Saddleback / South Beach : SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO : Trustees Blast Planned Release of CLAS Scores

Capistrano Unified School District trustees have passed a resolution criticizing the state for its planned release of test scores from the 1994 California Learning Assessment System.

The resolution, approved Monday, contends that the 1994 CLAS test was riddled with problems and mismanaged by the state Department of Education, skewing the results.

The CLAS test scores are expected to be released in late January or early February. The district performed well on the 1993 version of the state-mandated test.

Trustee Sheila J. Benecke said the resolution is necessary to show how “this horrible test” is being imposed on the district by the state and how publishing score results would be a waste of tax dollars.

“If we all learned how not to throw good money after bad, we would all be in a better world,” Benecke said.

Fred Tempes, director of curriculum, instruction and assessment for the state Department of Education, said there are no plans to withhold results of the 1994 CLAS test.

Over three years, the state has spent $55 million on the testing system, Tempes said.

Capistrano Unified School District officials plan to pursue their own testing system to measure students’ academic growth in basic skills over time, said district spokeswoman Jacqueline Price.

In other action, newly elected Trustee Dorsey Brause was sworn in, along with reelected Trustee Crystal Kochendorfer.

Trustee Marlene Draper was elected board president by her colleagues, while Benecke was elected board vice president.