CAASPP: Information for Families

CALIFORNIA ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT PERFORMANCE AND PROGRESS (CAASPP)

California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) is California's new system of end-of-year state assessments comprising of computer-based and paper-based assessments. This page has been designed to provide information to parents and families about the CAASPP.

Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments

The CAASPP English-language arts (ELA) and mathematics test that's offered by Smarter Balanced is administered to students in grades 3-8 and 11. It is a computer-based assessment that provides more accurate results than traditional paper-based assessments. You may watch the video below to get a student's perspective of the Smarter Balanced test. This video was produced by the Riverside Unified School District.

Departments

California Science Test (CAST)

The science assessment is administered to all students in grades 5, 8, and one grade level in high school.

Test/Grades	Subject	Testing Window
Science Assessment (CAST) Grades 5, 8, & high school grade	Science	4/14/20-6/4/2020 (CED, PRES, PRS) 4/14/20-6/4/2020 (PINT, PELA, PHS & RDV) (contact the school for specific testing dates)

California Alternate Assessments

The California Alternate Assessments (Cal-Alt) are assessments designed for students with significant cognitive disabilities and who have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) that specifies the administration of the alternate assessment.

The CAA in ELA and math are designed for students in grades 3-8 and 11. The test utilizes computer-based technology for registration and administration and has been designed to be stage adaptive, adjusting to the student's performance at selected points in the administration.

The CAA in Science (field test) is a paper-based test designed for students in grades 5, 8, and high school. The test is designed with a collection of instructional-embedded performance tasks/assignments administered by the student's primary credentialed teacher. Students will not receive scores for the field test, however, student participation data will be collected and reported for accountability ("testing the test").

Test	Subject/Grades	Testing Window
California Alternate Assessment (CAA)	English Language Arts (ELA) Grades 3-8 & 11	4/14/20-6/4/2020 (CED, PRES, PRS) 4/14/20-6/4/2020 (PINT, PELA, PHS & RDV) (contact the school for specific testing dates)
	Math Grades 3-8 & 11
	Science Grades 5, 8 & high school

CAA ELA/Math Training Test:

Access the ELA/math CAA training guide, which contains directions and specific scripts that accompany the training test. Next, visit the CAASPP Training Test Site and sign in as a Guest to take the California Alternate Assessment training test.

There are two parts to the ELA and mathematics assessments:

Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) capitalizes on precision and efficiency, adjusting the difficulty of questions for a more accurate measurement of the student's ability.
The Performance Task (PT) is used to measure capacities such as depth of understanding, research skills, and complex analysis, which cannot be adequately assessed using other item types.

Test/Grade Levels Subject Testing Window

Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBAC) English Language Arts 4/14/20-6/4/2020 (CED,PRES, PRS)

Grades 3-8 & 11 (ELA) CAT & PT 4/14/20-6/4/2020 (PINT, PELA, PHS & RDV)

(contact the school for exact testing dates)

Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBAC) Math CAT & PT 4/14/20-6/4/2020 (CED,PRES, PRS)

Grades 3-8 & 11 4/14/20-6/4/2020 (PINT, PELA, PHS & RDV)

(contact the school for exact testing dates)

Parent Resources

Parent Guide to Understanding the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments
What are Smarter Balanced Assessments? (English) (Video 3:32)
What are Smarter Balanced Assessments? (Spanish) (Video 4:00)
Understanding Your Child's Score Report (English) (Video 5:14)
Smarter Balanced Parents and Students Page - A Smarter Balanced Web page that provides access to fact sheets, questions and answers, and resources in English and Spanish.

Student Assessment Supports: A number of supports have been made specifically available for students with special needs and for English Learners, while other tools can be utilized by all students. To access information about supports, please visit our CAASPP: Accessibility Supports/Tools Web page.

Early Assessment Program: Grade 11 students are provided the opportunity to use ELA and math results to exempt them from taking CSU and CCC placement tests and move directly into college-level courses upon enrollment. To learn more about this, please visit our Early Assessment Program Web page.

Student Preparation: We encourage you to take the practice/training tests with your child to see the different types of test items. Visit the CAASPP Training Test Site Web page and log in as Guest.

Additional ways to prepare and support your child:

Discuss the tests with your child. Make sure he/she is not scared or anxious to take the tests.
Explain to your child that the tests may be more challenging the first few times they're taken.
With older children, explain that the tests were created to help him/her better prepare for college and career.
Bring your child's teacher into the discussion when reviewing the Smarter Balanced practice and training test questions.
Tell your child that the test was designed with higher expectations. Assure him/her that you and the teacher will be there to help with preparation.
Make sure your child gets a good night's sleep and a nutritious breakfast before testing.

*Source: National PTA "Parent's Guide to New Assessments in California

At home, you can ask your children to explain their thinking and show how they came up with their answers to their homework. Have your

children read their homework directions to you and explain what they need to do. This will confirm their understanding and help build their

confidence and independence.