Standardized testing has created many debates on the concepts of how well a student learns. Others feel standardized testing is necessary while many argue this point. Smarter Balanced Assessment is the answer to these complaints.

     While both of these tests are designed to test a student’s knowledge they have many differences including the cost, format, and lastly the content of material being presented.

     Smarter Balanced Assessment is predicted to save the school from spending 15 million dollars because unlike CST testing. Smarter Balanced Assessment uses computer technology to implement the tests, while CST testing requires a countless number of papers

      Similarly to the CST testing, students will be tested on literature and math but instead of it being combined in a booklet it will be on a computer. Many teachers are pleased with this testing because they feel it gives them a chance to work together and combine their knowledge to prepare their students for the material being presented.

     As stated by a Child Development teacher Mrs. Cornell, “I feel this new testing ties all the categories into one big test and helps the teachers come together to better educate their students on the essential material.

     The content on the Smarter Balanced Assessment will not differ tremendously from the Standardized testing. The assessment testing will begin asking moderately hard questions for the student’s specific grade level at first and later continue with questions that seem to best fit the student, whereas CST testing had all the general information the student learned that year and the types of questions did not change throughout the test, it was either you knew them or you didn’t.  Many students are complaining about this new testing style and feel it is adding more to their stress.

     Paloma Eivazian, a junior at Pitman High School stated, “We already have a great deal to worry about and I feel this new testing will just add on to the stress of students and make them work harder to try on this test and avoid other essential things in their lives.”

     Smarter Balanced Testing is predicted to start around the spring of 2015. This will be a new way of testing, will encourage students to think outside of what they already know and apply it into deeper text to find a meaning best suitable for the question. Although it is frowned upon by a handful of students many teachers look forward to this new testing material because they feel it will encourage their students to think about information rather than just reading a text and pin pointing answers from it.

     Mr. Austin, a Geometry and Algebra II teacher stated, “I believe the new standards will encourage students to become thinkers.”