Superintendent's Update

September 28, 2004


Dear Members of the Cotati-Rohnert Park School Community:

Recently individual testing information for students who were in grades 2-11 during the 2003-2004 school year were sent home. Both our site and district staff are asked questions about the tests, the results, and what they all mean?

In an attempt to provide clarification of the information provided in the reports, we have prepared the following document, “A Primer for Understanding Testing”. We hope that this additional information is helpful in providing you with a greater understanding of the information you received.

If you have additional questions, I encourage you to speak with your site principal, and/or the district’s Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Services, Gail Eagan.

Sincerely,

Michael Watenpaugh
Superintendent


A PRIMER FOR UNDERSTANDING STATE AND FEDERAL TESTING FROM COTATI-ROHNERT PARK UNIFIED

In August, the California Department of Education released the spring 2004 test score data for all students enrolled in California schools. This data is compiled by school, district, county and the state as a whole for the following tests:

  • The California Standards Tests (CST) in English/language arts and math for grades 2 through 11, in history/social science for grades 8, 10, and 11, and in science for grades 5 and 9-11. (High school students take science tests according to the science course they are enrolled in.) The CSTs measure students’ progress toward proficiency on the state’s academic content standards. Based on their scores, students are rated as Advanced, Proficient, Basic, Below Basic, or Far Below Basic.
  • The California Achievement Test, Sixth Edition (“CAT/6”) in reading, language, and math in grades 2-11, spelling in grades 2-8, and science in grades 9-11. This basic skills test compares the performance of California students to a national sample. Student scores are reported as a percentile rank. For example, a 95 means that the student is in the 95th percentile having scored better than 95% of the national comparison group.
  • The California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE), which measures high school student performance in English and mathematics. Test results this year are for students who will graduate in 2006 and beyond. The scores are reported as a simple pass or fail in each subject.

School districts and schools have also received individual scores for their students. The state provides districts with a printed report that is to be given to parents detailing their students’ scores and explaining what those scores mean. During the summer of 2004 state officials unveiled a new parent reporting form they hope will make it easier to understand what the test scores mean and what can be done to improve their academic performance.

The State also uses this data in a separate way to show whether school districts and individual schools meet federal goals for having sufficient numbers of students who are proficient in English/language arts and mathematics. These annual goals are part of the No Child Left Behind Act. This law requires an accountability system known as Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) which is calculated using STAR and CAHSEE test data. You can find specific test results at: Adequate Yearly Progress.

For a brief but comprehensive description of California's Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program, please visit the following links to Ed Source Online - California's STAR Program. You can also download Q&A: California's Student Testing Program: STAR in PDF format. For a concise and easy-to-understand explanation of the exit exam, download Q&A: The California High School Exit Exam (PDF).