California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) Score Report

The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) System is California's new statewide student academic assessment system.

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On January 1, 2014, California Education Code Section 60640 established the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) System of assessments to replace the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program, which became inoperative on July 1, 2013.

One good way to get a better feel for how to interpret the test results is to look at a couple examples of actual test results.

The areas for English Language Arts/Literacy (ELA) include:  

• Reading: How well does your child understand stories and information that he or she reads?
• Writing: How well does your child communicate in writing? 
• Listening: How well does your child understand spoken information? 
• Research/Inquiry: How well can your child find and present information about a topic? 

The areas for mathematics include: 

• Concepts & Procedures: How well does your child use mathematical rules and ideas? 
• Problem Solving and Modeling & Data Analysis: How well can your child show and apply problem-solving skills? 
• Communicating Reasoning: How well can your child think logically and express thoughts in order to solve a problem?

These areas are based on the standards, which describe what your child should know and be able to do relative to the overall Standard Met achievement level for his or her grade. These results by area are most useful to identify skills where your child is performing particularly well (Above Standard) or where your child is struggling and needs help to improve (Below Standard). If your child received a “No score,” it means he or she did not complete enough questions to receive a score in that area.

There are four levels of scores for ELA and mathematics for each grade. Achievement levels “Standard Met” and “Standard Exceeded” are the state targets for all students.

Score ranges for each achievement level are different for each grade, and the standards for the next grade are higher than for the previous grade. As a result, students may need a higher score to stay in the same achievement level as the previous year.

Go to http://testscoreguide.org/ca/ for more information, including the Parent Guide to the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments with sample test items.

For complete results for schools, districts, or across the state, visit the CDE CAASPP Results Web site at http://caaspp.cde.ca.gov/

Prepare your kids for the STAR test to boost your school's API

If you want to boost your home value, boost your school's API.  To boost your school's API, you should start preparing your kids for the California STAR tests.  Actually, the 2011-2012 school year testing has already been completed in Cupertino Union School District, so it may already be too late for this academic year.  You can always prepare your kids for next year.

What kind of questions are in the STAR test?  The questions in the STAR test are actually very good questions to test kids' intuition and underlying understanding of the subject matter.  A student with a deeper understanding of the underlying concept will score better than a student who relies on rote memory.  For example, for 2nd graders, a sample question is:

3 + 2 + 4 = 3 + 4 + [  ]

A student who relies on rote memory and doesn't understand the underlying concept might spend the time to add up the numbers on the left hand side then subtract the numbers on the right hand side.  However, a student who understand the concept better will see right away that the numbers are the same, except for the order, and will quickly know the correct answer.

The reading comprehension section might ask the child to read two separate stories and ask questions that test whether the child really understands the similarities and differences between the two stories.

Overall, the questions seem to have been chosen wisely by the state to test childrens' mental sharpness.  On a humorous note, some of the questions are obviously old because they are outdated.  For example:

If you want to find out where New York is, you should look in
a) a dictionary
b) a thesaurus
c) an atlas
d) a storybook

The correct answer is missing.  Even little 2nd graders know these days that the correct answer should be:
e) Go to Google or Yahoo maps and type in "New York"

STAR testing for Cupertino Union School District's Eisenhower Elementary 2nd graders

If  you are wondering why a bunch of 7 year old kids in Santa Clara near the Cupertino border look to have a sense of relief, it's because Cupertino Union School District's Eisenhower Elementary 2nd graders just completed their STAR tests this past week.


Each spring, all students in California from grades two through eleven take the state's Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) exams, a battery of standardized tests.

The California STAR Program looks at how well schools and students are performing. Based on STAR tests and the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE), California assigns an Academic Performance Index (API) rating and growth target to each school and district. Ratings range from 200 to 1000, with a goal of 800 API for all schools statewide.


The STAR Program includes four tests: the California Standards Tests, the California Modified Assessment, the California Alternate Performance Assessment, and the Standards-based Tests in Spanish.

The STAR program used to include the California Achievement Test, Sixth Edition Survey (CAT/6), but this test was eliminated in the 2008-2009 school year.


The test taken by the majority of students is the California Standards Tests (CST).

In 2nd grade through 11th grade, the CST covers English-language arts. In 2nd grade through 7th grade, the test also covers math.

Additional tests are added at various grade levels. The CST adds a history-social science test for 8th grade, 10th grade and 11th grade. The CST adds a science test for 5th grade, 8th grade, and 10th grade. The CST also adds a math and science test for students in 9th, 10th, and 11th grade. The test they take depends on which math and science course they are enrolled in that school year, such as algebra, geometry, physics, or chemistry.

The STAR - CalEdFacts page provides a more detailed overview of the program.
For more information, you can also visit California Department of Education Testing and Accountability.

S.T.A.R Testing for Cupertino Union and Fremont Union High School Districts: You can opt your child out according to one parent

S.T.A.R Testing for Cupertino Union and Fremont Union High School Districts: You can opt your child out according to one parent

Posted Under: Quality of Life in Cupertino, Schools in Cupertino, In My Neighborhood in Cupertino | April 10, 2011 8:13 AM | 120 views | No comments

Star Testing took place during the first 2 weeks right after spring break in the Cupertino Union School District (CUSD). Star Testing is administered for kids 2nd grade through 8 grade in CUSD and for high school kids in Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD).

According to one of the parents, you can opt out your child from Star Testing if that's what you want. I personally think you should let your child get accustomed to standardized testing while they are young, but if, for some reason you are against it, follow this parent's steps outlined below:

Write a handwritten letter to the principal at your School, making sure to include the following information:

1. State that you like to opt out your child for all or part of the star testing this school year.
2. Mention your child's name, grade, teacher and
3. Sign the letter.

You need a letter for each child being opted out

TURN IN THE LETTER TO THE OFFICE ASAP.