Calif. Suspends Standardized Testing To Make Way For 'Common Core'
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — The California Board of Education has suspended the state's school accountability system for one year to give teachers and students time to adjust to new standardized tests aligned with the Common Core standards.
The board voted at a meeting in Sacramento on Wednesday not to produce an Academic Performance Index for the 2014-15 school year. The index uses student results on statewide tests to rank schools and to identify those that need improvement.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson says it wouldn't be fair to evaluate schools on this year's scores because the new Smarter Balanced tests are too different from the state's previous tests to produce meaningful comparisons.
Board President Michael Kirst told KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO implementing Common Core will take some time.
"This is really the start of, I think, the whole implementation process," Kirst said. "You can't move from low-level standards to standards that make students college- and career-ready overnight."
Since the Common Core standards were adopted by California in 2010, many conservatives and other critics have argued the initiative represents federal overreach into the classroom.
Kirst said results will still be reported at the school, district and state level for the public to see, and that supporters and opponents alike should give Common Core a chance to succeed before determining its future.
"We understand the frustration and that it's going to take a while, and we are going to be patient," he said.
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