WASC and State Testing assess Samo proficiency
Western Association of Schools and Colleges / Contributor
From Mon. Feb. 12 to Wed. Feb 14, Samo was visited and evaluated by The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Additionally, juniors are in the middle of California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress Testing (CAASPP) — another metric attached to Samo. However, some question the real benefits these evaluations bring.
The WASC accreditation process kicks off with an initial visit which can last from one to three days, along with four and a half days of self-study reviews. The visiting committees include two to eight people, with one chairperson and additional committee members with a range of educational experience and expertise. On their visit, the committee reviews student performance data and classrooms in action and holds discussions with administrators, teachers, students, parents and other stakeholders. If the visiting committee finds the school up to standard, they can become WASC accredited. WASC accreditation in California enables schools to apply for additional funding. Samo H House Principal Tristan Komlos talks about why WASC accreditation is so important.
“The bottom line: if you don’t have WASC accreditation, your diploma is not worth anything,” Komlos said. “So you want to be able to do your very best to show that all the work that kids do every day is validated.”
Another primary way public schools are measured is through state testing in March every school year. By spring break, juniors will have taken five state tests — two math, two English and one science — spread out over three weeks with a school-wide modified block schedule. The CAASPP is an adaptable test that gets more challenging for every answer a student gets right. The test intends to challenge a student's ability to think critically. The data collected is used by state educators and legislative officials to make decisions concerning public education, one of which is funding. Higher school ranking can lead to more funding. It is also a mechanism by which quantitative data is gathered for a deeper look into school-wide academic progress and a way to compare Samo student progress to other schools. Komlos speaks on the future benefits of high state testing scores.
“The scores don’t go to colleges and universities,” Komlos said. “But if they know that the school itself has the majority of students doing really well on something, it means that your diploma… might be doing its job better than that of another school.”
Some criticize the test for the strict barriers it builds up. The National Center for Fair and Open Testing (FairTest) advocates against state testing, explaining that it rewards quick answers to superficial questions. They believe these tests neither allow students to think creatively nor deeply. The test is also subjective, as humans choose what is on the test and the language of the questions.
Both assessments have rippling effects on the student’s future- specifically the diploma. WASC accreditation gives worth to the school's highschool diploma by verifying that the school has reached the standard for hours and credits set by the California Department of Education. Better state testing scores also mean that the diploma can weigh more than if it was from a school with a lower score. Even short term, it can affect juniors next year of high school. A student’s grade on the English assessment can determine which English class they can take in the upcoming year. Roshni Mejia, one of the English teachers distributing the test this year, explains her feelings on the dependence on the test to determine classes.
“I do think we need well rounded criteria in order to gauge our success as a department, teachers and school,” Mejia said. “[Testing] is just one piece to that puzzle and I do think that we are trying to do a better job of adding more pieces, like our district writing assessment. That’s a piece to the puzzle that shows mastery. Some students… show proficiency in a different way.”