Starting on Monday April 15, 2024, juniors in high school across California will be required to take a series of state tests to determine where extra funding is necessary for student success. Many Berkeley High School students students have chosen to opt out of these tests, and there is rising concern about the timing of these tests in relation to the various AP tests that are set to take place in the preceding and even overlapping weeks.
The BHS Dean of Attendance, Cassandra Tesch, explained that the district is required to meet a participation rate of 95 percent for tests such as the SBAC and CAST. However, the district is not held to a specific proficiency requirement, as these tests serve primarily to provide data for the district to see where student support is most crucial and to help gain funding in those areas.
“The people who work in our district present the data to the board,” Tesch said. “Then (the board) uses that data to justify the programs and the funding. So if … 40 percent of (freshman) are not scoring proficiently in math, then they use that to be like ‘Okay, we need a math coach,’ for example.”
Tesch added that she hopes this data will become something that is not only valuable to the district but also a way for students to set goals for their own education. “I think it’s important for students to be owners of their own data and to know and be honest, like ‘Okay, I’m at this level,’” Tesch said, “and then for individuals to set their own goals and intentions and to be able to work towards progress.”
Similarly, Kelly Boylan, an AP U.S. History teacher at BHS, expressed hope for the attitude around state testing to change, through emphasizing the benefits that students can get from performing well, such as potentially being able to place out of certain general education classes in college.
Boylan said that this would hopefully incentivize students to put in more effort when taking the SBAC and CAST tests. “Something that would really be helpful is if students had a better sense of how this benefits them or like what’s in it for them. It’s only fair to have some kind of benefit if we’re asking them to go through the work and take the test seriously,” Boylan said.
Boylan explained that many of her AP U.S. History students are concerned about having SBAC testing take the place of in-class preparation for their AP test that’s scheduled for the following week. However, she explained that she planned a review for her students that navigated around the timing of the SBAC test to try and make it less disruptive to their preparations for AP tests. “This is a high-stress time of year in general for juniors, and many of my students are taking two or three or more AP classes, so they’re definitely stressed out and could use that extra week. But, you know, I think as long as students know ahead of time to prepare for it, then it’s manageable,” Boylan said.
Some juniors are choosing to fully opt out of this testing process. Sophie Novick-Prucher, a BHS junior, explained that the decision to opt out of the SBAC and CAST tests was not a difficult one. “I’m in three AP classes, my AP tests are coming up, I’m taking the SAT in May, so frankly, I could use the time to study and focus on that,” she said.
Novick-Prucher observed that many juniors are finding the timing of these tests particularly stressful. “It’s spring of junior year; there’s a lot going on for everyone, and then also like, all of these tests could very easily be in three of your AP classes. They’re in two of mine … but yeah, it completely interrupts what we’re doing,” Novick-Prucher said.