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From the Principal’s Desk
With spring upon us, attention turns to statewide assessments. In January 2014, the California Department of Education established an assessment program called California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). The primary purpose of the CAASPP System is to assist teachers, administrators, students, and parents by promoting high-quality teaching and learning through the use of a variety of assessment approaches and item types.
The program is composed, primarily, of the Smarter Balance assessment of the Common Core Standards in English Language Arts and Math. However, it also includes a California Standards Test in Science for grade 5 and a California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA) for students with significant disabilities.
The Smarter Balance Assessment is completed online. It is a computer-adaptive assessment; meaning the difficulty of the items adjusts to each student’s abilities. The assessment consists of traditional test items, where students select correct answers, along with items where students type in constructed responses. In addition, there are writing prompts with a required response.
The Smarter Balance Assessment scores provide data on how students are progressing in meeting California’s rigorous academic standards in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. The test results are analyzed and used by staff to ensure continuous improvement of academic programs. They may also be used for local, state, and federal accountability purposes.
Our school testing window is scheduled to begin May 2nd and run through May 12th. All students in grades 3-5 will be participating. Your child’s teacher will be sending along their classroom schedule for testing. I respectfully request that you are careful not to schedule appointments or vacations during the testing window. Additionally, it is important that the testing is a true reflection of your child’s ability and skill level, so I ask that if your child is sick, please keep him or her at home. Blossom Hill parents can expect an individualized report detailing their child’s scores to be emailed to them in August.
If you would like more information about the CAASPP System, please visit the Parent/Student tab on the California Department of Education’s web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/ca/index.asp?tabsection=3#ssr. If you have questions regarding your child’s participation, please feel free to contact me.
In education together,
Lisa Reynolds, Principal
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