Marshall Lane Elementary School

Message from the Principal

Dear Parents,

Last year, our students took the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium Test. Smarter Balanced, or sometimes referred to as “The SBAC Test”, which utilizes computer adaptive technology to measure student achievement. The goal is to measure student progress toward college and career readiness in both English Language Arts and Mathematics.

Results are in and if your child was in 3rd grade or above last year, you will be receiving information about their test scores in the next couple of weeks. The

2015 SBAC results cannot be compared to previous years’ results on the California Standards Test (CST) or STAR Tests:

  • They measure 2 different sets of standards.
  • They use different scaled scores.
  • A “Proficient” score in previous CST scores does not equal a “Proficient” score on Smarter Balanced.
  • Whereas the CSTs focused on skills, the SBAC focuses on critical thinking.

CUSD prepares students for college and career readiness by building the critical thinking and problem solving skills that can be applied in any context. The Common Core Standards guide schools to focus on deeper, richer, and more applicable learning. Results of the SBAC are one indicator on a dashboard of measurements used to assess student progress. Using a car metaphor—while the odometer is important, it’s not the only gauge on the dashboard. Within CUSD, we have a system of assessments—curriculum-embedded, district-wide, as well as statewide assessments—that are used to gauge student progress.  This year’s scores will be used by the state of California, Santa Clara County, the Campbell Union School District, and Marshall Lane to set a baseline for future growth and continuous improvement.

As with any assessments, these results tests measure a moment in time.  It does not tell us everything we need to know about a particular student.  However, it can show trends and areas of strength or challenge.  Our staff has been busy disaggregating the data and looking at it in a variety of ways to inform our instruction.  Here are some things that we will be working on:

  • Increased computer access and skills
  • Focus on writing ability
  • Work on teaching students to communicate their mathematical thinking
  • Increased collaboration between grade level teams and across grade levels.

If you have any questions or concerns about the assessment data or your particular child, please contact your student’s teacher(s).