Already ranking among the top three, K-12 school districts in California in English Language Arts and Math, students in the Piedmont Unified School District (PUSD) are setting the pace in Science according to the 2022 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 in 2014. Last spring, Piedmont students in grades 3–8, and 11, participated in the 2021-22 CAASPP for English Language Arts and Math, while students in grades 5, 8, and 12, participated in the California Science Test (CAST).

Overall, Piedmont students ranked first of all K-12 California school districts in Science, with just under 75% meeting or exceeding the state standards. In addition, PUSD’s percentage of 5th- and 8^th-graders who met or exceeded state standards was the highest in the state of all K-12/K-8 school districts. In comparison, 40% of students in Alameda County and 29.45% of students in California met or exceeded state science standards.

PUSD showed an improvement of more than six percentage points from the previous year and is over four percentage points higher than its pre-pandemic numbers from 2018-19.

PUSD ‘Met or Exceeded’ Percentages – Science:

2018-19                       70.11%

2019-20                       No Data due to COVID

2020-21                       68.86%

2021-22                       74.95%

To view Piedmont’s full results, visit https://tinyurl.com/pusdcast2022. To view results for ELA and Math, visit https://tinyurl.com/pusdcaaspp2022.

“We congratulate our students for their outstanding performance on the California Science Test and setting the standard among school districts in the state,” said PUSD Interim Superintendent, Dr. Donald Evans. “In addition, much appreciation to our educators for their dedication in finding innovative methods to teach this important subject and help our students succeed.”

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.