California Testing Overview

The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress administration includes the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments; the California Alternate Assessments (CAAs), including the CAA for Science; the California Science Test (CAST); and the California Spanish Assessment (CSA).

Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments

Students in grades three through eight and grade eleven will take the . These assessments are administered online. A student may be exempted from taking the Smarter Balanced assessments in the following three situations:

1. The student is taking the CAAs.
2. The student has been designated as an English learner and is within his or her first 12 months of enrollment in a U.S. school as of April 15 of the previous year. (This exemption applies only to the ELA portion of the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessment.)
3. The parent has expressed in writing that his or her student should be excluded from taking the summative assessments.

California Alternate Assessments

The in grades three through eight and grade eleven are individually administered to students who have an individualized education program that indicates the use of an alternate assessment on statewide assessments. All eligible students are required to participate in these online assessments.

The can be administered to eligible students in grades five and eight and once to each eligible student while that student is in high school. All students must take the science assessment by the end of grade twelve, but have the option of testing in grade ten or grade eleven. Only eligible students may participate in the administration of the CAAs.

California Science Test

The .

California Spanish Assessment

The is intended for Spanish-speaking students in grades three through eight and high school to measure competency in Spanish language arts to provide student-level data in Spanish competency. These are optional tests that can be administered online.

The English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) is the mandated state test for determining English language proficiency (ELP). It is administered as an initial assessment to newly enrolled students whose primary language is not English, as indicated on a home language survey; and, annually, as a summative assessment to students who have been previously identified as EL students. For more information, please refer to the .

The general and Alternate ELPAC are aligned with the .

The general and Alternate ELPAC are delivered via a computer-based test delivery platform. The general ELPAC has four domains (Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing) which are administered on computer except for the Writing domain for kindergarten through grade two, which will remain as a paper-based test. The Alternate ELPAC has two communication modes: expressive (Speaking and Writing) and receptive (Listening and Reading).

Types of ELPAC Assessments

The test administration window runs from July 1 to June 30.

• —The general assessment, administered annually, whose results measure an EL student's progress and identify the student's ELP level

  The test administration window runs from February 1 to May 31.

• —The alternate assessment whose results provide the primary identification of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities as ELs

  The test administration window runs from July 1 to June 30.

• —The alternate assessment, administered annually, whose results measure and identify the student's ELP level, for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities

  The test administration window runs from February 1 to May 31.

Physical Fitness Testing (PFT)

The physical fitness test (PFT) for students in California schools is the FITNESSGRAM®. The main goal of the test is to help students in starting life-long habits of regular physical activity.

Students in grades five, seven, and nine take the fitness test. The FITNESSGRAM® has six parts, though California currently requires five parts be completed annually, that show a level of fitness that offer a degree of defense against diseases that come from inactivity. The test results can be used by students, teachers, and parents.

• For more information about the PFT, contact your local school district.
• The page provides a more detailed overview of the test.
• The information below was developed to provide assistance to various groups that are directly involved with, or have an interest in, the PFT.