April: The birth of sunny weather, spring break, and for many students all over the state of California, STAR Testing. However, scholars may not have to fill in endless columns of bubbles while fantasizing about summer for much longer.

In fact, the current STAR standardized test will be phased out on July 1 of this year, and schools throughout the state are implementing Smarter Balanced, a new testing system.

While the STAR test is generally geared around standards set for courses by the state education department, programs like Smarter Balanced focus on pinpointing the level of understanding a student has in a specific area.

The computer-based program feeds students questions, and adjusts the test to the examinee based on the concepts they are answering correctly. This way, the program can target specific areas that students need improving, rather than subjects at a whole.

Assistant Principal Katie Foster said that she sees the value that standardized testing has at assessing the academic performance of students on a large scale, and noted that some of the most effective testing systems are those that are tailored to individual students.

Smarter Balanced is an organization in which 21 states across the nation work together to provide testing that measures mastery of the content students need to succeed in higher education and their careers.