You might be curious about just how much time it takes for those San Diego Unified tests I wrote about last week. Many teachers have complained about the time consumed by district-required testing, while testing advocates have countered that the benefits of using data in the classroom are worth the time. But how much time are we actually talking?
Director of Assessment Services Erin Gordon sent me two handy charts with each assessment and how long it takes. Most take roughly 55 minutes, or one class period. The exceptions are the state tests, which take between 45 minutes (for the California Alternate Performance Assessment) and six and a half hours (for the high school exit exam). The shortest test is the Modified Sam Jr., a mathematics screening test required by San Diego Unified that takes only five minutes.
Most can be given to all students at once. A notable exception is a kindergarten reading and writing assessment. It takes only 15 to 20 minutes, but it must be given to each child one on one, adding up to 300 to 400 minutes for a class of 20 kids.