CAASPP Testing Has Begun!

How can you support your 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders at home for state testing?

CAASPP testing is here! Our testing window is April 29 - May 26. CAASPP, or SBAC, testing is one way we measure students’ progress over the year. The assessments provide important information to teachers and families about our students. There are many ways that you can help us prepare for it and do our best.

As a reminder, we ask that you please do not plan to take your child out of school during this time.

Some more ideas to help you and your student prepare for testing include (from Edmentum.com):

1. Prioritize attendance: what is the best (and most straightforward) piece of test-prep advice for caregivers is to do what you can to ensure that your child is fully engaged with his or her classwork throughout the year. 

2. Communicate with teachers: regular communication with your child’s instructor can help you gain insight into his or her progress. Your child’s teacher is also a great resource for test-preparation practice or strategies you can use with your child at home. 

3. Talk to your child about test taking: the purpose and goals of testing are not always obvious, even to the students who take them. Especially with new test-takers, it’s easy to be intimidated by testing or simply not feel motivated to put forth a lot of effort. Have open, ongoing conversations with your child to explain the benefits of testing, focusing on how it helps them, their teacher, their school, and other educators understand their strengths and weaknesses and figure out the most effective ways to teach. You can also use this opportunity to ask your students how they feel about testing, and offer reassurance or perspective if they have any anxiety around exams.

4. Offer positive reinforcement: a little encouragement can go a long way in helping students walk into testing days feeling confident—which, in turn, can have a huge effect on their performance. Praise your child for the work that he or she does to prepare for testing, and share in his or her excitement when he or she has success with a new concept or skill. Similarly, when he or she is struggling with a topic, point out the progress that he or she has made and encourage him or her to continue working. Having already experienced success with the material that he or she will be tested on will help your child avoid test anxiety and perform to the best of his or her ability on testing day.

5. Support healthy habits: sleep and nutrition can have a huge impact on your child’s ability to focus and retain information. On testing days, it’s especially important to make sure that your child gets a good night’s sleep, starts the day with a filling breakfast, and goes to school with a water bottle to help stay hydrated.

6. Keep testing in perspective: no single test is that important. Avoid putting too much emphasis on your child’s test scores—doing so can make your child feel pressure that will ultimately only affect his or her performance negatively. It’s also important to not be upset by a single test score. Low test scores can occur for any number of reasons; it may have just been an off day for your child.

7. Debrief after the test: after testing has come and gone, talk with your child about his or her results and how he or she felt about the test. By discussing his or her answers, thought processes, and feelings, you can gain further insight into what he or she is struggling with and excelling at and then help him or her better prepare next time. Talking about testing can also help your child process the experience and overcome any anxiety that he or she might have had.

Here are some resources that may review:

• Parent Guide to Understanding Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments

• Parent Guide to Understanding the California Science Test (CAST), 5th grade only

• Starting Smarter - sample test questions, score reports, and other free resources

 If you have questions about any of the state tests, your student’s academic performance, or your ability to opt your student out of CAASPP assessments, please contact your child's teacher, Ms. Chalfant, or Mrs. Armann.