CUSD Board Report on CAASPP Scores
The California Department of Education (CDE) released the 2021-22 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) summary reports on Oct. 24. Capistrano Unified excelled in mitigating learning loss, outperforming state and county averages in terms of change in percentage of students meeting or exceeding standards on the Smarter Balance Assessment (SBA).
In the English Language Arts/Literacy category, Capistrano Unified had the smallest percentage of learning loss in Orange County (-0.74%) and maintained more than 70% of students overall above the standard. The Orange County change average was -2.45% and the state average change was -4.04%.
In the mathematics category, Capistrano Unified had the third-lowest percentage of learning loss in Orange County (-3.56%) and remained one of the best districts with 57.62% at or above the standard. The Orange County average change was -5.20% and the state average change was -6.35%.
“While it was widely expected that the student assessment data would show decreases from the impact of COVID-19, I am proud that CUSD was able to mitigate learning loss in such an impactful way,” said Capistrano Unified Superintendent Kirsten Vital Brulte. “We worked diligently to be the first district in the county to reopen schools in the fall of 2020 because in-person instruction is so vital to student success. Thank you to our dedicated teachers, classified staff and administrators who provided the instructional and emotional support our students needed in the time of tremendous upheaval of their daily lives. Our focus continues to be on supporting each student, by name, by need, and increasing the scores past pre-Pandemic levels.”
The 2021-22 test scores were the first compiled since 2018-19, the last full year of in-person instruction prior to COVID-19. The SBA exams are designed to measure students mastery of content standards and identify gaps in knowledge or skill that may require more targeted interventions. The state will be releasing additional scores related to CAASPP including the California Alternate Assessment (CAA), California Science Test (CST), and the California Spanish Assessment (CSA) in the coming months as well as an updated California Dashboard.