Assessing Student Learning

Assessments are an important part of high-quality educational opportunity, which seeks to help all students prepare to learn and grow for the future. Like class assignments and report cards, assessments provide information to schools, teachers, and parents as one gauge of student progress toward mastery of grade level learning goals.

State Assessments

State assessments are annual measures that provide a broad view of a student’s proficiency relative to grade-level standards. These assessments can provide a general sense of how students are doing. State assessments required annually are: California Science Test (CAST), Smarter Balanced Assessments or California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) in Math in and English Language Arts, Physical Fitness Test, and English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC). More information on each of these assessments can be found in the links below:

ELPAC for students designated as English Learners
- Parents Guide to Understanding the Initial ELPAC
- Parents Guide to Understanding the Summative ELPAC
Reading Screener for grades K-2
- Multitudes
CAASPP for ELA and Math for grades 3-8
CAST for Science for grade 5 and 8
- Parent Guide to Understanding the CAST
Physical Fitness Test for grade 5 and 7
- Parents Guide to Understanding the Physical Fitness Test

District Assessments

Over the course of a school year, Pioneer District administers common District Assessments to monitor child’s academic growth, areas strength, and possible areas of support. These designated assessments vary at each grade level and are informative for teachers to monitor students’ progress toward grade level proficiency. Assessment results are used to plan instruction.

Here are some ways that families can support students with Assessments:

Before

Teachers may share areas of strength or need they see in your child.
Partner with your child’s teacher to leverage areas of strength and supporting areas of need at home.
It is important for students to get a good night’s sleep, eat healthy meals, and attend school regularly so they do not miss instruction.

During

Each student will complete the assessment independently.
Teachers will monitor students to address issues of technology or directions that could affect student performance.
It is important for students to get a good night’s sleep, eat healthy meals, and attend school during assessment windows so they are not missing classroom instruction while doing assessment makeups.

After

Partner with your child’s teacher about the results of the test to better understand what you can do to support your child’s learning at home.
Share assessment results with your child if age-appropriate.