Smarter Balanced

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

October 27, 2022

New literacy standards for teacher candidates could be pivotal to improving student reading scores

Accreditation of California teacher preparation programs will hinge on whether they follow new literacy standards that focus more intensely on foundational reading skills.

Diana Lambert

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

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

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

October 18, 2022

Preliminary glimpse at test scores shows steep declines in reading, math

Results from some of California's largest districts show that pandemic challenges lingered through 2022.

Carolyn Jones And Daniel J. Willis

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

September 27, 2022

California reverses course, will release Smarter Balanced test scores next month, official says

State test results that will reveal how students fared through the pandemic will be released in October, a state official now says. This is a reversal of of the state's position just last week in which it refused an EdSource public records request to release the data.

Thomas Peele

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

June 22, 2022

Strategic plan aims to prepare students for life beyond Los Angeles Unified

Superintendent Alberto Carvalho's plan, which aims to create a foundation for student success, will shape district priorities for the next four years.

Kate Sequeira

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

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

January 7, 2022

Standardized test scores in California fell during year in distance learning

Among the 24% of students who took the Smarter Balanced assessments in 2020-21, achievement gaps widened, and the youngest students struggled.

John Fensterwald And Daniel J. Willis

September 10, 2021

California will give a short version of its standardized math and English tests next spring

State Board agrees to cut as much as 2 hours from lengthy Smarter Balanced assessments; parents won't receive as many details as in past.

John Fensterwald

July 21, 2021

Why reading at grade level shouldn't be our only goal

While other measures are important, the key questions most parents should ask are “Is my child growing as a reader?” and “Is my child developing a love of reading?”

Malbert Smith