. Students are ranked as advanced, proficient, basic, below basic and far below basic.
Sunnyslope Principal Melinda Scott said she and her staff sat down at the beginning of the year and went over results from 2003.
“We have spent a lot of staff development time focusing on the standards and making sure the things they need to know for the test are mastered before test time,” she said.
At the elementary level, students get stressed when they’re in a testing environment, so the teachers and staff do little things to make them feel special and try to get them relaxed, Scott said.
“We’re handing out special pencils for testing,” she said. “They’re green and have the school name on them and I told the teachers they’re smart pencils with special lead.”
R.O. Hardin students received a special surprise from their teachers as well. At an assembly last week, students watched a video made by their teachers with inspiring words to help build up their confidence.
“It was just wonderful,” Smith said. “The whole school was involved and it was really great.”
San Benito High School is offering food to get its students to show up. The school site committee will provide breakfast to all the students every morning of testing.
Principal Duane Morgan said at the high school level, the goal is to get the students to take testing more seriously.
“We’ve gone into the classrooms and explained the importance of the testing and that we want them to take it as seriously as we are,” he said. “And to get them pumped up, some of the teachers have prepared a skit to the popular song all the kids know, ‘Hey Yah.’ We’ve got a bright bunch of kids at our school and we want to show them off.”
