The Smarter Balanced Assessment is a standardized test that was introduced to schools in early spring of 2015. Since then, the test has been used in 13 states, including Hawaii, to assess schools and students.
Recently, the Hawaii Department of Education has added targets for schools in the state to reach by a certain year using the SBA.
McKinley High School’s English department is expected to reach 82.07% proficiency by 2029, which is a 15.27% increase from 2023. MHS is expected to increase 2.55% every year in English. In math, MHS is expected to reach 38.74% by 2029, which is a rise of 2.31% every year. In science, MHS is expected to reach 43.44% by 2029,expecting to gain 1.59% every year.
“This way it kind of gives schools an idea, every year it shows how much we have to increase in academics,” Principal Ron Okamura said.
The SBA is an objective test that adapts its questions to each student’s performance. The SBA uses the Com-mon Core State Standards to ensure it aligns with what students are expected to learn, according to the HIDOE’s website.
“The purpose is to judge the ability of students, seeing if they’re meeting a certain level of proficiency,” said Christopher Martin, the language arts department chair.
Not only does the SBA evaluate students, it also helps teachers. Teachers can adjust their teaching methods and curriculum to better meet the needs of their students, based on how students do on the SBA. This can result in better education.
“The SBA scores help us make decisions for how we teach and assess if what we’re doing is working,” English teacher Jordin Carmichael said.
The SBA can also benefit students and save them money. Students can use the SBA to their advantage, as it can also potentially affect a student’s entrance into community college or universities.
“If a student does well, or if they score at or above grade level proficiency, then they don’t have to take the entry exams for community college, saving them money,” Martin said.
Okamura also emphasized the importance of students taking the SBA seriously.
“It’s not so much about the school itself, but more so as an individual student,” Okamura said.
Based on a survey of 276 students conducted by The Pinion, the majority of students were in the middle when asked how accurately they think standardized tests such as the SBA measure their academic knowledge. 42.75% of students voted a 3,and another 42.39% voted a 2 on a scale of 1-4. Majority of students were also in the middle when asked how stressed they were with taking standardized tests. 37.68% of the students surveyed voted a 3, and another 38.41% voted a 2.
Landon Cruz (c/o 2025) prepared for the SBA by keeping up with his studies throughout the year.
“I think if you’re simply doing what you’re supposed to do, you’re more than prepared,” Cruz said.
