A bill that had been circulating in the Capitol on the issue of reauthorizing second grade STAR testing has been pulled, but the issue is not finished yet. Assembly Bill 1353, Huff, R-Diamond Bar, would have kept the testing for second graders that is due to sunset on July 1, 2007. In addition, Assembly and Senate budget subcommittees have deleted funding for the testing, but the issue could still arise again at May Revise time.

ACSA Legislative Advocate Sal Villaseñor said the association was reluctant to take a formal position on AB 1353 when it was first introduced, since initial member feedback was mixed. ACSA then conducted a Zoomerang online survey that helped identify the concerns and support around the issue. Villaseñor said that though the bill has been pulled for now, the survey results could help if it comes back in some form.

“If some agreement is reached to keep second grade in a modified version, we would strongly encourage the administration and the Legislature to consider our members’ recommendations,” he said.

ACSA members were closely divided on whether the testing should stay or go, with 47 percent wanting to keep the testing and 53 percent wanting it discontinued.

The open-ended responses were quite interesting. Both sides showed firm conviction in their beliefs. This mirrored discussions that had arisen in ACSA committee and council meetings.

One survey question asked those who wanted the testing as it exists now to be discontinued if they would accept a modified version of the test. Nearly three-quarters of these respondents said no.

Of the one-quarter who were open to a modified version of the test, the overwhelming consensus was that the test should be made shorter and simpler, more appropriate for second grade developmental levels and attention spans. Many of these respondents felt the test as it is now is not set at the appropriate reading and vocabulary levels, especially regarding the length of some question passages.

Over and over, those who would accept a modified version of the test said it needed to be shorter. Suggestions were made that it should be one hour of testing focusing on critical standards in language arts and one hour of testing focusing on critical standards in mathematics. A number of people also suggested eliminating the parts of the test that are read aloud by adults.

There was an equal amount of conviction among those who wanted to keep the test. Their main concern was having data on students before they reach the fourth grade, which would help drive instruction and provide early intervention for struggling students. Many of these respondents noted that having assessment data at the start of third grade is critical to achieving reading fluency by the end of third grade.

In addition, many respondents said they favor second-grade testing because it helps prepare students for the upcoming years of testing, especially the more challenging third-grade testing. Also, those who wanted to keep the testing suggested that English learners who have been taught in Spanish should be tested in their native language, regardless of what happens to the English language version of the second-grade test.

Some respondents who favored keeping the test also expressed concern that removing second graders from the picture would hurt API and AYP scores, since they perform well as a group.

Of those who did not want any second-grade testing at all, the primary reasons that emerged from the survey were threefold: that students are tested too much already, that local school benchmark tests provide ample feedback on student progress, and that eliminating the test would free up more time for classroom instruction.