Back 2 School With Less Testing

Gov. Dannell P. Malloy came to the home of the Governors bearing a gift that will reduce the number of testing hurdles for 11th graders.

Malloy announced at a Thursday afternoon press conference held at Wilbur Cross High School (where the Governors take the playing field) that the state has received a federal waiver that will allow students to take the SAT as a substitute for the Smarter Balanced Assessment, or SBAC exam.

The SBAC is a 15-state consortium supported assessment system that measures high school ​“student progress toward college and career readiness in English language arts/literacy and mathematics,” according to the system’s website.

Starting this school year, 11th graders will take the SAT only. Their results will be considered an acceptable measure of student progress for meeting the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind law.

The state applied for the waiver last year in a bid to reduce the amount of testing that high school students are faced with; the amount of time teachers spend preparing students for testing; and the cost of taking the SAT for students who otherwise might not be able to afford it.

Malloy said it isn’t a question of whether or not the state should test students, but ​“whether we can do it in a smarter way.” He said more than 80 percent of the state’s high school students already take the SAT.

New Haven public high school students already have the opportunity to take the test on a day known as SAT School Day. On that day, 11th graders can take the test during school hours and the school system picks up 100 percent of the cost. Malloy said the state is working out the details of how to provide a similar opportunity for students throughout the rest of the state.

Schools Superintendent Garth Harries called the waiver ​“a victory for common sense.” He said that he believes that teachers will be able to spend less time preparing for tests and testing, and more time on learning.

Though many New Haven students take the PSAT and the SAT, Harries said they ​“don’t do nearly as well .. .as I would like,” or at the level that the College Board considers the ​“threshold” for college readiness.

“That said, I do think it is important that we get realistic,” he said, about assessments that are almost universally recognized as the standard for college readiness.

Harries acknowledged biases in standardized testing, as well as advantages for students have access to paid-for tutors and prep sessions. But, he said, ​“it does nobody any good if our students are not considering whether they are keeping up with their peers” in the rest of the state and other parts of the country.

Under the federal No Child Left Behind law, Connecticut must administer end-of-year tests to all students in grades 3 and 8 and once in high school. The state used to do that testing for high school students in the 10th grade, then recently moved it to the 11th grade.

Officials found that high school juniors are already heavily testing as they prepare to apply to college. They take not only end-of-course exams for their classes, but also college placement exams like the SAT or the ACT, subject-matter tests such as Advanced Placement exams in addition to the SBAC exam.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (pictured greeting Cross Principal Edith Johnson) called the three-year waiver positive news for the state and its students. ​“It is an important sign of the trust and confidence that the federal government has in this administration to improve and enhance education without the heavy-hand prescribed by No Child Left Behind,” he said

But he said it is a temporary fix to the real ​“elephant in the room” — the No Child Left Behind Law. ​“What the nation needs is a new law to replace No Child Left Behind,” he said.

Blumenthal voted for a Senate bill called the Every Child Achieves Act to replace the law. A different measure called the Student Success Act passed the House and both bills are now in conference committee. He said he is ​“very hopeful” about the chances of a replacement measure.

The governor said he doesn’t doubt the senator because ​“he’s done his work.” He added, ​“I’m not going to hold my breath” waiting for a new federal education law.