Testing

CALIFORNIA ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT PERFORMANCE AND PROGRESS (CAASPP)

Smarter Balanced - Grades 3rd - 8th and 11th

The Smarter Balanced assessment system utilizes computer-adaptive tests and performance tasks that allow student to show what they know and are able to do. This system is based on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English language arts/literacy (ELA) and mathematics. The Smarter Balanced assessment system has three components designed to support teaching and learning throughout the year: the summative assessments, the interim assessments, and the Digital Library of formative assessment tools.

For more information visit CAASPP: Keeping California's Students on Track for College and Career http://testscoreguide.org/ca/

English Language Proficiency Assessments for California

The English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) will be the successor to the California English Language Development Test (CELDT). The CELDT is the current required state test for English language proficiency that must be given to students whose primary language is a language other than English.

State and federal law require that local educational agencies administer a state test of English language proficiency to eligible students in kindergarten (or year one of a two-year kindergarten program, sometimes referred to as "transitional kindergarten") through grade twelve. The California Department of Education (CDE) is transitioning from the CELDT to the ELPAC as the state English language proficiency assessment by 2018. The ELPAC will be aligned with the 2012 California English Language Development Standards, and will be comprised of two separate English language proficiency assessments:

an initial identification of students as English learners
an annual summative assessment to measure a student's progress in learning English and to identify the student's ELP level.

Physical Fitness Testing (PFT) - Grades 5th, 7th, and 9th

The State Board of Education designated the FITNESSGRAM® as the Physical Fitness Test (PFT) for students in California public schools. The FITNESSGRAM® is a comprehensive, health-related physical fitness battery developed by The Cooper Institute. The primary goal of the FITNESSGRAM® is to assist students in establishing lifetime habits of regular physical activity.

Public school students in grades, five, seven, and nine are required to take the PFT, whether or not they are enrolled in a physical education class or participate in a block schedule. These students include those enrolled in local educational agencies (LEAs) such as elementary, high, and unified school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools. LEAs must also test all students in alternate programs, including, but not limited to, continuation schools, independent study, community day schools, county community schools, and nonpublic schools. Students who are physically unable to take the entire test battery are to be given as much of the test as his or her condition will permit. (Education Code (EC) Section 60800 and the California Code of Regulations, Title 5, Section 1041).

The PFT provides information that can be used by (1) student to assess and plan personal fitness programs; (2) teachers to design the curriculum for physical education programs; and (3) parents and guardians to understand their children's fitness levels. This program also provides results that are used to monitor changes in the physical fitness of California students. By law (EC Section 60800), all LEAs in California are required to administer the PFT annually to all students in grades five, seven, and nine.

For more information visit The California Department of Education webpage: http;//www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/pf/