In one of the most anticipated agenda items, the board approved proposed revisions to the SSRs with amendments for the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP), also known as Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments, for English language arts and mathematics, California Science Test (CAST), and Initial English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC).
The SSR is used to describe and report student test results from the CAASPP, with a student’s scores falling within one of four achievement levels that provide context on how the student performed on the tests.
In the figure below are the labels currently used in the reports, those that were recently considered by the SBE, and the version brought to the board. (Full descriptions are available in the agenda item.)
This decision was made partially in response to concerns from the public, including CSBA, that the proposed changes to the SSRs could be too vague and confusing. During public comment, many noted that the changes may negatively impact how a student and their parents interpret the student’s results on state standardized tests by leading to more confusion rather than clarification.
In February, the CDE released a memo summarizing the feedback and the proposed revisions to the reporting ALDs and labels as well as the proposed revisions for the 2025–26 SSRs for the CAASPP assessments and the California Science Test.
Despite the new labels and descriptors having been developed by focus groups that included K-12 students and parents, many board members expressed concern that the language used — particularly “Basic” and “Below Basic” — were not encouraging enough. SBE members expressed preference for words including “minimal,” “emerging,” or “developing” be used as labels or in ALDs instead — some of which were not brought to the focus groups as options for discussion.
Board member Gabriela Orozco-Gonzalez urged colleagues to stick to the language that was provided to the focus groups for input. “The focus groups liked these descriptors … I think that it’s important to use the language that was used in the focus groups because so much time was spent on that,” she said. “The parents and the students found that the language was appropriate and that it was real for them, so that they could then take an action forward.”
Ultimately, the board voted 7-4 to adopt the majority of the proposed SSR revisions. Amendments adopted are as follows:
Level two: Developing – The student demonstrates basic grade-level knowledge and skills and shows an initial understanding of and ability to apply the knowledge and skills in English language arts/literacy needed for success in future coursework.
Level one: Minimal – The student demonstrates below basic grade-level knowledge and skills and shows a minimal understanding of and ability to apply the knowledge and skills in English language arts/literacy needed for success in future coursework.
2024 marked the first year that a science indicator was included in the Dashboard for informational purposes. Now that the board has approved Science Indicator status cut points (i.e., very high, high, medium, low and very low); change cut points (i.e., declines significantly, declined, maintained, increased and increased significantly); and a color scheme for the five-by-five balanced color grid, the board could take additional action at its July meeting to include science in either state or federal accountability.
CDE staff will present an analysis of the impact of including the science indicator for support eligibility under the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) at the May meeting. At the July meeting, the board will decide which LCFF Priority Area the science indicator belongs within and then decide whether or how the color received for the metric would contribute toward eligibility for differentiated assistance.
Cindy Kazanis, director of the CDE’s Analysis, Measurement, and Accountability Reporting division, noted that due to recent legislative action requiring that the Dashboard be published annually by Oct. 15 beginning in 2026, options to utilize growth data within the Dashboard indicators or for use in differentiated assistance eligibility are limited because of the time it takes to produce growth data upon receipt of the final testing results each September.
The CDE said that as a result of timing and legislative limitations, the best path forward would be to adopt performance standards and continue to publish growth data as additional information on the Dashboard with no accountability implications.
A full recap of the meeting is available at: blog.csba.org/sbe-march-2025-recap/
The next State Board meeting is scheduled for May 7-8.