Reporting Overall Performance on the CAAs for ELA, Mathematics, and Science

A scale score and an achievement level are provided for each student. These achievement levels describe how student performance relates to the alternate achievement standards established through the California Alternate Assessments (CAAs) standard setting process. A student is assigned to one of three reporting categories:

• Level 1—Limited Understanding: The assessment results indicate that the student has not yet demonstrated sufficient understanding of the alternate standards measured by this test, even with extensive supports.
• Level 2—Foundational Understanding: The assessment results indicate that the student has partially met the grade-level alternate standard and demonstrates some understanding of the knowledge and skills measured by this test with frequent supports.
• Level 3—Understanding: The assessment results indicate that the student has met the grade-level alternate standard and demonstrates adequate understanding and application of the knowledge and skills measured by this test with occasional supports.

Student achievement levels are assigned on the basis of scale scores. The CAAs use a common reporting scale that allows results to be compared across test administration years. The achievement levels represent approximate ranges of performance at which students demonstrate mastery of a set of adapted academic concepts and practices, as well as those associated with the scale scores just above and below the score received. An achievement level should be understood as a general band of performance.

The overall achievement levels are categorical labels assigned to specific scale score ranges. The minimum and maximum scale scores for each achievement level vary by grade level and subject area. Achievement levels were established through a process called standard setting, which defined the association between scores and their performance categories. Information about achievement level descriptors and scale score ranges can be found in the “Scores and Results Reporting” section of the California Department of Education California Alternate Assessments for ELA and Math web page.

The CAAs are computer-based assessments designed for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. The assessments are individually administered by trained test examiners using the Directions for Administration. Student responses are scored through a combination of automated and examiner-entered scoring, with robust quality-control procedures ensuring accuracy.

CAAs for ELA and Mathematics

The CAAs for English language arts/literacy (ELA) and mathematics measure student achievement of the California Common Core State Standards through simplified, accessible items and tasks. Each scale score is represented as a three-digit number, where the first digit corresponds to the grade level (for example, 300–399 for grade three, 400–499 for grade four, and so on).

The minimum and maximum scale scores for each achievement level vary by grade level. The scale score ranges for the CAAs for ELA and mathematics are presented in table 1.

CAA for Science

The CAA for Science is administered in grade five, grade eight, and once in high school (grade ten, eleven, or twelve) and measures student understanding of disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts aligned with the California Next Generation Science Standards.

Student achievement levels are determined in the same manner as for ELA and mathematics. The scale score ranges for the CAA for Science are presented in table 2.