Testing

Signed into law on October 2, 2013, AB 484 (Bonilla) establishes the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) assessment system. The CAASPP system replaces the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program. The primary purpose of the CalMAPP system is to assist teachers, administrators, and pupils and their parents by promoting high-quality teaching and learning through the use of a variety of assessment approaches and item types.

Introducing the Lucia Mar CAASPP 2018 Performance Dashboard.

This interactive dashboard displays the Spring 2018 State Assessment results for 3rd-8th grades in Language Arts and Mathematics. In addition to the 2018 results, the Distance from “3” reports show “growth” from one year to the next. This dashboard was modeled after elements of the California School Dashboard released by the California Department of Education in March 2017. The California School Dashboard includes easy-to-read reports on multiple measures of school success, including test scores, graduation rates, English learner progress and suspension rates. We hope to emulate other elements of the state dashboard and even improve upon them to tell the story of Lucia Mar.

While Lucia Mar schools are making progress in many key areas, there is always more work to do. The Dashboard is part of an ongoing conversation with our community of stakeholders on how schools are doing and how schools can do better.

When will results from spring testing be released?

Individual student score reports will be mailed to families in September. School administrators and teachers will have access to both individual and schoolwide results, and will be prepared to discuss reports with you after they arrive at your home.

How will the test results be used?

These test results are just one tool teachers and families can use to better understand how well your student is performing in school. The scores are simply one gauge on the dashboard that you and your child’s teacher can use to discuss how far your student has progressed in mastering the new standards. Other school tests, for example, and classroom assignments provide equally important information. Additionally, these results will not be used to determine if a student moves on to the next grade.

How do I read my student’s score report?

Here’s a brief overview:

Overall Score: In each subject area, your child receives a four-digit score that ranges from 2,000 to 3,000 points. This is the overall score, and it will be used to measure change in achievement over time.

Performance Levels: Overall scores are grouped into categories called “performance levels.” Each child receives an overall performance level for both English-language arts/literacy and for math. There are four performance levels for the overall score: Standard Exceeded, Standard Met, Standard Nearly Met, and Standard Not Met.

Results also show sets of skills:Within each subject area there is additional information for each set of skills that was measured. There are four sets in English-language arts/literacy and three in math. Your child will receive one of three possible performance levels for each set: Above Standard, At or Near Standard, or Below Standard. The image below shows what this looks like in the report.

How do this year’s test results compare to previous years?

These tests cannot be compared to any standardized tests from years past, because they are too fundamentally different. The new tests are computer adaptive, more personalized, and measure a wider range of skills and knowledge than previous pencil-paper tests. More importantly, the new tests are a better measurement of the critical thinking skills and depth of knowledge needed to succeed in college and in the workforce.

This year’s test results represent a new starting point for student achievement – in other words, we’ve hit the reset button and provided a new baseline for measuring students’ growth from here.

How will results be used by colleges and universities?

For 11th-grade students, results are used for the Early Assessment Program (EAP), which is used by the California State University (CSU) system and some community colleges to determine whether a student is ready for college-level English and math courses. Student scores are also used to exempt students from some placement tests. More info:https://www.calstate.edu/eap/ or www.cccco.edu/eap

At this time, no public higher education system in California uses the EAP results for admission.

How do these assessments tie in with the new standards and the state’s new school funding formula?

The new assessments are part of a larger plan for ensuring high-quality teaching and learning in every school. The plan also includes higher academic standards, more decision-making in the hands of schools and communities, and more resources dedicated to schools and to students with the greatest needs.

What happened to the API?

The Academic Performance Index (API) for schools and districts has been suspended until at least fall of 2016, so there will be no API scores calculated from this year’s tests. Parents will still get score reports for their students.

California Education Code now requires the calculation of the API to be based on multiple measures and not only on annual assessments.

According to the law, no more than 60 percent of API can be based on assessment results. The remaining 40 percent needs to be based on other college and career indicators, including college entrance exams, accelerated coursework, attendance, graduation rates, early indicators of college readiness, innovative measures, course taking behaviors, and career preparedness.