Statewide CAASPP Data Released: LCMSD Sees Continued Success!

Quick Facts:

• CAASPP student score reports for current 4th-8th graders can be accessed via Aeries

• District and school CAASPP data can be accessed here

• English Language Arts and mathematics scores remain stable when comparing pre and post-pandemic

• Math scores have increased by 9% over the last seven test administrations

• Detailed CAASPP report will be presented to the Board on November 15 

Dear LCMSD Community,

Last spring our 3rd-8th grade students took the Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts/Literacy (ELA) and mathematics, as part of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) program. Score reports for current 4th - 8th grade students are available within the parent portal of Aeries, the district’s student information system. 

To access your child’s report, sign in to Aeries (https://larkspurcortemadera.aeries.net/student/LoginParent.aspx). The school office does not manage Aeries parent portal passwords, so please use the Forgot Password link on the sign in page if you need password support. If you are still having difficulty signing in, please contact the school office. Once you are signed in, select Test Scores from the menu on the left. From here you can select any of the following:

• Test Details will give Lexile and Quantile Scale Scores for current and prior years

• State Test Scores Report will give you a PDF version of your child’s score report for CAASPP, CAST (Science), and ELPAC (if appropriate)

• Test Scores will give an overview of scale score, performance level, Lexile, and Quantile for each year of test scores

These online tests are based on the Common Core State Standards which are California’s academic standards that require students to think critically, write clearly, and solve complex problems. These standards have set a high bar for the education we provide, and these learning targets help ensure our students are well-prepared to succeed in their educational careers and professional pursuits.

In LCMSD, one of our core beliefs is to focus on the whole child, and state tests are one measure of student academic growth in school. CAASPP tests provide a snapshot of our students’ knowledge and skills. We also refer to progress report grades, student work, tests and quizzes, contributions in the classroom, performances, along with other important tools to gauge student progress. We encourage you to keep state test scores in perspective of these overall goals for our students’ development.

The school and district CAASPP results were publicly released earlier today by the California Department of Education. They are available at caaspp-elpac.cde.ca.gov/caaspp/

We are pleased to share that the data represents a number of positive trends in LCMSD students meeting state standards. Overall, the percentage of students meeting or exceeding state standards in English Language Arts has remained consistent, and in mathematics has increased by 2% from last year. Over seven test administrations, the percentage of students meeting or exceeding state standards in mathematics has increased by 9% and  CAASPP scores have remained relatively stable despite the pandemic.

These results signal we are on the right track and that many of the initiatives and programs we have put into place are positively impacting student outcomes. Over the last six years we have engaged in extensive training in research-based instructional strategies such as Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) in mathematics and structured literacy, with our most recent focus on the science of reading, specifically the word study workshop. Additionally, we continually evolve our intervention practices through prescriptive reading interventions based on data-informed needs, as well as introducing a systematic elementary math intervention in 2022. These results indicate that professional development efforts and intervention practices are having an impact on student learning. 

While these scores represent growth and improvement over the last seven test administrations, we acknowledge that we have more work to do so that all of our students meet the standards outlined by the state. These data suggest we are headed in the right direction, but we have not yet reached our destination.

As a district we use these data to evaluate our work and guide our future. Assessment data also provides us an opportunity to examine specific content strands at each grade level, compare cohort data over time, and track individual student growth. All of this allows us to ask questions about data and implement new strategies and programs to support students and teachers.

A detailed report on the CAASPP scores for LCMSD will be shared with the Board at the November 15th Board Meeting. We encourage you to attend. 

Thanks,

Brett Geithman, Ed.D.               Daniel Norbutas