SLOs, or Student Learning Outcomes, are a new part of our school’s educational system.

At Albany High School, the SLOs manifest in the form of a pre-test and a post-test that the students who represent the majority for each course must take. These tests give the teachers feedback on what their students need to learn about a specific topic or subject. They are also a good way to judge the teachers’ efficiency in the classroom. To the students, they might seem to be a waste of time, but the SLOs do help the teachers in deciding which topics to cover and for how long through the course of the year. 

According to Innovation Academy Principal Ms. Barber, “the SLOs are a way to measure student growth. In the pretest, some students will score higher than others. This helps the teachers form their instruction, as the scores of each student tells them which students need to learn what. The SLOs also show the teachers their students’ growth over the course of the year, and will aid the teachers in determining their future in structural strategies. The pre-tests are also good practice tests for the students. The thing that makes it chaotic is that all of the SLOs are going on at the same time (according to State orders). But at least once its done, you don’t have to take it again until the end of the year.”

When asked what she thought of the SLOs, Ms. Barber responded, “I think it’s good practice. Whatever we can do to help the students, we should do. The SLOs may be an ordeal for the students and the staff, but they will be worthwhile in the end.” Brigid Newman, an 11^th grader at Albany High, said, “I think it’s a better way to evaluate teachers and the passing rates of their students. But I think it’s stupid to have to take one in gym.” Some people, like Newman, have mixed feelings about the SLOs. According to Mrs. Casano, who teaches Algebra II/Trig and Math in Trades at the high school, “it is important to measure student growth and it helps to keep teachers accountable, but it takes away teaching time and the students are really overwhelmed with all of the tests.”   

When taken alone, the SLOs are not overwhelming, especially considering that the pre-tests do not count in the students’ overall grades. However, when paired with non-SLO tests and quizzes in other courses on the same day, the SLOs can be a real bummer. According to Tarek Attalah-Benson, another 11^th grade student, “The SLOs are a waste of time. They measure our teachers, not us.”  Catherine Chamberlain, a 10^th grader, stated, “I feel that they are sort of pointless.” It would seem that a large portion of the student body is in agreement.

It is important to consider the fact that not all of the students who take the SLOs will try their best. Many students will simply circle random answers and call it a day. This leaves us with the question: Are the SLOs really helping the majority of the student body? And are they worth the time and energy, considering that students might not take them seriously, which would jeopardize their purpose to inform the teachers what their students need to learn?