This year’s Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) results show that Irvine Unified School District scored higher than all other districts in the state. IUSD is first in math and second in English on the SBAC examinations, which are part of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). The results for individual students came out on Sept. 9.

SBAC has developed an exam to test the new state standards, with an emphasis on new values such as critical thinking, creativity and communication, making SBAC scores incomparable to previous state testing scores. The school district advised that students consider the SBAC as just one aspect of the student’s academic achievements along with school grades, rather than simply looking at one’s SBAC score alone.

Statistics showed that IUSD was able to successfully prepare its students for the SBAC tests as 74% and 77% of the students were able to excel and meet the standards in math and English respectively, according to the Orange County Register.

More than half the students who took this statewide exam have failed to excel or meet expectations, underscoring the success of IUSD students.

“More than half of the California students who took the exams failed to meet standards, which measure whether students are on track for college,” Roxana Kopetman, staff writer at the Orange County Register, said in the article “Irvine Unified ranked tops in Common Core tests in California”.

Overall, SBAC testing results have left the district very satisfied with its performance.

“I am incredibly proud of Irvine Unified students’ outstanding performance.  These results are a testament to our collective efforts and the special partnership between our hardworking students, dedicated families, and talented staff,” said superintendent Terry Walker, according to the IUSD NewsFlash.

From a student’s perspective, the SBAC testing provided a very different experience compared to the standardized tests that were issued previously.

“I think the SBAC test might help students more than they would help educators because students would be able to test out of certain classes,” senior Lauren Kim said. ”I don’t know if it was really an accurate portrayal of the abilities of students. A lot of the questions were really subjective, and I don’t know how graders can accurately assess the abilities of different students.”