PUSD's Assessments (For Parents/Guardians/Caregivers)
Parent Guides to Understanding answers key questions (what, why, who, how, and when) about California's assessment programs. Information is also included about how parents/guardians/caregivers can support their student's success.
Starting Smarter: New Websites for Families
To help empower parents 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 websites for the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) and the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC).
To help empower parents 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 websites for the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) and the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC).
Using these websites, 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 can be found at https://ca.startingsmarter.org/ and
Starting Smarter for the ELPAC at https://elpac.startingsmarter.org/.
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 can be found at https://ca.startingsmarter.org/ and
Starting Smarter for the ELPAC at https://elpac.startingsmarter.org/.
Understanding Student Score Reports
Part 1 – Overall Achievement Score: Students will receive an overall achievement score for English Language Arts/Literacy (ELA) and Mathematics, ranging from 2,000 to 3,000. The scaled scores vary by grade level. Overall scores will be reported within one of four levels: standard not met, standard nearly met, standard met, and standard exceeded.
Part 2 – Performance Relative to Claims: On the backside, there will be a further breakdown of the areas that make up your student’s overall score in English-Language Arts and Mathematics. Each question on the new assessments is focused on one or more claims related to a student’s understanding of these subject areas. Student performance will be reported as: above standard, at or near standard, and below standard.
Below you will find a video for parents produced by The California Department of Education (CDE) titled, "Understanding Your Child’s Score Report." This video describes and explains the CAASPP Student Score Report. The video is available in both English and Spanish.
California School Dashboard - Background
Based on the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) which was passed in 2013, California has a new accountability system that is based on multiple measures. These measures are used to determine local educational agency (LEA) and school progress toward meeting the needs of their students. Performance on these multiple measures will be reported through the California School Dashboard.
This new multiple measures system replaces the former Academic Performance Index (API), which was based solely on testing results, and the federal requirement to calculate Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).
Equity is at the heart of the new accountability system and changes how accountability is measured. It aims to synthesize and make accessible a wealth of state and local data to help schools achieve better outcomes for their students. On the dashboard, student performance includes multiple measures that go beyond test scores, giving a more complete picture of a school’s progress.
Equity is at the heart of the new accountability system and changes how accountability is measured. It aims to synthesize and make accessible a wealth of state and local data to help schools achieve better outcomes for their students. On the dashboard, student performance includes multiple measures that go beyond test scores, giving a more complete picture of a school’s progress.
Dashboard Reporting
State Performance Indicators
- Academic Achievement in English Language Arts
- Academic Achievement in Mathematics
- Chronic Absenteeism (data not available until fall 2018)
- English Learner Progress
- Suspension Rate
The multiple measures system for state indicators is based on percentiles to create a five-by-five grid that produces 25 results and 5 performance levels (Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, and Red). This five-by-five grid combines Status and Change to make an overall determination for each indicator and provides equal weight to both Status and Change. Districts and Schools will receive a Performance Level color/picture for each of the State Performance Indicators above.
Online Practice and Training Tests are available for students, test administrators, and test examiners. It's a great opportunity for students to become familiar with the tools that are used on the CAASPP and the types of questions and performance tasks. You can use this site to take practice and training tests. Some questions require students to select one answer; others require you to type a short answer, draw a picture, or complete another type of open-ended task. Click on this link and it will take you CAASPP practice and training tests: http://www.caaspp.org/practice-and-training/index.html
The California Science Test (CAST) Test: California’s new state standards for science call for students to think and work like scientists and engineers—asking questions and learning through hands-on investigation and discovery. For additional information about the new science tests and sample questions, please visit the CDE’s CAASPP Science Assessment Web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/ca/caasppscience.asp
CAASPP Starting Smarter for Parents is a resource to assist parents/guardians in understanding their child’s CAA for Science Student Score Report (SSRs), the CDE has made available the CAA for Science Starting Smarter web pages, which can be found on the https://ca.startingsmarter.org/ website. These family-focused web pages provide parents/guardians with resources to empower them to become involved in their child’s educational progress. Parents/guardians can visit these web pages to review a sample SSR, examples of test questions, and a downloadable guide with suggestions on how to prepare for parent-teacher conferences as well as access other helpful resources to support their child’s learning at home.
CAASPP Starting Smarter for Parents es un recurso para ayudar a los padres / tutores a comprender el Informe de puntaje del estudiante de CAA para ciencias (SSR) de su hijo, el CDE ha puesto a disposición las páginas web de CAA para comenzar con ciencia de manera inteligente, que se pueden encontrar en https: /ca.startingsmarter.org/ sitio web. Estas páginas web centradas en la familia brindan a los padres / tutores recursos para capacitarlos para que se involucren en el progreso educativo de sus hijos. Los padres / tutores pueden visitar estas páginas web para revisar un SSR de muestra, ejemplos de preguntas de la prueba y una guía descargable con sugerencias sobre cómo prepararse para las conferencias de padres y maestros, así como acceder a otros recursos útiles para apoyar el aprendizaje de su hijo en casa.