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Rialto Unified School District is required to give the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP), the computer-based tests for English language arts/literacy and mathematics. These exams are part of California’s comprehensive plan for supporting high-quality learning at every school. They are based on California’s new, more challenging academic standards, which are designed to help all students graduate ready for college and to pursue a career. These tests include a wider variety of questions than the multiple-choice tests they replaced, requiring students to explain how they solve problems, think critically, and write analytically. These skills take time and effort to master, but our students will need them to succeed in the long run. Students in grades 3-8, and 11 take the CAASPP exams.
Pursuant to California Education Code Section 60615, parents/guardians may annually submit to the school a written request to excuse their child from any or all of the CAASPP assessments. Please note that if your child is exempt from testing, your child will not test and no scores will be available in the fall. For more information, please contact your school.
For 2020-21, students in grades 5, 8, 11, and 12 will be taking the California Science Test, known at the CAST. This science test is an online test based on the California Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). For more information about the CAST, please visit the CAASPP California Science Test (CAST) website.
The individual student score reports are available in ParentVUE by September of each fall. The reports will show your child’s achievement on these tests. On the reports, you’ll notice that along with an overall score for each subject, there is also information about how your child performed in different skill areas associated with English language arts/literacy and mathematics. More detailed information regarding the reports can be found on the CDE website. Students that have taken the CAASPP for more than one year will have up to a 3 year comparison of their performance.
We know that many, if not most students, will need to make significant progress to reach the challenging goals set by the content standards. That is why no student or parent should be discouraged by their CAASPP test results, which will not be used to determine whether a student moves on to the next grade. CAASPP results are utilized to assist teachers and support staff to identify specific areas that need additional focus in our overall instructional program.
For the 2020-21 school year, students will be taking the CAASPP exams at home. Teachers will monitor their progress on the test and will be there to offer any technical support. Due to the nature of remote testing, the computer's camera will need to be on during the duration of the test. Students will not have the ability to turn their camera off. More information about remote testing is available at https://ca-toms-help.ets.org/spring-21-parents-guardians/. If your child is planning on using a personal device to take the tests, please download the secure browser that is mentioned on the page. Step-by-step directions are provided. However, we highly encourage you to check out one of our school devices instead.
We encourage you to take an active part in discussions with your child' teacher and school administration to learn more about state and local assessments. You can find more information through the various links below or by visiting the CDE CAASPP website.
