Smarter Balanced

March 29, 2019

Another push to expand use of SAT in California amid criticism of test

One bill would let school districts give the SAT or ACT to all students, at state expense; another calls on UC and CSU to consider phasing out the tests altogether.

John Fensterwald

January 1, 2019

California education issues to watch in 2019 — and predictions of what will happen

Place your bets: curbs on charter schools, passage of universal preschool, more money for K-12, more teacher strikes and the resignation of Betsy DeVos; an untested governor and volatile president may affect the odds.

John Fensterwald, Yuxuan Xie, And Justin Allen

October 2, 2018

Small rise in California’s math and reading scores in 2018

There are signs of "encouragement" and "distress" in implementing the Common Core standards after four years of Smarter Balanced testing. There is also a dilemma: 11th-grade results.

John Fensterwald

September 30, 2018

Gov. Brown vetoes bill to let districts give SAT or ACT as 11th grade test

Dozens of districts are offering the tests at their own expense already, because scores on SAT and ACT, not Smarter Balanced, are what matters to high school juniors.

John Fensterwald

August 29, 2018

Offering the SAT instead of Smarter Balanced will open doors to college

11th graders suffering test fatigue from too many tests and SAT better positions underserved students for college, proponents say.

Christopher J. Steinhauser

August 29, 2018

Substituting SAT/ACT for Smarter Balanced tests is not a smart idea

College entrance exams less fair, more at risk for problems, opponents say.

Jay Rosner

August 23, 2018

Renewed push to offer SAT and ACT as California's 11th-grade test

Superintendents say free college readiness testing for all would raise SAT/ACT scores and boost college admissions. Opponents say AB 1951 would undermine the usefulness of high school testing.

John Fensterwald

July 10, 2018

Pressure builds to change how California measures student progress on state tests

Student advocacy groups and academics are seeking to adopt a model other states use to calculate the impact of students’ test score growth, but state staff urge patience.

John Fensterwald And Mikhail Zinshteyn

May 9, 2018

A closer look at California’s impressive educational performance

Recent reforms are translating into improved performance, says former state schools chief.

Bill Honig

March 15, 2018

Don’t swap state tests like Smarter Balanced for SAT or ACT, report cautions

State Superintendent Torlakson and some superintendents are at odds on the issue. An analysis by the prominent nonprofit Achieve will add fuel to the debate.

John Fensterwald

March 14, 2018

Ed-Data offers new ways to look at Smarter Balanced test scores

Website provides flexibility, trend data in looking at state's standardized test results.

EdSource staff

February 8, 2018

California's ambitious education reforms paying off in higher graduation rates and math scores, study finds

The study showed a significant increase in math performance, especially among low-income high school students.

Louis Freedberg

January 4, 2018

A focus on writing in every class is key to success in this rural California district

Culture shift included schoolwide writing, comprehensive teacher training, teambuilding, new classes, and stressing importance of standardized tests.

Theresa Harrington

November 8, 2017

State board alters criteria for rating school performance on new state dashboard

State assumed more districts' scores would grow, and they didn't. That created a problem; designating fewer districts in the 'red' is part of the fix.

John Fensterwald

November 8, 2017

Latino students in California face large inequities compared to white peers

An Education Trust-West study found wide achievement gaps, even though Latino students make up a majority of students.

Carolyn Jones