The test was written to assess the abilities of students only in specified areas of the curriculum. The SAT 9 is a standardized test. This means that ALL children across the state take the same tests in the same way. The directions given by teachers are the same, as are the amounts of time given to complete each testing section. The SAT 9 tells schools how well they are teaching basic skills which all students need to be successful in the future.
Schools receive data about how their students did individually and by grade level.
They use this information to help make teaching decisions. For example, if students at the fourth grade level all did well in the spelling section of the test, but didn't do as well in the reading comprehension section, those teachers may want to change the emphasis of their language arts program. Standardized tests like the SAT 9 are valuable, since they are an objective way to measure how successfully schools are delivering the basics. If, for example, one school gave all its students an extra 5 hours to complete the test, then it would be an unfair advantage given to those children. The State Department of Education has taken extraordinary measures to ensure that all children get the same experience when taking the test.