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Alternate English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics California Alternate Assessments (CAAs)

Understanding California Alternate Assessments (CAAs) for English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics Summary Reports

Test Results Definitions

Number Enrolled—This is a count of students in the selected entity (that is, state, county, district, school, or student group) who are eligible to take the CAAs for English language arts/literacy (ELA) and mathematics in grades three through eight and grade eleven.

Number Tested—This is a count of students in the selected entity (that is, state, county, district, school, or student group) who were administered the CAAs in ELA and mathematics. This number excludes students not tested by parent/guardian request, students not tested because of a significant medical emergency, and students who were assigned to take the assessment, but did not test.

Number of Tests with Valid Scores—This is a count of students tested in the selected entity (that is, state, county, district, school, or student group) who responded to enough questions on the assessment to generate a valid score. Scores that are invalidated are not included in this aggregation.

Mean Scale Score—This is the sum of scale scores for students with valid scores in the selected entity (that is, state, county, district, school, or student group) divided by the Number of Tests with Valid Scores. For more information, please visit the Scale Score Ranges web page.

Note: The percentage of students in the selected entity (that is, state, county, district, school, or student group) at a particular achievement level is the sum of the number of students at a particular achievement level divided by the total number of students across all achievement levels for that entity.

CAASPP Reporting Calculations

For CAASPP public reporting purposes, the exemption date for recently arrived English learner (EL) students is calculated as follows:

  • A recently arrived EL student is an EL student whose first date of entry into a US school, as shown in the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS), is after April 15 of the year prior to the assessment.
  • These students do not need to take the ELA assessment. However, if a recently arrived EL student participates in the ELA assessment, they will be included in the calculations on this website.

Reporting Achievement Level Descriptors

English Language Arts/Literacy General Achievement Level Descriptors
English Language Arts/Literacy General Achievement Level Descriptors
Grade Understanding (Level 3) Foundational Understanding (Level 2) Limited Understanding (Level 1)
Grades 3–8, and Grade 11 Students at this level demonstrate understanding of core subject matter in the content area. They are actively working with adapted grade-level content that focuses on the essential knowledge and skills and may need occasional prompts and assistance to complete tasks and activities. Students at this level demonstrate foundational understanding of core subject matter in the content area when provided with frequent prompts and supports. They are actively working with adapted grade-level content that focuses on the essential knowledge and skills and may frequently need supports to complete tasks and activities. Students at this level demonstrate limited understanding of adapted grade level content that focuses on much of the basic knowledge and skills, even with extensive supports.
For information on the English language arts/literacy grade- and content-specific achievement level descriptors, which are descriptors of what students at each achievement level know and can do, by grade and content area, please visit the CAA Achievement Level Descriptors for English Language Arts web page .
Mathematics General Achievement Level Descriptors
Mathematics General Achievement Level Descriptors
Grade Understanding (Level 3) Foundational Understanding (Level 2) Limited Understanding (Level 1)
Grades 3–8, and Grade 11 Students at this level demonstrate understanding of core subject matter in the content area. They are actively working with adapted grade-level content that focuses on the essential knowledge and skills and may need occasional prompts and assistance to complete tasks and activities. Students at this level demonstrate foundational understanding of core subject matter in the content area when provided with frequent prompts and supports. They are actively working with adapted grade-level content that focuses on the essential knowledge and skills and may frequently need supports to complete tasks and activities. Students at this level demonstrate limited understanding of adapted grade level content that focuses on much of the basic knowledge and skills, even with extensive supports.
For information on the mathematics grade- and content-specific achievement level descriptors, which are descriptors of what students at each achievement level know and can do, by grade and content area, please visit the CAA Achievement Level Descriptors for Mathematics web page .
California Department of Education 1430 N Street Sacramento, CA 95814