REPORT: REPLACE SAT WITH STAR.Byline: Harrison Sheppard Sacramento Bureau SACRAMENTO - A state report recommended Monday using the STAR test instead of the SAT as a criteria for admission to California's public universities, saying it more closely fits the needs of schools and students. The Legislative Analyst's Office argues that the state's Standardized Testing and Reporting The Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program measures performance on the California Achievement Test, Sixth Edition Survey (CAT/6 Survey), the California Content Standards Test and the Spanish Assessment of Basic Education (SABE/2). exams are more closely linked to what is being taught in California's high schools and colleges than the nationally recognized Scholastic Aptitude Test ap·ti·tude test n. An occupation-oriented test for evaluating intelligence, achievement, and interest. . ``The STAR tests are aligned with our state content standards,'' said Paul Warren, a program analyst with the analyst's office. ``And part of what UC and CSU See DSU/CSU. 1. CSU - California State University. 2. CSU - Cleveland State University. 3. CSU - Channel Service Unit. want to know is how are kids actually performing on the things they're learning in class. The SAT doesn't do a good job of that. STAR obviously is designed to do exactly that.'' The STAR test, created by the Legislature in 1997 and given to almost every high school student, is used to evaluate school performance, as well as students' readiness to matriculate ma·tric·u·late tr. & intr.v. ma·tric·u·lat·ed, ma·tric·u·lat·ing, ma·tric·u·lates To admit or be admitted into a group, especially a college or university. n. from eighth grade to ninth. Eliminating the SAT as a requirement for the University of California The University of California has a combined student body of more than 191,000 students, over 1,340,000 living alumni, and a combined systemwide and campus endowment of just over $7.3 billion (8th largest in the United States). and California State University systems would potentially save time and money, as well as make more students eligible for college, the report argues. Some experts in student evaluation disagree. Joan Herman, co-director of the Center for Research on Evaluation Standards and Student Testing, said the STAR test was not designed with college admissions in mind, making it hard to see how it could serve both purposes. ``The SAT is an admissions test,'' Herman said. ``Its primary purpose is to predict college performance, and it's built to do that. The STAR test has been built as a measure of accomplishment of student standards and a measure of learning.'' The center is a federally funded research institute headquartered at UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX involving partnerships with several other universities across the country. Bud Jacobs, director of high school programs for the Los Angeles Unified School District The Los Angeles Unified School District (the "LAUSD") is the largest (in terms of number of students) public school system in California and the second-largest in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population. , said the STAR might be useful in helping evaluate students' placement once they are admitted to college, but not necessarily as a replacement for the SAT. Harrison Sheppard, (916) 446-6723 harrison.sheppard(at)dailynews.com |
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