Thurgood Marshall Parent/Student Handbook

 

District Assessments

Students in lower grades take a district assessment in either English or Spanish in the spring. This test assesses reading in K – 1, writing in K – 2, and mathematics in K – 2. The Local Measures assessment is aligned to Common Core State Standards (CCSS). District assessments are given at the end of the year in math, reading and writing to gauge student progress towards California State Content Standards.

Students in grades 2 – 6 take a Lexile assessment in either English in the fall, winter, and spring. This assessment is a critical piece of an ongoing process for monitoring and improving student reading ability. In addition, school sites use the following types of assessment throughout the year to give a more complete picture of student performance:

  • Topic Assessments
  • Benchmark Assessments
  • Performance Assessments
  • Student Projects
  • Student Observation / Communication

State Assessments

Classroom instruction in the Chula Vista Elementary School District is based on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English/Language Arts, and Mathematics. Please see the summary of the assessments below.

  • The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) referred to as Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium is the system used to assess students’ progress in grades 3-6 on California State Standards in English language arts and mathematics. The purpose of these assessments is to determine if students are meeting the grade level benchmarks towards college and readiness.
  • English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) California Education Code (ED. Code 52164.3) contains legal requirements which direct schools and districts to assess the English proficiency of students if there is a language other than English spoken in the home. The English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) Summative Assessment measures student progress toward meeting the California English Language Development Standards (ELD Standards), which describe the English language skills that students need to succeed in school. The ELPAC Summative Assessment Is given each spring to students who have been identified as English learners. Includes questions about Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. Reclassification of English Learners will be based on English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC), CAASPP, Level Set, and Lexile scores.
  • The Physical Fitness Test PFT is given to all students in grades five. This health-related fitness test, developed by The Cooper Institute, is a valuable tool in assessing and tracking a young person’s fitness. Additionally, the test provides important information to students, parents and school staff in monitoring individual health-related fitness.
  • Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) California Department of Education has been developing a new science assessment based on the CA NGSS. The CAST is for eligible students in grades five. The CAST field test consists of 32 to 48 items, two or three performance tasks, and a short survey. It takes approximately two hours to complete.

The California Department of Education (CDE) has developed several resources to help students and parents 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: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/ca/index.asp?tabsection=3#ssr

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

For more 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

CVESD Parent/Guardian Assessment and Testing