The Dreadful CAASPP Testing
Cassandra Barboza
March 12, 2024
You may already be familiar with the CAASPP (California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress) testing and how it is required for you to take your junior year. But have you actually considered why we take the CAASPP test along with why it may be so important? Let me explain it to you.
On January 1, 2014, the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) System was established. 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. The test is a consistent assessment used in California schools to evaluate students' mastery in English and math. California students take this test annually in grades third, grade eighth, and grade eleven.
What I believe these two assessments challenge you the most in are your critical thinking skills, writing skills, reading comprehension, and mathematical reasoning. Overall, the CAASPP test objective is to challenge students to think critically and demonstrate their readiness for college and careers by meeting or exceeding the academic standards set by the state of California. The CAASPP has four performance levels in total: Level 1: Standard Not Met, Level 2: Standard Nearly Met, Level 3: Standard Met, and Level 4: Standard Exceeded. I believe that the most commonly asked question about the CAASPP test is “But do Colleges and universities actually look at my English and math test scores?” Yes, surprisingly a lot of Californian colleges and universities look at CAASPP scores and take them into consideration when making admissions decisions.
I also interviewed a student and faculty member about their opinions on the CAASPP testing, Except they did not have a positive response. “I think it is very time consuming and really boring,” junior Adrian Aquino states. When I asked him all things considered about the test, he explained that he does not appreciate that the test is mandatory and “It's not something you can get out of,” Aquino expresses. The reason why CAASPP testing takes place is to check progress and pinpoint
areas where students need to improve.
Knowing Aquino personally he is very academically strong with a 4.375 I wonder If he actually uses his skills to do well on the test.
A teacher, who wishes to remain anonymous, expressed strong feelings regarding CAASPP testing during our interview. They voiced concerns about “the testing consuming a significant portion of class time.” When asked to elaborate, they explained that the test is designed to take up the entire class period, but many students rush through it without taking it seriously and most do not try at all. The result of that affects how our school performs as well as creates an impression that students are not academically prepared especially for their future. This teacher has made efforts to prepare students weeks in advance to prevent them from struggling when answering questions. However, in their words “despite my efforts students show little to no motivation to improve skills” "It seems that students don't see the value in taking a test they know they'll struggle with. Last year's ELA and Mathematics test results were surprising with 85% of students not meeting math standards, likely due to rushing and lack of effort. This is why many teachers, including this one, feel frustrated with students testing poorly. "I'm concerned that if students struggle with these tests, how will they handle assessments in college?"
Moving forward it is very important for us to do our best during
