Local Assessments

Students engage in local assessments each school year. These assessments consist of:

• Reading Lexile assessment (Achieve) in English and/or Spanish in the fall, winter, and spring. This reading assessment is a critical piece of an ongoing process for monitoring and improving student reading ability.
• Math assessment (i-Ready Diagnostic) in either English or Spanish in the fall, winter, and spring. This math assessment is a critical piece of an ongoing process for monitoring and improving student mathematic ability.

In addition, school sites use the following types of assessment throughout the year to give a more complete picture of student performance:

• Topic Assessments
• Benchmark Assessments
• Performance Assessments
• Student Projects
• Portfolios
• Student Observation / Communication

State Assessments

Every year, California students take several statewide tests. When combined with other measures such as grades, class work, and teacher observations, these tests give families and teachers a more complete picture of their child's learning. You can use the results to identify where your child is doing well and where they might need more support.

Near the end of each school year, students in third grade and higher take summative assessments. The umbrella term we use to discuss the summative assessments our students take is CAASPP, which stands for the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress.

The CAASPP system includes:

1. SBAC: Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts and Math
2. Students with significant cognitive disabilities, as designated in their active Individualized Education Program (IEP), are eligible to take the CAASPP California Alternate Assessments (CAA) for English Language Arts, Math, and Science
3. CAST: California Science Test (grade 5, 8, and once in high school)

Common Core State Standards:

• Common Core English Language Arts Standards
• Common Core Mathematics Standards
• Common Core en Espanol
• Next Generation Science Standards
• CA History - Social Science Framework
• California English Language Development Framework for Grades K-12
• California Physical Education Framework for Grades K-12
  

English Language Proficiency Assessment for California

Each spring, the Summative Assessment English Language Proficiency Assessment for California (SA ELPAC) measures how well students understand English. The four areas assessed in English are listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Information from the SA ELPAC is used to identify extra support needed for students. All students who are English learners in transitional kindergarten through twelfth grade will take the ELPAC every year as required by federal and state law.

CAASPP Resources for Families

Web Links and Resources