Assessment was top of mind during the California State Board of Education’s (SBE) Sept. 10–11 meeting, which included actions taken related to measuring student knowledge and outcomes in science and languages, as well as updates to Student Score Reports (SSRs) and the state’s assessment system as a whole.
Assessment, assessment, assessment
The board’s big ticket agenda items centered largely on assessments. Among the actions taken on the first day of the meeting, the board approved proposed changes to California Spanish assessment threshold scores and the California Spanish assessment threshold level to earn a State Seal of Biliteracy (SSB), as well as revisions to the SSRs for the California Science Test (CAST), Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments for English language arts (ELA)/literacy and mathematics, and the California Spanish Assessment (CSA). The Smarter Balanced Assessments are also known as the California Assessment for Student Performance and Progress. (Additional detail for each proposed change can be found in the agenda item and included attachments)
“I think this package of action just shows how far California has come in making assessments more meaningful,” said board member Gabriela Orozco-Gonzalez, one of the SBE’s two liaisons focused on assessment work.
State Seal of Biliteracy
In California, the State Seal of Biliteracy recognizes high school graduates who have attained a high level of proficiency in speaking, reading and writing in one or more languages in addition to English. The CSA, which measures a student’s literacy in Spanish language arts and provides student-level data in Spanish literacy, can provide a high school measure suitable to be used, in part, for the SSB. California Department of Education (CDE) staff noted that with the addition of speaking and writing constructed response items during spring 2025, the CSA can now be used as a measure to demonstrate proficiency in one or more languages other than English, along with other assessments such as Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate, to meet the requirements of the State Seal of Biliteracy.
Following the board’s approval, students who demonstrate a high degree of grade-appropriate Spanish literacy in reading, writing, listening and speaking by reaching Level 3 on the CSA can use that as an indicator of readiness to earn the State Seal of Biliteracy.
Student Score Reports
Following board action in March to revise the reporting achievement level descriptors (ALDs) and labels for the CAST and Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments for ELA and math and additional technical edits adopted at the board’s May meeting, the board approved another round of revisions to be implemented starting with the 2025–26 school year to the Student Score Reports (SSRs) for the CAST and Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments for ELA and math. Additional information on the revised SSRs is available in this August SBE information memo.
Proposed revisions to the CSA SSRs consider the Spanish assessment’s expansion to include full writing and speaking elements. With this change, the CSA is moving from score reporting ranges to threshold scores and levels, among other changes. The SSRs are anticipated to be generated and sent to local educational agencies in December 2025, according to CDE staff. Additional details on the proposed revisions are available in the agenda item. Key changes include:
| SSR element | Current reporting on 2023–24 SSRs |
Proposed revision for 2024–25 SSRs |
| Overall score | Provided only the score reporting ranges and the overall score | Provide scale scores and overall achievement level displayed similar to other CAASPP SSRs |
| What do the scores mean? | Provided basic information regarding the score reporting ranges | Provide basic information regarding the overall level and reporting ALD level, along with information on performance areas. This includes the composites (high school only) and domains |
| Performance Areas for grades three through eight | Provided score reporting range “can do” descriptions for listening, reading and writing mechanics | Provide performance level information about whether a student is meeting expectations for each performance area domain |
Looking forward
Looking ahead at future assessments, the board approved the following goals and priorities as part of the next California assessment system request for submission:
- Implement the California assessment system during the 2027–32 school years with the development and administration of high-quality assessments that are authentic, culturally responsive, inclusive and provide actionable results that inform teaching and learning.
- Provide a robust assessment system that is comprehensive and coherent; flexible and accessible to support the needs of educators, students and families while providing data that supports valid inferences; innovative to increase value and efficiency; and designed with technology solutions that meet industry best practices and standards.
- Support California in complying with applicable state and federal laws.
The board also continued discussion on the concept and purpose of CAST mini-performance tasks (mini-PTs) that were introduced during the board’s July meeting as part of the broader CAST Innovations initiative. The state’s assessment contractor, ETS, is leading the development of science mini-PTs, as outlined in the CAST Innovations Concept Paper.
The board approved the CAST Innovations Mini-performance Tasks Assessment Development Plan (detailed in attachment seven in the agenda item), which outlines the high-level steps and deliverables for designing the assessment framework, creating task sketches and storyboards of the mini-PTs, conducting cognitive labs and usability testing, and analyzing findings. The board will receive final recommendations at its September 2026 meeting.
“The science should feel like science, and when assessments ask students to argue from evidence or design solutions, it affirms what teachers are working toward in the classroom,” Orozco-Gonzalez said following the CDE presentation, which included examples of CAST mini-PT questions. “The next challenge will be ensuring that these results return quickly enough to be instructionally useful.”
Student data sharing
CDE provided the board with an update on the Education Data Management Division’s (EDMD) efforts on data sharing and communications to support the statewide rollout of the California College Guidance Initiative (CCGI) and the tools it provides students. The state is currently focused on establishing and scaling at a statewide level the use of student-friendly tools provided through the CCGI platform — CaliforniaColleges.edu — and based on student data provided by the CDE and LEAs.
The CDE meets statutory requirements to support CCGI’s creation of universal “Basic” student accounts for all public school students enrolled in grades 6-12 by providing CCGI with weekly enrollment files from the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System. Students with a Basic Account can explore college and career options and find information on financial aid and college and career planning through grade-level appropriate lessons.
By next summer, LEAs serving students in grades 9–12 are required to have signed a data-sharing agreement with CCGI and provided CCGI with individual student course enrollment and completion data from their student information system on an ongoing basis. Doing so will enable CCGI to provide students with transcript-informed accounts that will allow users to apply for admission to California’s public colleges and universities, as well as financial aid, directly from their student account. Students will have their transcripts verified by CCGI for accuracy with A–G eligibility data and imported into their University of California and California State University applications.
In other State Board news:
- The board adopted modifications to the Comprehensive Literacy State Development 2024 grant application as instructed by the U.S. Department of Education. This competitive grant advances literacy skills for children from birth through 12th grade using evidence-based practices focused on pre-literacy skills, reading and writing. The grant emphasizes support for disadvantaged children, including those living in poverty, English learners and students with disabilities.
- The September SBE meeting represented the first for the board’s new student board member, Vanessa Ejike. Ejike, who hails from ABC Unified School District, serves as the National Partnership Director for the High School Democrats of America and Local Affairs Director for the California High School Democrats; is the founder of her school’s Principal’s Advisory Council; serves on the Los Angeles County Office of Education’s Student Advisory Council; and is the president of her school’s Key Club and National Honor Society, and vice president of the Black Student Union.
- CDE staff celebrated the completion of Vietnamese American Experiences, Cambodian American Studies, Hmong History and Cultural Studies, and Native American Studies model curricula required under Assembly Bill 167 (2021). All four model curricula are now available at no cost to LEAs on a dedicated online platform hosted by the California History–Social Science project at UC Davis.
The next State Board meeting is scheduled for Nov. 5-6, 2025. View the full meeting calendar.
