The primary purpose of the CAASPP System is to assist teachers, administrators, students, and parents by promoting high-quality teaching and learning through the use of a variety of assessment approaches and item types. 

Participation

Students in grades 3 - 8 and grade 11.

About

The Physical Fitness Test (PFT) is a comprehensive, health-related physical fitness battery of tests for students in California. The State Board of Education designated the FITNESSGRAM® as the PFT for students in California public schools. The test has five parts that show a level of fitness that offer a degree of defense against diseases that come from inactivity. The test results can be used by students, teachers, and parents. The FITNESSGRAM® consists of five fitness areas: Aerobic Capacity, Abdominal Strength and Endurance, Upper Body Strength and Endurance, Trunk Extensor Strength and Flexibility, and Flexibility.

Participation

Students in grades five, seven, and nine take the PFT.

About

The ELPAC system is used to determine and monitor the progress of the English language proficiency of students whose primary language is not English. The ELPAC is aligned with the 2012 California English Language Development Standards and assesses four domains: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

Please visit the  English Learners page for more information.

About

The State Seal of Biliteracy (SSB), per Assembly Bill 815 (Brownley, Chapter 618, Statutes of 2011), became effective January 1, 2012, and was amended in 2017 per AB 1142, effective January 1, 2018. California Education Code sections 51460–51464 establish the SSB program and its requirements. This program recognizes high school graduates who have attained a high level of proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing one or more languages in addition to English. The SSB will be awarded by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction in accordance with specified criteria set forth in the legislation.

How Do AUSD Students Qualify to Apply for the SSB?

AUSD utilizes iReady as a common assessment for all students in grades K-8.  The online, adaptive assessment is administered in both ELA and mathematics three times a year.  This is a formative assessment tool that is used to plan and target instruction in the classroom and to expose students to a testing platform that is similar to the state's CAASPP assessment system. In addition to the diagnostic assessments, students engage in personalized learning paths that is individualized to their instructional levels based on their performance on the diagnostic assessments.  Students engage in 45 minutes of online instructional lessons in ELA and in math each week. 

BPST

The Basic Phonics Skills Test III (BPST) is a phonics assessment that consists of the recognition of letter sounds, specific phonics patterns, and the blending of single syllable and polysyllabic words out of context.  Phonics is the process of mapping the sounds in words to written letters. This is one of the earliest reading skills children should develop, because it introduces them to the link between letters and sounds, known as the alphabetic principle. We use measures like the BPST 3 to help understand students' level of phonics competency to help inform instruction. Some students who score low will need additional practice with developing their understanding of phonics-these students receive pull out services by Intervention teachers as well as support by push in reading teachers (PIRTs) across the district. 

IWT

The Irregular Words Test (IWT) assessments for all students in grades Kindergarten-2nd.  The IWT is administered to measure high frequency words that cannot be easily sounded out.  These words need to be taught and mastered as site words. Some students who have made good progress in phonics strategies have difficulty transitioning from decodable regular text because of their limited mastery of high frequency sight words. 

AUSD has invested in evidence-based intervention programs for both reading and math at the secondary level.  Math 180 and Read 180 are high-interest, age-appropriate instructional tools and resources that integrate direct instruction, educational technology and independent skill development opportunities for students who require additional supports in specific grade level standards and skills.  Read 180 is currently active at all of our middle schools, comprehensive high schools and one alternative high school. Math 180 is currently active at one middle school and one high school.