DISTRICTS AWAITING TESTING DECISION; STATE SUPERINTENDENT TO RECOMMEND EXAM.

Byline: Sonia Giordani Daily News Staff Writer

Local school districts are anxiously awaiting California Superintendent Diane Eastin's announcement today recommending which exam will be implemented for statewide standardized testing.

In the past couple of years, the districts have spent as much as $80,000 on various tests and may have to spend that much again if the state approves a test other than the one they have already purchased.

One of four standardized tests will be selected and submitted to the California School Board for approval next month. If passed, a single test will be implemented in California to measure the academic achievement of the state's 4.2 million children in grades two to 11 this spring.

``I think the biggest implication for us is the cost. We invested funds in one test to provide base-line data to assess our curriculum and our students' achievement,'' said Robert Clark, assistant superintendent of educational services for the Las Virgenes Unified School District, where more than 8,000 students take the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, published by Riverside Publishing.

Just two years ago, the district spent about $80,000 from its own fund and from the state to purchase the Iowa test. Unless Eastin's choice is the ITBS, the district will be obligated to purchase and implement the new designated exam.

With 56 different standardized tests circulating around the state, most school districts will be expected to overhaul their current testing systems and install the exam designated by the board. For many school districts, implementing the new test not only could mean tens of thousands of dollars but also losing their ability to compare their students' performance over the span of many years.

``A new test will also mean the data gathered this year will not help us to assess and compare our kids and our curriculum,'' Clark said.

A state bill signed by Gov. Pete Wilson last month establishes the Standardized Testing and Reporting Program, requiring the state's school districts to use a single standardized test selected by the state Board of Education.

``The objective is to have one test to be able to measure and assess how all of our students are doing in different districts and communities,'' said Doug Stone, spokesman for the California Department of Education.

But some district officials said the objective may have come too late.

``I applaud the governor's decision for wanting a statewide program, but it is really difficult to change our system after investing a lot of money,'' said Becky Wetzel, director of curriculum and instruction for the Simi Valley Unified School District.

In recent years, the California Department of Education offered an incentive to districts across the state to replace aging tests with a newer version by promising $5 per student to help pay the cost.

Under the new legislation passed last month, the state will increase its contribution to school districts to $8 per student to implement the new test.

``That should cover the cost of buying the new tests without a problem for us,'' Wetzel said.

``But $8 per student will not cover the entire costs, including scoring,'' Wetzel said.

And for smaller school districts, the funds they get through the per-student state allocation barely puts a dent in covering the costs of tests that require up to $50,000 to implement.

``This could be devastating for us,'' said Marilyn Lippiatt, superintendent of Oak Park Unified School District, where more than 2,500 students in grades 2 through 11 take the Iowa Test for Basic Skills.

Lippiatt said the district invested more than $60,000 in the test two years ago, with an additional $18,000 spent each year to cover the cost of annual test materials as well as processing fees.

The Moorpark Unified School District spent a total of $49,500 purchasing the Terra Nova exam from CTB/McGraw-Hill two years ago, said Frank De Pasquale, assistant superintendent for instruction.