Two weeks ago, McClatchy Juniors had to take the CAASPP (California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress) test for English during their English class period. Last week, they took the Math test during their history classes. With all of this testing, students are left asking questions: What exactly is the CAASPP test? What is it testing for? And what should students do to prepare?
The CAASPP website wasn’t much help: the site was meant to help teachers giving the test, not provide information about the test itself. This could be a problem, as students and parents looking for information on the CAASPP would likely look on the CAASPP site first. The California Department of Education’s website was more helpful: according to their site, the CAASPP system was established January 2014 as a replacement for California’s STAR (Standardized Testing And Reporting) system of standardized achievement tests.
I talked to some Juniors who have been taking the CAASPP to see what they knew about the test. Joshua Zebley said “I know that this test is sent to colleges.” This is true, although students can choose not to show their results to colleges.
Another junior, who wished to remain anonymous, said “I know that it is to see what we are being taught, and report it to the district”.
Mrs. Downey, an English teacher who has been a CAASPP test administrator for her students, said the CAASPP test is “Mandated by the state, so we have to give it… the data is helpful in determining where our students are, skill-wise, and which groups may need particular attention in coming years, and where there are gaps we might need to fill.”
When asked about his opinion on the CAASPP, Joshua Zebley said “I think the test was hard, especially since it’s generalized, not specific for the math you are in.” Another junior, who wished to remain anonymous, had similar concerns: “I think it is too general,” they said.
I had a similar experience: while taking the math portion of the CAASPP, I found that there many math concepts on the test which I was unfamiliar with. While this might just be due to me being bad at remembering math concepts, this complaint seems to be common enough that the people in charge of the CAASPP might take note of it.
As for the test itself, I personally found it to be of a similar difficulty to the SAT test the Junior class had to take earlier this year, although the CAASPP is electronic, and lacks the strict time regulations of the SAT, meaning that students should be more able to work at their own pace.
When asked how effective the CAASPP is at determining college readiness, Mrs. Downey commented, “I think it needs a lot of tweaking… I do think that it’s better than the old STAR tests, because it does require more critical thinking, it’s a more subjective test, there’s more free response… but as a scale of how ready for college students are, I think it’s just one small part in a much larger picture of education.”
Lastly, Mrs. Downey had some advice for students taking the CAASPP test: “Hydrate. Hang in there, do your best. It’s long.”