Valley Commentary : PLATFORM : Test’s Good Marks : * Scores on the new California Learning Assessment System test were released last week. It was the first year for the test, which has many open-ended questions rather than multiple-choice questions.

IRENE SMERIGAN is principal of Sylmar Elementary School. She told The Times:

I like the test. I really do, even though my children did not do particularly well.

It reflects a new trend in education which schools have started to implement.

I do think it came too soon. We got caught in the crawling stage and the scores said, “Aha--they can’t walk.”

What is good about the new test is that it will get the children to think rather than just regurgitate facts that a machine will read.

It definitely puts children whose first language is not English at a disadvantage, which is about 40% of my pupils. First of all, this test was designed for someone who always used English and was taught in English. For a child who was just learning English, they gave him a real big obstacle to overcome.

Second of all, we try to work on kids’ self-esteem and get them to take risks and be independent thinkers. Taking the test is overwhelming to them. It makes great verbal demands on them, and it’s frustrating and demeaning because they know they are not doing very well.

Even the math test puts kids with limited English proficiency at a disadvantage. The math problems are all word problems. I’m sure there are children here that have very analytical minds and can work any problem you can put in front of them. However, they have a difficult time when they are asked to write out how they reached the solution. Answering the question requires writing, identifying key concepts, sequencing of materials and paragraph development. This is different from math computation.

In the long run, I do like the concept of the test. Businesses want high school graduates who can enter the world prepared. Our students are going to have to be able to problem-solve, to think logically and put their thoughts in writing.

I do think something should be done to eliminate the disadvantage to pupils with limited English proficiency. The district is going to pilot a Spanish version. They will test it in certain schools, although we don’t know which ones.

It would seem more reasonable to give the CLAS test in Spanish to the students with limited English proficiency who are in Spanish bilingual programs. The others I would test in English.

The sad part is that these numbers seem to diminish all the hard work that goes on here. When scores come out, everyone runs for the hills. The numbers always show the public schools are dismal. But I have teachers who work very hard. I have children who are focused and want to learn. I have parents who are really involved in their child’s learning.

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HENRY GRADILLAS is principal of Birmingham High School in Van Nuys and a former principal at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles. He told The Times:

The new California Learning Assessment System test will have a positive impact on how we teach.

Remember when the UC system increased its standards? That put an onus on the schools to teach differently. This will have that kind of effect.

Before a state-mandated test at Garfield several years ago, Bill Honig, the state superintendent of public instruction, announced that there would be a financial reward for improvement. I figured we could make some money, so we worked very hard on test-taking. My own kid went to a school that showed him how to prepare for the SAT. We did the same thing at Garfield, and I said anybody who missed the test would take it on Saturday. The kids suddenly became very interested, and our school made $105,000.

At Birmingham we’ll give practice tests in the CLAS format. I don’t mean “teaching to the test.” I do mean teaching the skills necessary for survival, and if a test comes along that tests how well you’re teaching those skills, I’m all for it. I think this test is moving in the right direction.

It measures certain skills in reading, so the students have to work on analyzing what they’ve read.

Most of the mathematics questions call for at least a year of algebra and a semester of geometry. It was given to 10th-graders, many of which had not taken these courses. Once the kids take those courses, they will have the skills they need.

I see some problems with the test, but the No. 1 problem is that it’s a new instrument.

Our kids come from so many parts of the world that many of their skills are not what they should be for their age and grade. Students who are not native English speakers can find the vocabulary difficult. They often have not had instruction in their own countries, much less this one.

The CAP test was more question-and-answer. This test relies on insight and coming up with an answer instead of all multiple choice.

I suppose there may be some overemphasis on test scores. But what other measure can you use? How else can you know if a kid knows something, except by testing? I think this test is telling us, “You’d better change your teaching techniques.” I think hooray--it’s about time. If we don’t do well, let’s don’t blame the test-- we’d better get on the ball.