By Sara Feld
Calendar Editor
Mira Costa juniors tested out the new Common Core standards field test on April 22-23 and 29-30 to preview the exam on computers for upcoming years.
Costa administered practice tests on computers in order to expose technological problems for the state to fix for next year.
“I liked taking the test on a computer versus paper,” junior Kelly Geiser said. “I feel it was generally the same difficulty as previous standard tests.”
According to Vice Principal Deborah Hofreiter, due to vague instructions, the test should be evaluated by the state before it is administered again next year.
The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, a state-led institution funded by the U.S. Department of Education, developed the test by researching high-performing schools around the world. It established a new set of information that students should be learning in school for success later in college and in future careers.
“I am still not convinced the Common Core is the best way to do things,” Costa Principal Dr. Ben Dale said.
Schools can decide to administer the tests via computer or paper. According to Hofreiter, taking the test on the computer is better for students because the computer analyzes the answers, allowing the test to adjust to be either easier or harder depending on whether questions are answered correctly.
“This could make the test more bearable or more challenging, depending on the student,” Hofreiter said. “This assessment is more practical for real world skills than other standardized tests.”
This year’s exam does not affect Mira Costa’s Academic Performance Index, which measures the academic performance and growth of schools. However, next year’s scores from the Common Core test will be used to calculate the score.
“I do not think this change in assessment will affect Costa, as we have such great students and so many great teachers here,” Dale said. “The way we have been teaching and learning has created great results for decades.”
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