Educating Californiaʼs students is a team effort. To fully participate on this team, parents and guardians as well as school staff and students need to know and understand the role of the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program in ensuring all students achieve Californiaʼs content standards in core subject areas.
The tests in the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program are an important part of the state assessment system. These tests are administered each spring to measure how well students in California public schools are achieving state content standards. These achievement tests target English Language Arts and Mathematics in all grades tested. In addition, tests in Science and History/Social Science are given in selected grades.Educating students is a team effort. Parents, guardians, students, schools, and communities benefit when there is a shared responsibility for learning. To fully participate as part of this team, parents and guardians should have a thorough understanding of the role the tests in the STAR Program play in making sure that all students
achieve state content standards.
Questions and Answers About the STAR Program
Who participates in the STAR Program?
All students in grades two through eleven in California public schools participate in the STAR Program each spring. This includes students with disabilities and English learners.
What are the tests in the STAR Program?
The California Standards Tests (CSTs) measure the achievement of state content standards in English-language arts, mathematics, science, and history-social science.
The California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA) was developed as an alternate assessment in English-language arts and mathematics for students who have significant cognitive disabilities and cannot take the CSTs even with accommodations or modifications.
Does my student have to participate in the annual STAR Program testing?
Yes. All students must participate unless their parents or guardians have submitted written requests to exempt them from STAR Program testing (Education Code Section 60615). It is very important that all students take part in the STAR Program. Each school must have at least 95 percent of its students participate in statewide assessments in order to meet federal accountability requirements.
YOUR STUDENT’S CST SCORES
It is very important that you know how well your students scored on the CSTs. Detailed STAR Reports were mailed to parents in Late Summer/Early Fall. If you do not have these reports, you can log onto Parent Connection and click on “Testing” to access your student’s test scores.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT READING YOUR STUDENT’S SCORES
What are performance levels?
The five performance levels designated for reporting overall CST results are (A) Advanced, (P) Proficient, (B) Basic, (BB) Below Basic, and (FBB) Far Below Basic. The state target is for all students to score at the proficient or advanced level.
Each of the five performance levels includes a range of scale scores. When a student’s scale score falls within the range possible for a given performance level, this indicates that the student has demonstrated sufficient knowledge and skills to be regarded as performing at that particular level.
The range of scale scores for each performance level has been established for each CST and does not change from year to year. The CST results are reported as scale scores that range from 150 to 600. For all CSTs, the minimum scale score required to achieve at the proficient level is 350.
What are scale scores?
The percentage of questions that students must answer correctly to score at any performance level may change slightly due to small differences in the difficulty levels of the tests from year to year. Scale scores are used to adjust for these differences and to help ensure comparability in the difficulty levels of the tests from year to year.
- Excerpted from the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program Guides for STAR Program Tests: Information for Parents and Guardians. http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/
The 6-week grading period ends Friday, March 9th. Progress Reports will be distributed next Friday, March 16th. Parents, make sure to ask your student for their progress reports!
MARK YOUR CALENDAR! The next Principal Chat is on March 20th at 5:30pm in the Serra High Media Center. Principal Mike Jimenez will provide a budget update for the 2012-13 school year and will also present the District's goals and objectives for creating a quality school in every neighborhood. Get your questions answered and have your voice heard. Light refreshments will be provided. See you on March 20th!
The California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) is taking place next week. All Sophomores (Class of 2014) will take this exam, as well as some Juniors and Seniors who have not previously taken or passed the exam. The English portion will be administered on Tuesday, March 13th and the Math portion will be given on Wednesday, March 14th. If your student is taking the exam, please make sure he/she gets plenty of rest the night before, eats a hearty breakfast, and arrives to school on time, ready for the exam!
The 23rd Annual Serra High Foundation Auction, held last Saturday, was a HUGE success! The Auction took place at the Chinese Community Church in Tierrasanta, and helped raise much needed funds to support academic achievement and athletics for our students. THANK YOU to all who attend to support our students, and THANK YOU to the Serra Foundation 2012 Auction Committee for your efforts in putting on such an event!
FROM THE ASSOCIATED STUDENT BODY (ASB)
The Spring Fling Dance "Bésame en Barcelona" is this Saturday evening, March 10th! 7:00-11:00pm at the Four Points Sheraton, 8110 Aero Drive, San Diego, California 92123. DOORS CLOSE AT 8:30pm.
The Serra Spirit Store is Now Online. Check it out! Purchase your spirit gear – sweatshirts, hoodies, hats, and letterman jackets today!
FROM THE DRAMA DEPARTMENT
The Serra High School Players rendition of Grease closes this weekend! If you have not seen this show, don’t miss it! Two shows remain - Friday, March 9 at 6:30pm and Saturday, March 10 at 2:00pm. Be there! All tickets are $7.
SAVE THE DATE! The Spring Showcase is right around the corner! This year’s Showcase is scheduled for Wednesday, March 28th and promises to be a fun-filled evening for all! Student work will be showcased, various school clubs will have delicious food for sale, and of course, the annual Senior vs. Staff Basketball game is scheduled that evening. FUN guaranteed for the entire family!
FROM THE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT
We are very proud of our girls basketball CIF CHAMPIONS! For the 1st time in Serra history, these amazing athletes won the Division II CIF Championship last Friday evening. On Wednesday night, they had an amazing 40-39 win in the 1st Round Playoffs of the Southern Regional Girls HS Basketball State Championship Playoffs. The team will advance to the Quarter Final Round this Saturday evening at 7:00pm against the #1 seed Lynwood High School in Los Angeles. We wish these ladies Good Luck!
FROM THE COUNSELING OFFICE
11th Grade Parent Night (for current 11th graders) will be held on March 22 at 6 pm in the Media Center. Parents will receive their child's transcript, learn the graduation requirements, the college entrance requirements, learn of new course options for the 2012-2013 school year and receive priority for their student's course selection for 2012-2013.
Naviance (www.connection.naviance.com/serra) is a web-based service designed especially for students and parents. Get information about colleges and careers, track student academic progress, and find scholarships! Students can log in using their Student Connect log in number and password. Parents can get their code from Counselor Ms. Turnberg by emailing their request to mturnberg@sandi.net.
Scholarship Highlights for the Week (All can be found on Naviance under the Scholarship tab):
1. Society of Women Engineers College Freshman Scholarship
2. Friar Tux Shop Scholarship
3. Healthy Lifestyles Scholarship
4. BIA CARES Scholarship
DOES YOUR 9TH OR 10TH GRADER NEED HELP WITH MATH? GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) can help! GEAR UP is offering tutoring for all 9th and 10th graders on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30-3:30pm. Algebra: Room 213 / Geometry: Room 615 / Intermediate Algebra: Room 215. Students who attend regularly and raise their math grade will be eligible to go to Six Flags Magic Mountain on May 12th! For more information contact the GEAR UP Coordinator, Clarissa Padilla cpadilla@ucsd.edu or 858-496-8342 x258.
PARENT RESOURCES
SPEAK UP FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION! JOIN THE RALLY FOR EDUCATION!
March 10th at 9:00am. Balboa Park, corner of Park Avenue and Presidents Way.
LET’S START THE SCHOOL YEAR OFF RIGHT FOR A CHANGE! BEFORE LAY-OFFS, BEFORE PROGRAM CUTS, BEFORE BUSING CUTS, BEFORE OVER-CROWDED CLASSROOMS, BEFORE COUNTLESS SCHEDULE CHANGES, BEFORE SCHOOL CLOSURES.
Join the Rally and help get the word out to the general public, the government, and the media just how devastating this next round of budget cuts will be to the education of all children in California's public schools and how we MUST do things differently!
For more information, go to the Rally for Education Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/292134547516973/
FROM THE ATTENDANCE OFFICE
REQUESTS FOR EARLY RELEASE (Blue Slips) must be submitted BEFORE 7:00a.m.on the day of release (parents may phone in PRIOR to 08:00 a.m. or send a note with your student and he/she must bring it to the Attendance Office PRIOR to 7:30 a.m.) Requests for early release received after 8:00 a.m. on the day of release cannot be honored. WE CANNOT ISSUE BLUE SLIPS DURING FINALS, OR OTHER TESTING DAYS (CAHSEE, CSTs, etc.) PLEASE NOTE: We do not have office monitors and cannot deliver blue slips to the classrooms. Students MUST pick up their Blue Slip in the Attendance Office.
Attendance Personnel CAN NOT deliver messages to students, however if it is an EMERGENCY (i.e. hospitalization, death in the family, deployment etc.) the attendance office staff will assist the parent as needed
If your student becomes ill during the school day: Please note the Attendance Office does not issue Blue Slips for students who are ill during the day. If a student is ill they MUST see the nurse and if needed the nurse will contact parent/guardian and issue a Blue Slip.
EVENTS
Friday, March 9
- All day - End of Grading Period
- 7:30am - AVID PRESENTATION
- 6:30pm - Performance of Grease
Saturday, March 10
- 8:00am - SATURDAY SCHOOL
- 7:00pm - Spring Fling Dance – Besame en Barcelona – Four Points Sheraton, Serra Mesa
Monday, March 12
- 3:00pm - SSC Meeting – Media Center
Tuesday, March 13
- All day – California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) – English Language Assessment
Wednesday, March 14
- All day - California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) - Math
Thursday, March 15
- 8:00am - SPED/Parent Meeting (TRACE)
- 5:30pm - Gear Up & ELAC Family Dinner (Invite Only) – Media Center
Friday, March 16
- All day - Progress Reports Distributed
Sunday, March 18
- 1:00pm - Magic Elite Youth Association
SPORTS
Friday, March 9
- 3:00pm - JV Baseball @ Eastlake
- 3:00pm - Var. Baseball vs Eastlake
- 3:00pm - Badminton Match @ LJHS
- 3:30pm - Var. Softball Tourney @ Del Norte
- 4:00pm - Var. Girls Lacrosse @ Grossmont
- 5:15pm - JV Girls Lacrosse @ Grossmont
Saturday, March 10
- 9:00am - Track & Field Invite @ Rcho. Bernando
- 1:30pm - JV Baseball vs LJCD
- 1:30pm - Var. Baseball vs LJCD @ Eastlake
Monday, March 12
- 3:30pm - Var. Softball Tourney vs Hoover
Tuesday, March 13
- 2:30pm - Boys Tennis @ Morse
- 3:00pm - JV Softball Tourney vs OLP
Wednesday, March 14
- 3:00pm - JV Softball Tourney @ Mar Vista
- 3:00pm - Var. Baseball vs Steele Canyon
- 3:00pm - Badminton Match vs PHHS
- 3:00pm - Boys Tennis @ West Hills
- 3:00pm - Golf Match vs Kearny @ Balboa
- 3:00pm - JV Baseball @ Steele Canyon
- 3:30pm - Var. Softball Tourney @ MBHS
- 5:30pm - JV Girls Lacrosse @ Monte Vista
- 6:45pm - Var. Girls Lacrosse @ Monte Vista
Thursday, March 15
- 2:30pm - Boys Tennis vs MBHS
- 3:00pm - Track & Field vs MMHS
- 3:00pm - Badminton Match @ Hoover
- 3:00pm - Golf Match vs PHHS @ Mission Trails
Friday, March 16
- 3:00pm - Swim Meet vs Clairemont @ Tierrasanta
- 3:30pm - JV Softball @ PLHS
- 3:30pm - Var. Softball vs PLHS
- 4:15pm - JV Girls Lacrosse @ Otay Rch.
- 5:30pm - Var. Girls Lacrosse @ Otay Rch.
Saturday, March 17
- All day - Var. Softball Tourney Finals/TIME & LOC.TBA
- 10:30am - Var. Baseball Tourney Finals @ Grossmont
- 1:00pm - Track & Field Relays @ Otay Rch.
- 1:30pm - JV Baseball Tourney Finals @ Grossmont
Sunday, March 18
- All day - Color Guard Competition
- 9:00am - U18 Youth Field Hockey Training
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