Center JUSD - CAASPP Testing and Assessments

Home

Departments

Academics

CAASPP Testing and Assessments

CAASPP Testing and Assessments

“Starting Smarter” Family Website for CAASPP

To help empower parents/guardians and families to become partners in their children’s academic success, the California Department of Education and the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium have created the “Starting Smarter" family website for the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) including information on Student Score Reports and resources for the California Science Test, the California Spanish Assessment, and the California Alternate Assessments.

Using this website, which is available in both English and Spanish, families can become involved in their child’s progress and:

Learn more about the performance areas in each subject and grade.
See sample test questions.
Prepare for parent-teacher conferences with a useful downloadable

guide.

Access high-quality resources to support learning at home.

Starting Smarter for the CAASPP (available in English and Spanish) can be found at https://ca.startingsmarter.org

Student Participation

All students at the designated grade levels are required to participate in the SBAC with the following exceptions:

Students who participate in the alternate assessments.
ELA only—English learners who are in their first 12 months of attending a school in the United States.

Content and Format: The Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments, which are delivered by computer, consist of two sections: a computer adaptive test and a performance task (PT) based on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for ELA and mathematics. The computer adaptive section includes a range of item types, such as selected response, constructed response, table, fill-in, graphing, and so forth. The PTs are extended activities that measure a student’s ability to integrate knowledge and skills across multiple standards—a key component of college and career readiness.

Click on CAASPP Resources for Parents for more resources including Parent Guides to the CAASPP assessments. This site includes translations of the parent guides in Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, Spanish, and Vietnamese, as well as links to summaries and videos in English and Spanish to aid in understanding Student Score Reports. Additional information in English and Spanish is available on the "What Parents and Students Should Know" page of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium website.

The Smarter Balanced Practice Tests, including scoring guides, are now available for grades 3 through 8 and grade 11 in English-language arts (ELA) and mathematics. The Practice Tests provide a preview of the Smarter Balanced assessments but do not reflect the full range of content that students may encounter on the actual assessments. Click here for a link to online practice assessments.

California Alternate Assessments (CAAs)

Student Participation: Students with the most significant cognitive disabilities who are unable to take the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments even with accessibility supports and whose individualized education program (IEP) indicates assessment with an alternate test.

Content and Format: The content of the alternate assessment is based on alternate achievement standards derived from the CCSS for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. The CAAs are computer-based two-stage adaptive tests. They are administered to students in a one-on-one environment by a test examiner who is familiar with the student. For more information click here for A Parent Guide to Understanding the California Alternate Assessments. Click here for additional translations in Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, Spanish, or Vietnamese.

Student Participation: The CAA for Science is required for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities who are unable to take the CAST even with accessibility supports and whose IEP indicates assessment with an alternate test. The CAA for Science is administered to students in grades five and eight and once in high school (i.e., grade ten, eleven, or twelve).

Content and Format: The content of the alternate assessment is based on alternate achievement standards derived from the CA NGSS. The CAA for Science is administered to students in a one-on-one environment by a test examiner who is familiar with the student. In 2017, pilot year one the CAA for Science consisted of one embedded Performance Test (PT); pilot year two, in 2018, consisted of three embedded PTs; and in 2019, the CAA for Science field test will consist of three embedded PTs administered online. The CAA for Science embedded PTs may be administered anytime during the school's spring instructional calendar.

California Science Test (CAST) Test

Student Participation: The CAST is required for all students in grades five and eight and once in high school (i.e., grade ten, eleven, or twelve) unless their IEP indicates assessment with an alternate test. The CAST includes stand-alone or discrete items and Performance Tasks (PTs). The discrete item types consist of selected response, constructed response, table, fill-in, graphing, and so forth. The PTs measure a student’s ability to integrate knowledge and skills across multiple standards through extended activities.

Content and Format: The CAST is aligned with the California Next Generation Science Standards (CA NGSS). The State Board of Education adopted the CA NGSS in September 2013. The 2017 administration of the CAST was a census pilot test, the 2018 CAST was a census field test, and the 2019 CAST will be the first operational administration of the test.

CAASPP Update - Understanding Your Child’s Student Score Report

CAASPP Update - Understanding Your Child’s Student Score Report

California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress Student Score Report

In spring 2024, students in grades 3-8 and 11th took Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments or the California Alternate Assessment for English language arts and math. Students in grades 5, 8, and 12th also took the California Science Test.

These tests can be combined with other measures, such as report card grades, classroom work, and teacher observations, to give families and teachers a more complete picture of each child’s learning. You can use these results to identify where your child is doing well and where they might need more support. It is important to know that summative test results are not used to determine if a student moves to the next grade level.

You can access your child’s score report through the Aeries parent portal.

To learn more about your child’s scores, visit the Starting Smarter website at https://www.ca.startingsmarter.org/. There, you will find information about test results, sample test questions, free resources to support your child’s learning, and a guide to preparing for parent-teacher conferences.

If you have questions or concerns about your child’s progress, please call your child’s school office to arrange a teacher conference.

Videos on how to understand caaspp results

Videos on how to understand caaspp results

Starting Smarter
A family-friendly website that includes information about how to understand a child’s CAASPP student score report, sample test questions, and other resources helpful to families in supporting their child’s success. Short videos about the CAASPP and the ELPAC Starting Smarter are available in English and Spanish:

Starting Smarter CAASPP: English

Starting Smarter CAASPP: Spanish

Starting Smarter ELPAC: English

Starting Smarter ELPAC: Spanish

Parent Guides to Understanding
Easy to read, two-page guides that describe the statewide tests and give parents information about how they can support their child and learn more about the tests.