10 Grade Science CST Testing Coming Up

10th Grade Science CST Testing

April 28, 2016

Each spring, most students in California participate in the statewide testing program, which is the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) System. The tests in the CAASPP System provide information to teachers, parents/guardians, and students about students’ progress and readiness for college and career. This year, your child will take one of the following CAASPP tests for science:

• California Standards Test (CST) for Science
• California Modified Assessment (CMA) for Science

Assessments for Science

California has adopted new science standards and is currently developing assessments that are aligned with these standards. During the transition to new science assessments, students in grades five, eight, and twelve will take the CST or CMA, as identified above.

For information on the new science assessments and who is eligible for each of these science tests, please see the CDE’s California Science Assessments FAQ Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/ca/sciencefaq.asp#accordionfaq.

For information about the content, types of questions, and other targeted resources for the science tests, please see the CDE’s CAASPP Science Assessment Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/ca/caasppscience.asp.

Parents have the right by law to exempt their children from State CAASPP and CST/CMA testing.  Please provide written notification to me, (Insert Site Principal name) if you wish to exercise this option.

Next Year’s Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments

Next year, as a grade eleven student, your child will be taking part in the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments for English language arts/literacy and mathematics.  These new, online tests are based on higher academic standards and are part of California’s comprehensive plan for high-quality teaching and learning. Results from the tests will have a direct impact on the California State University’s (CSU’s) Early Assessment Program. The CSU and participating community colleges will use student results as an indicator of student readiness for college-level coursework. For more information, please see the CSU’s Early Assessment Program Web page at http://www.csusuccess.org/caaspp.

The CDE has developed several resources to help parents and students understand the grade expectations of the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments:  

• The Parent Guides to the Smarter Balanced Assessments (in English and Spanish) are posted on the CDE’s CAASPP Web page, under the Students and Parents Tab, at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/ca/index.asp?tabsection=3#ssr. Separate guides have been developed for each of the three grade spans tested: grades 3–5, grades 6–8, and grade 11. Each guide explains the grade-level expectations for students in ELA and mathematics and provides sample test items.

• The practice and training tests, which can be found on the CDE’s Smarter Balanced Practice and Training Tests Web page at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sa/practicetest.asp, can help parents and students experience the type of test items that students will encounter on the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments. Answers to the practice test and scoring rubrics for the performance tests are posted on the Test Administrator (TA) Resources for the Smarter Balanced Practice and Training Tests Web page at http://www.caaspp.org/ta-resources/practice-training.html.