AI-generated questions aligned to California Common Core State Standards (CA-CCSS) standards. Pick your grade and subject — no signup. Math, Science, English/RLA.
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Select your child's grade level. We show which subjects are available for that grade on the SBAC.
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The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) is a multi-state standardized test used across 12+ states including California, Oregon, Washington, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and others. In California, SBAC is administered as the CAASPP (California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress). It is the only major multi-state assessment consortium still operating at scale, and it stands out for two features no other state test has: computer-adaptive testing combined with a Performance Task that requires extended writing and multi-step problem solving.
Spring testing window varies by state. In California: typically March through June 2026. Tests are untimed — students can take as long as needed within the school day.
| Grade | Subjects Tested |
|---|---|
| Grade 3 | ELA (CAT + Performance Task) and Mathematics (CAT + Performance Task) |
| Grade 4 | ELA (CAT + Performance Task) and Mathematics (CAT + Performance Task) |
| Grade 5 | ELA, Mathematics (+ state-specific Science, e.g., CAST in California) |
| Grade 6 | ELA (CAT + Performance Task) and Mathematics (CAT + Performance Task) |
| Grade 7 | ELA (CAT + Performance Task) and Mathematics (CAT + Performance Task) |
| Grade 8 | ELA, Mathematics (+ state-specific Science, e.g., CAST in California) |
California uses the following performance levels. Level 3 ('Standard Met') is the proficiency target. SBAC also provides claim-level scores breaking down performance in specific areas (Reading, Writing, Listening, Research/Inquiry for ELA; Concepts & Procedures, Problem Solving, Communicating Reasoning for Math).
Student does not demonstrate adequate understanding of grade-level standards.
Student demonstrates partial understanding but has not reached proficiency.
Student demonstrates grade-level proficiency in Common Core standards.
Student demonstrates advanced mastery beyond grade-level expectations.
SBAC has two distinct components. The CAT (Computer-Adaptive Test) adjusts difficulty based on answers. The Performance Task is an extended, multi-step assignment requiring research, analysis, and writing. No other state test has both.
ELA CAT: 36-40 adaptive items (~90 min). Performance Task: 4 items requiring extended writing (~120 min). The PT includes reading source materials, answering comprehension questions, then writing a full essay.
Math CAT: 30-34 adaptive items (~90-120 min). Performance Task: 4-6 multi-step problems (~60 min). PT problems require showing work and explaining reasoning.
SBAC is untimed in most states. Students can take as long as needed within the school day. This measures knowledge, not speed.
California released its 2023-24 CAASPP statewide results on October 15, 2024 — ELA at 47.04% Met or Exceeded, Math at 35.54%, CAST Science at 30.70%. Preliminary 2024-25 numbers released in fall 2025 showed continued small gains: ELA ~48.8%, Math ~37.3%, CAST ~37.3%. Pre-pandemic baselines (2018-19) were 51.7% ELA and 37.1% Math — California has not fully recovered on ELA but is closing in on math. Per-grade breakdowns live behind dropdowns on the CAASPP-ELPAC dashboard; the 2023 grade-level pattern below is the most recent fully-public per-grade table.
| Grade / Subject | % Meeting or Exceeding | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Statewide ELA grades 3-8 + 11 (2023-24) | 47.04% | Met or Exceeded |
| Statewide Math grades 3-8 + 11 (2023-24) | 35.54% | Met or Exceeded |
| CAST Science (overall, 2023-24) | 30.70% | Up from 30.2% in 2022-23 |
| 2023 Grade 3 ELA | 44.21% | Lowest ELA grade in 3-8 |
| 2023 Grade 7 ELA | 49.65% | Highest ELA grade in 3-8 |
| 2023 Grade 4 Math | 42.25% | Math collapses from grade 5 onward |
| 2023 Grade 8 Math | 33.94% | Lowest math grade in 3-8 |
| 2024-25 preliminary ELA | ~48.8% | Up ~2 ppt YoY |
| 2024-25 preliminary Math | ~37.3% | Up ~2 ppt YoY (biggest grade 8 jump: +6.2 scale-score points) |
Two California stories. First: aggregate scores are recovering slowly — about +2 percentage points year-over-year. Second: the same SBAC test is taken in Washington and Oregon, where 2024 ELA proficiency was roughly 47% in WA and 46.9% in OR (grade 5). California sits at 47% — close to Washington but with very different demographics. California has the highest English Learner share in the country (~60% socioeconomically disadvantaged), and the same SBAC test produces different outcomes based on student populations, not test difficulty. For families: California's score growth is real but slow. Focused practice on Performance Task skills (extended writing, multi-step reasoning, source synthesis) moves performance bands faster than general reading practice.
Tony Thurmond is California's State Superintendent of Public Instruction — an elected statewide role. His current term runs through January 2027. He announced the 'Literacy Moonshot' in January 2026 — a five-year plan to close California's third-grade literacy gap. He is term-limited; a new State Superintendent will be elected in November 2026. Thurmond is running for governor in the June 2026 Democratic primary (polling at the bottom of a crowded field per CalMatters). The 2026 election is described by CalMatters as 'barely on the radar.'
Released statement on Governor Newsom's May Revision budget, highlighting investments in literacy, special education, and community schools. Announced 2026 California Classified School Employees of the Year.
Announced the California Literacy Moonshot — a five-year plan to close the third-grade literacy gap. CDE press release yr26rel01 provided framework details.
Oversaw State Board approval of the 2025 CAASPP performance-level relabeling: 'Standard Met' → 'Proficient,' 'Standard Exceeded' → 'Advanced.' Driver: CDE focus groups found parents confused by 'standard.'
California has the country's most diverse public school system. The spread between Palo Alto's affluent silicon-valley families and Fresno's central-valley agricultural communities is enormous on the same SBAC test. Numbers below are 2024-25 CAASPP Grade 5 Math proficiency where available.
Highest-performing major California district. Stanford-adjacent, tech-heavy, high-income parent demographic. Grade 5 Math proficiency is approximately 45 percentage points above the state average. Demonstrates the upper bound of what California public schools achieve.
Second-largest district in the United States after NYC. Highly diverse demographically. 2024-25 marked the district's best CAASPP scores since 2018-19, though still below pre-pandemic levels. Mayor's Office and LAUSD positioning has emphasized recovery momentum.
California's second-largest district by enrollment in southern CA. Stronger overall performance than LAUSD across most measures. Diverse demographically, including significant Hispanic and Asian populations.
Strong overall performance driven by high parent education and income. Within-district equity gaps remain significant. SFUSD has been navigating budget challenges and school-board recall aftermath in recent years.
Fourth-largest district in California. Agricultural Central Valley. Heavy English Learner and economically disadvantaged populations. Grade 5 Math proficiency about 14 ppt below state average. Represents the broader Central Valley pattern that pulls California's aggregate scores below other SBAC states.
Headline spread: Palo Alto 80.93% Grade 5 Math versus Fresno 25.81% Grade 5 Math = roughly 55 percentage points on the same SBAC test. Inside one state, in the same school year, on the same Common Core-aligned assessment. The gap is structural — tied to parent income, English Learner share, and geographic context — not to the test itself.
California has the highest English Learner share of any state (~21% of K-12 students) and one of the highest economically-disadvantaged shares (~60%). On the same SBAC test as Washington and Oregon, California posts roughly 47% ELA Met or Exceeded versus ~47% in WA and ~46.9% in OR (grade 5). The aggregate looks similar — but the underlying student populations are very different. PPIC and PACE research consistently shows California's gap with neighboring SBAC states is explained by demographics, not test difficulty or instructional quality. Inside California, Palo Alto's 80.93% Grade 5 Math proficiency sits roughly 55 percentage points above Fresno's 25.81% on the same test. For families: California's aggregate trajectory is slowly upward (+2 ppt YoY). Targeted Performance Task practice — extended writing with source synthesis, multi-step math problems with reasoning — accelerates the curve for individual students faster than general reading.
Three California policies are reshaping CAASPP score interpretation right now.
California's State Board of Education approved relabeling all four CAASPP performance levels in 2025. Old labels (Standard Not Met / Standard Nearly Met / Standard Met / Standard Exceeded) became new labels (Minimal / Developing / Proficient / Advanced). Driver: CDE focus groups found parents confused by 'standard.' New labels align with federal ESSA and NAEP terminology, making cross-state comparisons easier. Old score reports (2015-2024) use old labels; new reports (2025+) use new labels.
Announced January 2026 by State Superintendent Tony Thurmond. Five-year plan to close California's third-grade literacy gap. Components include universal early-reading screening, intensive intervention services, and aligned curriculum support. CDE press release yr26rel01 provided initial framework details. Implementation is still rolling out as of May 2026.
Signed September 2023 as an urgency provision. Ties textbook compliance to LCFF (Local Control Funding Formula) financial penalty — districts that adopt non-compliant materials risk funding. The bill emerged from California's 2023 social-studies textbook adoption controversy. Affects ELA test alignment indirectly because adopted materials must align to California's ELA/ELD framework.
SBAC is the only multi-state assessment consortium still operating at scale. PARCC dissolved; its remnants live in state-specific tests. SBAC serves 12+ states with a unified test.
The Performance Task is unique to SBAC — no other state test includes a separate, extended multi-step assignment. Students research, analyze sources, and write full essays or solve complex multi-part math problems.
Claim-level scoring provides the most granular breakdown of any state test. ELA breaks into Reading, Writing, Listening, and Research/Inquiry. Math breaks into Concepts & Procedures, Problem Solving, and Communicating Reasoning.
Because SBAC is used across 12+ states, scores are roughly comparable if you move between participating states (e.g., California to Oregon to Washington).
SBAC is designed ground-up to assess Common Core — it's the purest Common Core assessment available.
Heads up: California renamed the performance levels in 2025. 'Standard Met' is now 'Proficient.' 'Standard Exceeded' is 'Advanced.' Old score reports (2015-2024) use the old labels; new ones (2025+) use the new ones. If you're comparing year-over-year, know that the names changed but the cut scores did not.
The Performance Task is the hardest part of SBAC and the part most parents don't prepare for. Your child reads multiple source documents, answers questions about them, then writes a full essay across two days. Practice extended writing with evidence from texts — not just reading comprehension.
Look at the claim-level scores, not just the overall level. Your child might be Proficient overall but weak in Writing and strong in Reading. The claim scores tell you exactly where to focus practice.
The test is untimed in California. Tell your child there's no rush. Many students finish the CAT portion quickly but need significantly more time on the Performance Task (which alone runs 105-120 minutes for ELA).
Science is NOT part of SBAC — California tests it separately via CAST (California Science Test) in grades 5, 8, and once in high school. CAST is phenomenon-based and NGSS-aligned. CAST proficiency was 30.7% statewide in 2023-24, so treat it as a separate test with separate prep needs.
The Performance Task (PT) is a unique component of SBAC — an extended, multi-step assignment given in addition to the Computer-Adaptive Test (CAT). For ELA, students read 2-3 source documents and write a multi-paragraph essay across two days (105-120 minutes total). For Math, students solve 4-6 multi-step problems requiring reasoning explanations. PTs are hand-scored by trained graders using Smarter Balanced rubrics. No other major state test has an equivalent multi-day extended task.
Yes and no. SBAC (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium) is the multi-state assessment program — used in California, Washington, Oregon, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and others. CAASPP (California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress) is California's name for its statewide testing program, which INCLUDES the SBAC test plus the CAST (California Science Test). When parents say 'CAASPP,' they often mean SBAC; when they say 'SBAC,' they often mean the California version.
Same test, different students. California has the highest English Learner share in the country (~21% of K-12 students) and a higher economically-disadvantaged share than Washington or Oregon. PPIC and PACE research consistently shows California's gap with neighboring SBAC states is explained by demographics — not test difficulty or instructional quality. On the same SBAC test, California posts ~47% ELA proficient, Washington ~47%, Oregon ~47% — close on aggregate, but the underlying populations differ enormously.
California's State Board of Education approved relabeling all four CAASPP performance levels in 2025. Level 1 'Standard Not Met' became 'Minimal.' Level 2 'Standard Nearly Met' became 'Developing.' Level 3 'Standard Met' became 'Proficient.' Level 4 'Standard Exceeded' became 'Advanced.' The cut scores did NOT change — only the labels. CDE focus groups found parents were confused by 'standard.' New labels align with federal ESSA and NAEP terminology.
California's testing window varies by district but typically runs March through June 2026. Tests are untimed. Schools schedule administration within the state window. Ask your child's school for specific test dates.
CAASPP is California's overall statewide testing program. CAST (California Science Test) is the science portion of CAASPP — administered in grades 5, 8, and once in high school. CAST is phenomenon-based and aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). 2023-24 CAST overall proficiency was 30.70% — substantially lower than ELA/Math proficiency. Treat CAST as a separate test with separate prep needs.
California Education Code 60615 allows parental refusal of CAASPP testing in writing. Parents may submit a written refusal letter to the school; the student is then exempted from that year's testing. There is no penalty to the student; participation rates affect school accountability metrics.
Grades 3-8 take CAASPP for ELA and Math (the SBAC portion). Grade 11 also takes SBAC. Grades 5, 8, and once in high school take CAST (the California Science Test). Some students may also take the California Spanish Assessment (CSA) and English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC).
Performance Tasks are scored by trained graders using Smarter Balanced rubrics — ranging from 0-4 on multiple dimensions (organization, evidence, conventions, etc. for ELA writing). PT scores roll up into the overall claim-level scores you see on the score report. PTs are NOT computer-scored — they're hand-scored, which is why CAASPP results take longer than some other state tests.
SBAC reports performance not just as one overall score but in 'claim' areas. ELA breaks into Reading, Writing, Listening, and Research/Inquiry. Math breaks into Concepts & Procedures, Problem Solving & Modeling/Data Analysis, and Communicating Reasoning. Your score report shows which claims your child is strong or weak in — much more useful than the single overall level for guiding practice.
California's SBAC administration is effectively untimed within the school day — students get as much time as they need. Estimated completion times are roughly 90 minutes for the ELA CAT, 105-120 minutes for the ELA Performance Task across two days, 90-120 minutes for the Math CAT, and 60 minutes for the Math Performance Task. Students can take longer if they need to.
Tony Thurmond, since January 2019. His current term runs through January 2027 — he is term-limited. A new State Superintendent will be elected in November 2026. Thurmond is running for governor in the June 2026 Democratic primary. In January 2026, he announced the California Literacy Moonshot — a five-year plan to close the third-grade literacy gap.
The SBAC is California's standardized assessment for grades 3-8. Students are tested in Math and English/RLA every year, and Science in grades 5 and 8.
Our AI generates questions aligned to California Common Core State Standards (CA-CCSS) standards at the exact difficulty and format of the real SBAC. Every question is verified by a second AI for accuracy.
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