All juniors are slated to take the Smarter Balanced Consortium (SBAC) test asynchronously on Wednesday, April 21, according to assistant principal Brian Thompson. 

Many districts and educators across the state argued against administering it this year, but state education officials went ahead with a version of the test.

The SBAC test, usually consisting of an English and Language Arts (ELA) section and a mathematics section, is a 7-8 hour test administered to those in grades 3 through 8 and 11th grade as a standardized measurement of academic proficiency.

Both ELA and math sections for the SBAC will have a multiple choice portion and a performance task portion. The latter will entail research and writing for the ELA portion and require students to demonstrate problem solving skills and critical thinking for math.

Because of the current pandemic and remote learning conditions, the guidelines for testing this year have been slightly changed. In a usual year, the test would be administered in-person with students on Chromebooks or school-administered devices instead of the remote format being used this year. Although it will be remote, there will still be proctors administering the test, likely in the form of non-teaching staff. The length of the test has also been cut in half, with the total test taking time being shortened to only 3-4 hours.

In addition, the California Science Test (CAST) and a state physical education test will not be administered this year.

More updates on testing will be announced after spring break, Thompson said.