Across JCPS, students are required to take a multitude of tests. Here at Ballard, one of those tests includes CERT testing, which is used to help prepare students for the ACT. It is also a really useful tool for students and teachers to use and help students learn.
After students have taken CERT, teachers use the data to help students in the classroom. Teachers can use such tools as Study Hall, which can help students by showing them videos that work through the questions they missed and help students grow in certain subjects that they may have previously struggled with. Teachers and staff also use the data.
I interviewed Ms. Hamilton, who told me that “we also use it at the school level to set goals for the school, and what kinda support that we give to teachers.” This data is not just beneficial for the students, but it is also very important to the staff and the teachers. She also told me how she wishes the data was used more. She stated that “I think that we can use the data for small groups. We can identify groups of kids who have similar learning patterns and performance and we can provide them with the support they need.” The many ways in which the data can be applied is very important and can be shown and used in many ways to help benefit students.
I asked Ms. Hamilton about how the current data reflects on the students, and she stated that “it can be used as a predictor for student performance, it’s not necessarily aligned content area to content area.” This means that it can sometimes show how students may do on the ACT, but it is not a definite or concrete score. She went on to describe that “it just gives us a snapshot of student performance on a particular day and time, and while it provides useful data it’s not the end all be all.” So yes, standardized testing is useful in many ways, but it is not a definite way to measure what students are like.
I hope that this shows how useful taking CERT is for students, but also that there is not a need to stress about it because it isn’t a definite reflection of you. The impact that the standardized test data has on staff and students is very useful at times.
