Student Achievement has improved

By Olivia G. Martinez

Over the past four years, student acheivement in the district has risen. Two of our high schools, Woodside and Menlo Atherton now rate 10 out of 10 on the API (Academic Performance Index). Clear focus, understanding the importance of test scores, curricular alignment with new content standards and excellent teaching have all resulted in improved academic achievement in the Sequoia District.

Well, regardless of how individual educators feel about standardized testing and what they do or do not measure, it is clear to me that tests are the only objective yardstick that parents and the community can use to assess the effectiveness of a school. Our community and parents are sophisticated enough to understand that tests cannot and do not measure EVERYTHING we teach, however, they are necessary for giving us a yardstick against which it can be determined what kind of job we are doing.

Two years ago, we adopted "content standards" or benchmarks for what should be taught at each grade level in each subject. This past year we were able to use tests that measured the degree to which our students had mastered these standards and the results have been very positive.

Regardless of their limitations, I believe standardized testing is valuable and essential. It has been my postion since the first day I served on the Board of Trustees that standardized testing, and now testing for content standards should be a respected aspect of the entire learning process. If re-elected I will continue to support and value improved test scores as a goal for the district.