As Barlow’s state testing wraps up, many juniors are wondering what the point of state testing is. Juniors have been missing many classes to take these tests, making it difficult for teachers to navigate the curriculum when a portion of their class is gone on different days throughout the week. Most students who took the test saw no value in missing their classes for a test that won’t affect their grade or ability to graduate on time, so some of these students chose to opt out and instead stay in class.
However useless the test may seem to juniors, most teachers and administrators believe the data collected from state tests is important to continue improving our school. Last year, Barlow’s test and participation scores were lower than ideal. The state requires at least a 95 percent participation rate for the school to pass, and Barlow did not meet that requirement. This year, the thought of missing multiple classes throughout the four testing weeks caused many students to opt out of the test, and it’s likely Barlow will fail again. The results from post-pandemic years were also lower than expected, resulting in the overhaul of the science curriculum for the lower classmen, replaced with a curriculum similar to Gresham High School’s, as their science scores were better than ours. Barlow also received a grant to help test scores improve, and it’s currently being used for more teacher meetings on professional development throughout the school year.
Before Covid, state testing was a requirement to graduate, and the results were printed on transcripts. This enticed most students to take the test and do their best to pass and graduate without having to put in extra work. Now, without it being required, juniors view state testing as a waste of their time that they already have so little of. Principal Bhear reflected on this, stating, “Students don’t value the assessment, so they don’t try very hard on it.” In hopes of increasing participation for next year, administrators are currently considering different ideas, like restructuring state testing to be in class during one class period a day, or potentially making it a requirement for graduation again.
Teachers and administrators still value the test results even though the test is no longer required. The results reflect the health or quality of each of the tested departments and help them decide what changes need to be made, if any, to improve each department. Mr. Bhear said, “Teachers love feedback, and this is one way for students to provide teachers feedback.” However, state testing is only one data point used by administrators and teachers. Mr. Huelsman, one of the vice principals at Barlow, stated, “[state testing] is like one more indicator of teaching and learning, but it’s not a definitive indicator.” There are many other tests and results for administrators to look at to gain a complete understanding of how the school is doing. While this test is an important data point, it cannot show the full picture of how our school is doing in the science, math, and English departments.
Apart from using the results as a data point, the results can also determine how much funding the school receives. If Barlow’s funding is cut too much, some electives may also be cut in order to save money. If you are curious about your state test results, Mrs. Hollenback, Barlow’s testing coordinator, will distribute them once all the results are compiled.
