A new form of standardized testing will be implemented this school year as part of the national Common Core standards here in Washington state. It will be replacing the High School Proficiency Exams (HSPE), and all juniors will be required to take it. Wenatchee High School students begin next week.

“This new test is geared towards college bound kids,” Counseling and Assessment Secretary Cindy Murie said. “It was made to see if you’re career and college ready.”

This is a national change, and many states are heading towards a Smarter Balance for their schools.

Click here to read a statement from State Superintendent Randy Dorn on the SBAC tests.

“When states adopted Common Core state standards — whenever they did it, as they all did it at different times — some joined the SBAC test and others took up the PARCC (The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers), which is another assessment that is very similar to the SBAC,” Assistant Principal Dave Perkins said.

It was designed to be an easier way to test the kids through the same test nationwide, so that it would be easier for kids who are transitioning from state to state. There won’t be as much confusion, especially if a student has already taken classes in their old school that they are forced to take again, which was a recurring problem in the past.

“The logic behind it is that it will replace all the other tests that we’ve seen throughout the years — the HSPE, the MSP (Measurements of Student Progress), and the WASL (Washington Assessment of Student Learning) — which were all Washington state made tests, with this national one so that the curriculum will be more streamlined,” Perkins said.

The testing is scheduled to begin April 28, and will continue until all juniors have completed it. Makeup days are also scheduled.