The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) System was established on January 1, 2014. The CAASPP System replaced the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program, which became inoperative on July 1, 2013.

The CAASPP System encompasses the following assessments and student participation requirements. Information about the content and format of each test is also provided. This page will be updated as additional information becomes available.

Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments for English language arts/literacy (ELA) and mathematics in grades three through eight

Student Participation: All students at the designated grade levels are required to participate with the following exceptions:

• Students who participate in the alternate assessments.
• ELA only—English learners who are in their first 12 months of attending a school in the United States.

Content and Format: The Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments which are delivered by computer consist of two sections: a computer-adaptive test and a Performance Task (PT) based on the Common Core State Standards for ELA and mathematics. The computer-adaptive section includes a range of items types such as selected response, constructed response, table, fill-in, graphing, etc. The PT are extended activities that measure a student’s ability to integrate knowledge and skills across multiple standards—a key component of college and career readiness.

Parent Guides: These grade-span Parent Guide to Understanding the Smarter Balanced summative assessment provide an overview of the CAASPP ELA and math assessment and include sample questions to help understand the areas students are assessed on:

• Grade 3-5 Parent Resources: English | Spanish
• Grade 6-8 Parent Resources: English | Spanish

The California Alternate Assessments (Cal-Alt) are assessments designed for students with significant cognitive disabilities and who have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) that specifies administration of the alternate assessment.

The CAA in ELA and math is designed for students in grades 3 – 8.  The test utilizes computer-based technology for registration and
administration and has been designed to be stage adaptive, adjusting to the student’s performance at selected points in the administration.

The CAA in Science are 3 domain specific paper-based instructionally-embedded performance tasks designed for students in grades 5 and 8.   The tests are administered one on one by the student’s primary credentialed teacher.

CAA ELA/Math Training Test:  Try out the alternate assessment.  First, access the ELA/math CAA training guide, which contains directions and specific scripts that accompany the training test.  Next, click Log In and sign in as a “Guest” to the California Alternate Assessment training test.