State Testing & Assessment
The district administers a broad array of assessments during the course of the academic year. Some of these tests are statewide and mandatory some are statewide and optional, and others are assessments developed and administered within the district. The links below are presented in two sections: State-Wide Tests and College Prep/Placement Tests.
State-Wide Tests
Standardized Testing and Reporting Program (CAASPP)
Signed into law in October 2013, Assembly Bill 484 establishes the CAASPP assessment system. For the 2017-18 school year, the CAASPP assessment system encompasses the following required assessments:
- Smarter Balanced system of assessments for mathematics and English–language arts
- California Science Test (CAST) for Science in grades five, eight, and twelve (grades tenth and eleven may be selected depending on student's completion of science courses)
- California Alternate Assessments (CAA) for ELA, Mathematics, and Science in grades five, eight, and eleven
- Official CAASPP Information Web Site (CDE)
English Language Proficiency Assessments of California (ELPAC)
The English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) is the successor to the California English Language Development Test (CELDT). Beginning in 2017–18, the ELPAC is the required state test for English language proficiency (ELP) that must be given to students whose primary language is a language other than English. The California Department of Education (CDE) expects to be fully transitioned from the CELDT to the ELPAC as the state's assessment of ELP by 2018–19.
State and federal law require that local educational agencies administer a state test of ELP to eligible students in kindergarten (or year one of a two-year kindergarten program, sometimes referred to as “transitional kindergarten”) through grade twelve (ages 3-21). The ELPAC is aligned with California’s 2012 English Language Development Standards external icon, and is comprised of two separate ELP assessments:
Initial Assessment (IA)—an initial identification of students as English learners
Summative Assessment (SA)—an annual summative assessment to measure an English learner's progress in learning English and to identify the student's ELP level
For more information please visit ELPAC.org
Physical Fitness Testing (PFT)
The State Board of Education designated the FITNESS GRAM® as the PFT for students in California public schools. The FITNESS GRAM® is a comprehensive, health-related physical fitness battery developed by The Cooper Institute. The primary goal of the FITNESS GRAM® is to assist students in establishing lifetime habits of regular physical activity.
College Prep/Placement Tests (Optional Tests)
Preliminary SAT (PSAT)
"PSAT/NMSQT stands for Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. It's a standardized test that provides firsthand practice for the SAT Reasoning Test™. It also gives you a chance to enter National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) scholarship programs." -- www.CollegeBoard.com
- Official PSAT Web Site (CollegeBoard.com)
Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT)
The SAT is a three-hour examination that measures verbal and mathematical reasoning. Many colleges and universities use SAT results as part of the data on which they base admissions decisions. The College Board, a non-profit association based in New York City, runs the SAT program.
- SAT Informational Web Site (CollegeBoard.com)
ACT Assessment (ACT)
"The ACT Assessment ® is designed to assess high school students' general educational development and their ability to complete college-level work. The tests cover four skill areas: English, mathematics, reading, and science." -- www.Act.org
Advanced Placement (AP)
"AP can change your life. Through college-level AP courses, you enter a universe of knowledge that might otherwise remain unexplored in high school; through AP Exams, you have the opportunity to earn credit or advanced standing at most of the nation's colleges and universities." -- www.CollegeBoard.com
- AP Informational Web Site (CollegeBoard.com)
- List of AP Subjects (CollegeBoard.com)