What's on the report

The Student Score Report is the official CAASPP report for parents. For grades 3–8 it has up to five pages (Scoring and Reporting Guide):

  1. General information about your child and the tests.
  2. English language arts.
  3. Math.
  4. Additional measures: the essay, the Lexile and Quantile measures, and comparisons.
  5. Science (CAST), for students in grades 5 and 8.

Every report also has a QR code and web address for Starting Smarter, the state's parent site.

The four achievement levels

Level Name on reports for the 2025–26 tests Name on earlier reports
4 Advanced Standard Exceeded
3 Proficient Standard Met
2 Developing Standard Nearly Met
1 Minimal Standard Not Met

The State Board of Education approved the new names on March 5, 2025, by a 7–4 vote, after changing the staff's proposed "Basic" and "Below Basic" to "Developing" and "Minimal" (Board actions). They took effect with the reports for the spring 2026 tests. The test questions, scale scores and cut scores stayed the same, so results can still be compared from year to year (staff flyer, April 2026).

The state says the change corrects a misconception: that Level 3 is a grade-level cutoff and that students below it are "below grade level" (May 2026 update). The family flyer says all four levels represent grade-level learning, at different points of understanding.

Scale scores by grade

Each grade has its own score ranges, and each grade's standards are harder than the last, so the same number means different things in 4th and 6th grade. These are the ranges in the state's Appendix A:

English language arts Minimal Developing Proficient Advanced
Grade 3 2115–2366 2367–2431 2432–2489 2490–2650
Grade 4 2140–2415 2416–2472 2473–2532 2533–2690
Grade 5 2200–2441 2442–2501 2502–2581 2582–2730
Grade 6 2230–2456 2457–2530 2531–2617 2618–2770
Grade 7 2260–2478 2479–2551 2552–2648 2649–2810
Grade 8 2290–2486 2487–2566 2567–2667 2668–2850
Math Minimal Developing Proficient Advanced
Grade 3 2190–2380 2381–2435 2436–2500 2501–2660
Grade 4 2205–2410 2411–2484 2485–2548 2549–2700
Grade 5 2220–2454 2455–2527 2528–2578 2579–2740
Grade 6 2235–2472 2473–2551 2552–2609 2610–2780
Grade 7 2250–2483 2484–2566 2567–2634 2635–2820
Grade 8 2265–2503 2504–2585 2586–2652 2653–2860

Every score has a margin of error. The state's guide gives the example of 2300 (+/-10), a likely range of 2290 to 2310 (using the CSEM). A score a few points from a level's edge could fall on either side on another day.

Area results

Under each overall score, the report breaks the subject into areas:

Subject Areas reported
English language arts Reading and Listening; Writing and Research
Math Concepts and Procedures; Mathematical Practices (the other three math claims combined)
Science Earth and Space Sciences; Life Sciences; Physical Sciences

Each area gets one of three labels: Above Proficient (a green star), At or Near Proficient (a blue double tilde) and Below Proficient (a yellow exclamation point). Before 2025–26 they were Above, Near and Below Standard, with a plus-minus sign for Near (what's new). An area's label depends on how far the student's result in that area is from the Proficient cut score, allowing for the margin of error (student score reporting). If a student answered too few questions in an area, it shows "No Score."

The areas are the most useful part for deciding what to practice. Writing and Research Below Proficient while Reading and Listening is Above Proficient points somewhere quite different from the reverse.

Score history, comparisons and the extra measures

  • Score history: the report shows the two previous years' results next to this year's. Third graders, testing for the first time, see a first-time message instead.
  • Comparisons: a table puts your child's score next to the school average and the state average.
  • Essay: the English writing response is reported on three writing traits.
  • Lexile and Quantile: a Lexile measure for reading and a Quantile measure for math, each linked to the test score.

Science (CAST)

Students take the California Science Test in 5th and 8th grade, and once in high school (California Assessment System). It uses the same four level names, on its own scale: in grade 5, Proficient is 214–230 and Advanced 231–250; in grade 8, Proficient is 415–432 and Advanced 433–450 (Appendix A). The three science domains get the same Above, At or Near, and Below Proficient labels, and aren't reported for students who answered fewer than 10 questions.

When reports arrive

  • Testing: each district picks a window of at least 25 instructional days inside the state window, which ran January 20 to June 30, 2026. CVUSD's CAASPP page says its window begins in March and ends on the last day of school.
  • Scoring: Starting Smarter's FAQ says scores reach districts three to four weeks after a student tests.
  • Delivery: the district must make results available within 20 working days of receiving them. If results arrive after the last day of instruction, the deadline is the first 20 working days of the next school year (5 CCR §863). Districts can send the PDF through a secure parent portal or on paper (distributing reports).
  • 2026: for the spring 2026 tests, the state said reports would start appearing on May 15, 2026, in districts' student information system parent portals, where a district has set that up (May 13 update). Ask your district how it sends them.

What to do with it

  • Look up the sample questions. On Starting Smarter, pick the subject, grade and area to see what the skills look like as test questions. The site has annotated sample reports and parent guides in nine languages.
  • Bring the areas to the teacher. Ask whether the area results match what the teacher sees in class, and what the next unit will build on.
  • Compare with your school carefully. The share of students scoring Proficient or Advanced at 31 public schools in Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park, Westlake Village, Oak Park and Agoura Hills, for 2025–26 and 2024–25, is on the Conejo Valley test scores page.- Treat it as one measure. The report is one spring test. Report cards, classroom work and, in grades K–2, the reading difficulties screening show other parts of the picture.

Questions parents ask

What does Proficient mean on a CAASPP score report?

It's Level 3 of 4, called "Standard Met" on reports before 2025–26. The state's family flyer says all four levels represent grade-level learning, at different points of understanding.

Did the CAASPP achievement levels change in 2026?

The names did, starting with reports for the spring 2026 tests: Advanced, Proficient, Developing and Minimal replaced Standard Exceeded, Met, Nearly Met and Not Met. The cut scores didn't change, so results can still be compared with earlier years.

When will I get my child's CAASPP score report?

Districts must make results available within 20 working days of receiving them, or within the first 20 working days of the next school year if results arrive after the last day of instruction. For the spring 2026 tests, the state said reports would start appearing on May 15, 2026, in districts' student information system portals, where a district has set that up; ask your district how it sends them.

What score is Proficient in 5th-grade math?

2528 to 2578 is Proficient, and 2579 or higher is Advanced, on the state's scale score table for grade 5 math.

Can I compare this year's score with last year's?

Yes, with care. The report shows the two prior years, each grade's score ranges are higher than the grade before, and the 2025–26 renaming didn't change the cut scores. A change of a few points can sit within the score's margin of error.

Sources