California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP)

The tests your child takes are meant to measure the skills important for college and career readiness. After each administration of this exam, families are provided with a Student Score Report (SSR) that informs families about their student's mastery. Each score report is designed to help you and your child’s teachers identify where your child is excelling or where they may need further support.

The video below will help you and your child understand the Smarter Balance for English language arts/literacy, or ELA, and mathematics; and the California Science Test, or CAST, Student Score Report. Sample Score Reports are also available on the California Starting Smarter webpage. 

Parent Guides to Understanding are two-page flyers designed to provide clear, easy-to-understand answers to essential questions (what, why, who, how, and when) about California's assessment programs. These guides also offer practical advice for parents on how to support their child's academic success. The guides are available in multiple languages on the California Department of Education’s (CDE) Parent Guides to Understanding webpage.
The guides cover the following assessments:

• Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments (SBAC)
• California Science Test (CAST)
• California Alternate Assessments (CAAs)
• California Spanish Assessment (CSA)
• English Language Proficiency Assessment for California (ELPAC) - Initial, Summative, and Alternate ELPAC tests
• Other Important Assessment - Physical Fitness Test

The CAASPP/ELPAC Practice and Training Tests webpage provides students with guest access to practice and training tests. The Practice Tests provide students with grade-specific testing experiences that are similar in structure and format to the summative assessments. The Training Tests provide students with the opportunity to quickly become familiar with the software and interface features. To take a practice or training test with your child, select the option “Student Access to Tests,” then “Continue as Guest” and “Guest Session.” Select your child’s grade and then choose a practice or training test from the list. Available tests include:

• Smarter Balanced English-language Arts or Mathematics (SBAC)
• California Science Test (CAST)
• California Alternate Assessments for English-language Arts or Mathematics (CAAs)
• California Spanish Assessment (CSA)  (optional at SLCUSD)
• English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC)
• Alternate English Language Proficiency Assessments for California ELPAC