• California Academic Assessment of Student Performance & Progress (CAASPP)

     
    The primary purpose of state testing is to provide parents and students with accurate information about how well students are learning. Teachers also want to know what students know so they can adjust their instruction.  Like class assignments and report cards, tests provide one more way to monitor student progress.  
     
    California's student assessment system California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP), is part of a larger plan for ensuring high-quality teaching and learning in every school.  
     
    In the spring, students in grades three through eight and eleven take the computer-based CAASPP tests which include Smarter Balanced Summative assessments in English Language Arts and Math in grades three through eight and eleven and alternate assessments in English Language Arts and Math in grades three through eight and eleven for students with significant cognitive disabilities.
     
    The CST for science is required for all students in grades five, eight and ten unless the student’s IEP indicates administration of the CMA or CAPA. 
     
    The District does not administer a standards-based test in Spanish for reading/language arts in grades two through eleven for Spanish-speaking English learners who either receive instruction in their primary language or have been enrolled in a school in the United States for less than twelve months.

    A parent or guardian may submit a written request to the school to excuse his or her child from some or all parts of the CAASPP. If a parent or guardian submits an exemption request after testing has begun, any test(s) completed before the request is submitted will be scored and the results reported to the parent or guardian and included in the pupil's records.  A parent or guardian must submit a new request each year to excuse his or her child from any or all parts of the CAASPP.  

    California is part of the Smarter Balanced Assessments Consortium, or SBAC (pronounced S-back), testing system.

    • Questions on the CAASPP tests allow students to demonstrate critical thinking, problem solving and apply their knowledge and skills to real-world problems.
    • The tests are taken online.  During the tests, the difficulty of questions change based on individual student responses. Each student receives a different set of questions in order to pinpoint areas of understanding, as well as areas of difficulty.  This is known as computer-adaptive testing which allows for a far more precise measurement of student skills and achievement than traditional paper-and-pencil tests which give all students the same set of questions.    
    • CAASPP encompasses federally required science assessments in grades 5, 8, and 10  
    • The Early Assessment Program (EAP) in ELA and mathematics for students in grade 11 is an important part of the Smarter Balanced Assessments and provides information as to whether students are college ready.  Students receive a college readiness status of either “Ready”, “Conditionally Ready”, or “Not Ready,” based on this test.  Students who receive a status of “Ready” or “Conditionally Ready,” can avoid taking college entrance exams and remedial classes in college. 
    • The California Modified Assessment is taken by students with an individualized education program (IEP) who meet each of the State Board of Education-adopted eligibility criteria.
    • The California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA) is designed to assess those students with significant cognitive disabilities who cannot participate in the California Standards Tests even with accommodations and modifications. The CAPA links directly to the California academic content standards at each grade level and reflects the portions of the content standards from kindergarten through high school that are accessible to students with significant cognitive disabilities.

    Test scores reported to parents

    Parents receive a report on the results of their child’s tests in September.  Reports included an overall score, a description of their child’s achievement level in English language arts and mathematics and other information. Paired with school report cards, these assessment reports should give parents a clear understanding of their children’s academic strengths and challenges.  Click here for more information on understanding the score reports.

    5 minute video to understand your child's CAASPP school report

    5 minute video to understand your child's CAAs school report 

    State assessments are just one measure
    Test results should be looked at in context along with other metrics—including other district assessments, report card grades, and portfolios of student work—to determine how well students are learning.  
     
    For more information, visit Understanding the CAASPP Student Score Reports CDE web page linked above. 
Last Modified on March 10, 2023