Two Utah Senators are re-evaluating the Student Assessment of Growth and Excellence test, which is a high-stakes, end-of-level test in Utah. The senators have started re-evaluating the test after calling for a suspension in February.
“We would like to rethink whether we should even have high-stake, end-of-level tests,”
said Senator Howard Stephenson, R-Salt Lake City. “We are focusing on teaching to the test and that’s not always what is best for students.”
Stephenson said he doesn’t like that teachers and schools are judged based on student’s performance on a single test.
“If I were the king of Utah I would want to get rid of the SAGE test today,” Stephenson said
The senators are having the state school board, state office of education and the Education Interim Committee look at the testing as a whole to try and create smaller assessments throughout the year rather than having a larger test at the end of the year to base everything off of.
In September the two senators will have a meeting with the state school board, the board of regents and Legislative Education Committee where they will all sit down together and re-evaluate.
“We formed a committee to evaluate what we are doing with SAGE testing, why we are doing it and if it really is achieving what our goal was,” said Senator Aaron Osmond, R-Salt Lake City.
He also said they spend a lot of money on testing infrastructure, so they want to be sure the money is worth it.
The SAGE test is worth about $47.3 million, and has a five year contract.
This year will only be the second year the test has been in place.
“If you put something in place you have to be careful and make sure that you don’t just rip it out two years later and say you screwed up,” Osmond said. “You have to be conscious about how you transition and move to something else.”
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