Students in the Piedmont Unified School District (PUSD) rank near the top of the list among school districts in California taking part in the California Assessments of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP).  

The CAASPP is a collection of computer-based assessments in English Language Arts/Literacy,  Mathematics and now, Science.  The CAASPP replaced the paper-based Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program beginning in 2014.  Last spring, Piedmont students in grades 3–8, and 11, participated in the 2021-22 CAASPP for English Language Arts and Math. Students in grades 5, 8, and 12, participated in the Science test “CAST”.  

The California Department of Education released school, district and state aggregate results on October 24. Piedmont students demonstrated remarkable achievement overall on the CAASPP, ranking second among California K-12 unified school districts in English Language Arts (ELA) and third in Math. 

Top 7 Results for Unified Districts	ELA		Top 7 Results for Unified Districts	MATH
La Cañada Unified	87.9%		San Marino Unified	83.3%
Piedmont Unified	87.1%		La Cañada Unified	83.2%
San Marino Unified	87.0%		Piedmont Unified	81.0%
Palo Alto Unified	83.1%		Palo Alto Unified	78.9%
Manhattan Beach Unified	82.0%		South Pasadena Unified	75.4%
Oak Park Unified	81.2%		Dublin Unified	74.2%
Dublin Unified	81.0%		Pleasanton Unified	73.6%

Overall, over 87% of Piedmont students met or exceeded state standards in English Language Arts – marking a 2% increase from 2021, as well as a return to the district’s pre-pandemic score.  In Mathematics, 81% of students met or exceeded state standards, maintaining their scores from 2021, but still 5.5% below pre-pandemic levels. In Science, nearly 75% of PUSD students met or exceeded state standards. To see Piedmont’s full results, visit  https://tinyurl.com/pusdcaaspp2022 for ELA and Math, and https://tinyurl.com/pusdcast2022 for Science. In comparison, among California students overall, nearly 47% of students met or exceeded standards in English Language Arts (down 4 points from 2019), 33% in Math (down 7 points), and nearly 29% in Science (down one 1 point). 

In addition, PUSD showed a reduction in achievement gaps in student groups and growth in overall distance from “met the state standard.”

“This is exciting news from the state and another wonderful testament to the hard work of Piedmont students, teachers and staff,” said PUSD Interim Superintendent, Dr. Donald Evans. “To show such resiliency in reaching or approaching the District’s pre-COVID results, despite everything they’ve gone through, demonstrates students’ willingness to learn and educators’ dedication to supporting them in every way.”

Like class assignments and report cards, the CAASPP assessments are one gauge of student progress, providing information to schools, teachers, and parents about how students perform relative to California’s goals for both learning and college and career readiness.  These results will be used as one of several means to determine and meet student needs, and guide discussions among parents and teachers.   

Individual student score reports of PUSD students were made available in the fall and can be accessed at any time by families electronically on the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. Directions are available on the district website. The individual score reports include a link to free tools and resources in reading and mathematics. Other resources for families include:

• Information on CAASPP tests, sample reports, and help for families: Test Score Guide website “Starting Smarter” (https://ca.startingsmarter.org)
• View a complete Sample Individual Score Report (https://www.caaspp.org/administration/reporting/student-score-report.html)
• Visit http://www.greatschools.org/gk/test-guide/ for a detailed explanation of test results for each grade level and subject.