All students can think about now is how much they want to go on spring break, which starts after the bell rings Friday afternoon for students in La Plata County. But when they return, they won’t have long to get back into study mode before it will be time for them to take state-mandated tests.
Juniors across Colorado will take the English language arts and math SAT on April 11, and sophomores will take the Preliminary SAT-10 on April 11-12.
Students in grades three through nine will take the English language arts and math PARCC tests – or PSAT-9 for ninth-graders in some schools – in the window from April 10 to April 28, unless schools ask for an extended time period. Animas High School, for example, will administer the PSAT-9 on April 5 and the PARCC ninth-grade exams on April 17 and April 18.
Some fourth- and seventh-graders will also be given Colorado Measures of Academic Success tests on social studies, and grades five, eight and 11 will be tested on science competencies. While the state does not have graduation standards in those two subjects, Durango School District 9-R does.
Parents may opt their children out from testing, but school districts discourage this practice.
“If students don’t participate in the test, they will not get valuable data on their progress toward mastery to meet the new rigorous graduation guidelines,” said Durango School District 9-R spokeswoman Julie Popp. “Additionally, there are minimal school and district participation rates, and if we don’t meet them, the results will be skewed, and the district will be penalized for low participation.”
SAT scores are among the assessments Durango School District 9-R will accept to determine competencies to earn a diploma, and is the scores are one of the measurements used by colleges to evaluate students for admission. About 250 students, almost all juniors, have taken the SAT preparation class, DHS Principal John Hoerl said.
Parents and students who want to learn more about the tests will find information on the Colorado Department of Education website at www.ccde.state.co.us.
“I would encourage parents and students to not stress about the tests, as they are a dipstick to see how students are progressing in their education to ensure they are on track for graduation and successful post-secondary opportunities,” Popp said. “Should students be performing well in school, their test results should not be a surprise.”
Parents should prepare their children for testing days just as they would for any school day, she said.
“It is always important for students to be well-rested and have a good breakfast to have a successful day of learning at school,” Popp said, “and this also includes days when they are tested.”
This will be the first year juniors will be taking the SAT, after the Colorado Board of Education switched from the ACT, the test that had been administered to 11th-graders for about 20 years.
Tenth-grade tests were switched from the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College or Careers tests to the PSAT in 2016.
In December 2016, the board decided to offer the option to school districts to administer either the PARCC tests for ninth-graders or the ninth-grade level PSAT to better prepare them for the SAT when they are juniors. District 9-R selected the PSAT.
abutler@durangoherald.com
