From May 16 to 17, freshman, sophomores and juniors took the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) tests. The state of California mandates all students in public schools from grades 2 to 11 to take these tests annually. 96.7 percent of Gunn students took the test this year.

The purpose of STAR tests is to help schools measure how well students meet grade level standards in language arts, math, science and social sciences. "We can track small groups of students from year to year to see if they are making progress over time towards meeting academic goals," STAR testing coordinator Lettie Weinmann said.

Gunn is just starting to use this data to make instructional and administrative decisions. With several years worth of data of student progress and more powerful data analysis tools, schools can more effectively see the changes in scores caused by large scale and classroom level changes. "Teachers have access to STAR test scores of the classes they teach and can see what areas of their curriculum that students are doing well in and what areas need to be addressed," Weinmann said.

These tests also help schools determine curriculum and class sequence changes. "We will be looking at changes in our STAR test scores over a five year time span to help us evaluate the success of the realignment of the science sequence," Weinmann said.