California's Assessment System
Many educational researchers agree that professional learning communities need to meet regularly to plan or adjust curriculum and instruction based on the results of common assessments.1
In the California system, there are statewide end-of-course or -year assessments (summative assessment). Many schools and districts also develop and administer regular common assessments (formative assessment).
- Formative Assessments. Formative assessments are a component of State Board of Education-adopted instructional materials. Local schools and districts also develop local benchmark assessments. These assessments provide critical data on student progress and assist instructional teams in providing timely, targeted support to individual students.
- California Standards Tests. California’s statewide end-of-year California Standards Tests (CSTs) are aligned to the content standards and measure students’ acquisition of grade-level standards. This statewide assessment measure is not formative but summative in nature. It provides an overview of student progress and serves as a primary indicator for both the state and federal accountability systems.
The following chart shows the courses offered in the middle grades and links to related standards, frameworks, and testing (assessment) blueprints.
Related Links
- Assessment. Recommendation 2—Instruction, Assessment, and Intervention, TCSII.
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Footnote
1On Common Ground: The Power of Professional Learning Communities. Edited by Richard Dufour and others. Bloomington, Ind.: National Educational Service, 2005.
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