The state requirement for schools is to test 100% of students in the district that fall into the testing grade ranges. The minimum state requirement is 95% participation. This means that we must have 95% of all students and 95 of students in each subgroup complete the CAASPP assessment. If the 95% minimum is not met there can be penalties applied.

• For every student not tested that it would take to meet the 95% minimum, a negative score penalty is applied. That negative score penalty directly impacts each school and district's CA Dashboard Indicators.

  • This same penalty applies to students with parent waivers

  • Penalties can include:

    • Lower status and color change

    • Increased oversite or

      placement in CA Systems of support

    • Low public perception of the district and schools

      • Low participation can be perceived as low performance when penalties are applied.

See the image below which demonstrates how not meeting the 95% participation rate can take positive student test results into negative score and dashboard reporting.

The benefits of meeting the 95% participation rate include:

• More accurate data about student learning

  • This allows for more accurate analysis of programs and curriculum which leads to better understanding of successes, learning gaps, and priorities.

  • Ratings reflect actual learning, not a lack of participation

  • Better access to resources and support.

  • Better perception and community trust

• Practice Tests - practice tests are available online and can be accessed by parents and students at home to get familiar with the testing platform and work on practice questions.

• I-Ready - students in grades 3-8 can access i-Ready lessons at home to practice and strengthen their skills

• Play math games -

  • There are lots of math games that you can play with your student at home that reinforce and help students retain key math facts.

    • Use cards or dice to practice adding, subtracting, and multiplying

    • Have your student build a budget before grocery shopping, ask them to use their estimating skills while gathering items to determine if you are on budget.

• Read 30 minutes nightly - students should read every night!

  • Build their reading stamina by steadily increasing minutes

  • Ask "w" questions about what they are reading -

    • Who is it about? Who are the characters? What do you know about them?

    • What did they do? What happened? What was the order of events?

    • Why did they do it? Why did the character make those choices? Why do you think the author wrote it that way?

    • When did it happen? What time period does the story take palace? How do you know?

    • Where is it at? Where do the events take place?

  • Ask questions that require students to male predictions, inferences, summarize, or draw conclusions -

    • What do you predict will happen next? What makes you think that?

    • Can you summarize the main events?

    • If you could change the ending, what would you change and why?

    • What is the author trying to tell or teach you by telling this story?

    • Do you agree with what they did? Why or Why not?

  • Ask questions that require students to connect and evaluate what they are reading -

    • Does this remind you of anything in your own life, another book, or movie you have seen?

    • What is your opinion? How would you rate this reading?

    • What questions do you still have after finishing the reading?

    • If you could ask the author one question, what would it be?

  • For Non fiction reading -

    • What are the key points the author wants you to remember?

    • What is the main point of this section?

    • Is the author trying to convince you to agree with them?

    • What evidence can you find to support that?

    • Why is this important?

    • What connections can you make to the real world or a personal experience?

  • Reach out to your child's teacher and/or counselor for additional practice work

When it comes to testing, children take their emotional cues from the adults around them. A positive mindset at home can make all the difference in how they approach both preparation and test day. When parents stay calm, encouraging, and confident, students begin to see testing not as something scary, but as an opportunity to show what they know.

A supportive environment; simple things like celebrating effort, praising progress, and keeping routines steady, helps students feel safe and capable. When children believe they can succeed, they’re more willing to try, more resilient when challenges come up, and more focused during practice.

By modeling optimism and reassurance, parents help build a mindset that says, “I can do hard things.” That confidence doesn’t just improve testing experiences; it strengthens a child’s overall approach to learning and problem‑solving. In the end, a positive mindset at home becomes one of the most powerful tools a student carries into any test.

Make sure students are ready to go for testing:

• Ensure adequate sleep prior to testing days, a calm bedtime routine can make all the difference!

• Ensure students eat a nutritious breakfast

• Try to ensure a calm morning prior to testing - we know it can't always be avoided but rushing can cause students to feel frantic and increase test anxiety.

• Encourage students to try their best