Editor’s Notebook -- Danette Goulet

I have some good news and some bad news.

Students -- after this spring you will no longer be made to take the

Stanford 9 test. As I’ve heard over and over, that test has been the bane

of your educational career for the last five years, that dreaded downer

that demands concentration when all you want to do is go enjoy the

beautiful weather and waves.

Now, it will be no more.

Alas, you are not off the hook. In it’s place educators will

administer the California Achievement Test, sixth edition.

The switch has school district administrators leery, at best.

The California Department of Education has assured educators, and the

public, that the new standardized test will be aligned with the

California State Standards that schools have used to design curriculum

over the past few years.

If this is the case, things should be OK. If not, this could throw

everything off.

The first and most notable concern is that student test scores could

suffer. It would then cause problems for teachers and schools because

they have material they are required to teach and standards they must

meet, but are also charged with making sure students do well on these

tests.

They have all worked diligently over the past few years to revamp all

their curriculum to ensure students all meet the new and rigorous

standards set for them by the state.

Finally this would fall on the shoulders of the districts as lower

test scores would be reflected in the Academic Performance Index that

grades California schools.

The folks at the California Department of Education would set fears to

rest. The main reason they gave for choosing this particular standardized

test is that it’s developed by the same company that is creating the

California Standards Test and already administers the high school exit

exam.

Despite those assurances, administers say they will make their

determination once they see more information about the new tests.

* DANETTE GOULET is the city editor. She can be reached at (714)

965-7170 or by e-mail at o7 danette.goulet@latimes.comf7 .