April 10, 2026

Dear TJUSD Students, Staff, Families, and Friends,

We are well into spring and our weather in Trona is beginning to show the coming of summer. It’s getting warmer and we are in the season where we don’t have to depend on our heating and cooling systems quite as much as we did in winter or will in summer. As we enjoy this beautiful time of the year, I wanted to take a couple minutes of your time to let you know about the important season that will soon be underway in our schools. The season I am referring to is “Testing Season”.

State testing in schools can be a controversial subject. Testing brings many different responses for students, teachers, and parents. Some students are motivated to show off what they have learned, others would rather not be bothered by testing. For teachers, testing is often an interruption to the teaching and learning process. To parents, testing might be looked at as unnecessary and a not really valid measure of their child’s learning or abilities. These are all legitimate responses.

While state testing may be somewhat controversial at times, it is a necessary event in our current public school environment in the state of California. State testing is mandated by the legislature and the California Department of Education. While, there can be many pros and cons considered around the subject of state testing, I want to just offer 3 reasons why state testing is important.

1. State Testing is required. It is part of the system we must comply with to offer free public education to our students in California. TJUSD is required to administer the
California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) to all students grades 3-8, and grades 10 and 11. We want to know how our students are performing and progressing so we can work on improving our educational programs. CAASPP is tool that can help us to improve.

2. State Testing is used to report how our schools are performing. CASSPP results are show in our school district’s dashboard on the CDE website. When people are
considering moving to Trona they may be interested to know what type of education their children would be offered here at TJUSD. CASPP scores are a part of what shows up on our dashboard. We can all help our school be seen in a positive light by encouraging our students to give their best effort on the state tests.

3. State Testing can provide insights into an individual student’s progress. When CAASPP results are returned, teachers and parents can gain insights into where a student’s learning strengths and weaknesses are. By examining the results of state testing teachers and parents can have a better idea about how to best support their child’s learning. This snapshots of a child’s academic performance and progress can be a valuable tool in helping them succeed in school.

Standardized testing will always be a subject that elicits many differing responses. Whatever the response it brings in each of us, it is the system that is in place in California. I want to ask all of us, students, staff, parents, and community to encourage our kids to do their best as state testing rapidly approaches. We will be communicating the testing dates for all grade levels soon. We would like to promote a positive message to our students that this will be an opportunity to show what they have learned. Please join with us here at TJUSD and promote the same positive approach. By working together, we can help reach our vision of “Educating,
Empowering, and Engaging” our students.

Best wishes for a wonderful spring,

Dr. Jerry Jennex, Superintendent