Because public schools use taxpayer funds, they are required to participate in state testing to assess how they are meeting the needs of their students. All states that adopted the common core curriculum use the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) to test Language Arts and Math.
California's testing umbrella is called the California Assessment of Performance and Student Progress (CAASPP), it includes the SBAC, the California Science Test (CAST) and the Physical Fitness Test (PFT).
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Who takes what tests?
Students in grades 3 - 8 and 11 take the SBAC (Language Arts and Math)Students in grades 5, 8, 11 (and 12th graders who did not take it last year) take the CAST (Science)
Students in grades 5, 7 and 9 take the PFT (Physical Fitness Test)
When is testing for our area?
SBAC and CAST testing will be held at Grace Church in Jackson Tuesday, April 30 - Friday, May 3 from 9 to 12. Remember, many students will only need to test Tuesday and Wednesday, or Tuesday through Thursday. The test is not timed, however, and students have Friday to finish if they choose to.
PFT testing is being held in various locations. The closest to us is in Jackson at Grace Church on Monday, March 25th at 12:30. Here is a link to the other PFT testing locations and days that is posted on the WIRE.
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What if I have previous plans for the assigned testing dates that I can't change?
SBAC & CAST - Visions will be holding make-up SBAC and CAST testing at various locations May 14th - 16th. The closest locations to us are Rescue or Carmichael. If you know you will be out of town, please let me know asap as there is a lot of planning that goes in to staffing and computer set up for the assessments. If your student is sick or does not complete all of their tests during our testing window, they would be assigned a make-up session at either Rescue or Carmichael May 14 - 16.
PFT - Use the link above to find an alternate PFT testing site and let me know so I can register your student.
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SBAC Site
Practice Tests (Just click "Sign In" to sign in as a guest). Choose the Smarter Balanced Practice Tests or the California Science Test Practice Test
Practice Test Scoring Guides
I HIGHLY recommend that students and parents begin practicing online now (maybe doing as little as one question per day). That way you can do it in small bites and not overwhelm students. Research has shown that students that spend time practicing for the SBAC earn higher scores. This is probably because they are familiar with the context. The test may present material in a very different way than you do at home, but with guidance and practice, students will understand what is being asked and can do their best at test time without anxiety.
*Note: when you sign in to the test practice as a guest, the practice tests do not save your progress from day to day or give you scores. You will need to keep track of your previous answers or just put in anything to get back to the question you stopped at. You will also need the scoring guide from the link above to assess your students progress as they go. This is not ideal, and can be a little frustrating, but with a little pre-planning it is still worth it.
Questions? Let me know :)
