California's new student assessment system is now known as California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). The CAASPP System replaces the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program. The primary purpose of CAASPP is to assist teachers, administrators, and pupils and their parents by promoting high-quality teaching and learning through the use of a variety of assessment approaches and item types.

CAASPP is comprised of the following:

• Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments for English language arts (ELA) and mathematics in grades three through eight, and grade eleven.  The Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments which are delivered by computer consist of two sections: a computer-adaptive test and a performance task (PT) based on the Common Core State Standards for English language arts and mathematics. The computer-adaptive section includes a range of item types such as selected response, constructed response, table, fill-in, graphing, etc. The PT are extended activities that measure a student’s ability to integrate knowledge and skills across multiple standards—a key component of college and career readiness.   For students in grade eleven, the Early Assessment Program (EAP) will use the Smarter Balanced summative assessments.
• Grade-level science assessments, including the California Standards Tests (CSTs), California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA), and the California Modified Assessment (CMA), in grades five, eight, and ten.  The CSTs, CMA, and CAPA are all paper-pencil tests based on the California content standards for science adopted by the State Board of California in October 1998. (Science assessments based on the Next Generation Science Standards, adopted in September 2013, are not yet available).
• The California Alternate Assessment (CAA) for English–language arts and mathematics in grades three through eight, and grade eleven. The content of the CAA is based on alternate achievement standards derived from the Common Core State Standards for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. The CAA will be delivered on the computer for this operational administration.

For more information regarding CAASPP, visit http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/ca/.