August 25, 2018

This week, Louis and John discuss the push in Sacramento to give school districts the option of substituting the SAT or the ACT for the 11th grade Smarter Balanced assessments in English and math.

A bill to do that, Assembly Bill 1951, soon may reach Gov. Jerry Brown for his signature. The bill passed the Assembly, but has yet to be approved by the Senate.

Long Beach Unified, the state’s 3rd largest district, has been one of the most active proponents of the idea. The district is already giving the SAT at its own expense to all juniors in its effort to encourage more students to apply to college.

Louis and John speak with Christopher Lund, the assistant superintendent for research and school improvement at Long Beach Unified. Then they speak with State Board of Education President Michael Kirst, a strong opponent of the idea.

For background: