What Parents Should Know About the New CAASPP Reporting 2023
If you are a parent and your child is in third grade or above and participates in California’s Assessment for Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP), you may have noted some changes this year in how those results are being reported to you. In particular, you may have noticed the Lexile and Quantile report accompanies the main report.
First of all, you should be receiving two reports:
The first is the Smarter Balanced report which has undergone some cosmetic upgrades, but reports the same information as years past: your child’s overall score and performance band in English Language Arts and Math. The Smarter Balanced report also contains a performance history report on the final page so that you can see any progress your student is making from year to year.
And by the way, a steady score is a good thing! It indicates a year of growth for each year. Just know that if your child is behind, they will need to make more growth than that to catch up.
The second report is new to parents. This report contains Lexile and Quantile numbers.
While Lexiles and Quantiles were rolled out at the same time as the Common Core Standards, up until now and depending on your district, this information may have been limited to educators—your school preferring to use more traditional reading and math levels to communicate with you.
Regardless, while the report references all the information one might need in decoding the information, it doesn’t really provide parents with context or guidance in decoding the score.
What Are Lexiles and Quantiles?
Lexiles and Quantiles essentially have the same function. They are produced from an algorithm that numerically quantifies text and math complexity, respectively.
While higher numbers indicate stronger readers and mathematicians, the top number in the range, 1600L or 1600Q, does not necessarily indicate an achievable goal. For context, most blog posts have a readability rating of 850L or 950L. This post scored between 1050L-1200L.
Also, Lexiles and Quantiles do not inherently align with what we conventionally think of as “grade levels” and should not be used as an accountability measure.
What they are good for is quantifying what should come next as far as Language and Math instruction. For example, many reading and math skills are dependent on foundational skills that precede them in the "lower" scores. By understanding a student's math and readability scores, teachers can identify potential gaps in learning or identify which skills students are developmentally ready to learn next. So educators can find Lexiles and Quantiles extremely helpful for instruction and intervention.
And parents now have access to the same tools as educators by accessing the Lexile Hub links on the back of the report. Some of the resources include vocabulary lists, book lists, and math challenges: all geared to provide targeted instruction at your child’s level to maximize improvement.
In essence, the score, used in conjunction with the resources answers parents’ SECOND most asked question, “How can I help my child improve?”
Unfortunately, Lexiles and Quantiles do not easily answer the FIRST question which is, “How is my child doing? Are they on track?”
How Do I Know If My Child Is On Track?
There are now charts that indicate grade level ranges. But these ranges are based on statistical information.
For example, if you look at the Lexile range for a 4th grader, the 50th percentile number is 850L and the 90th percentile number is 1160L. These numbers were averaged from national norms and the researchers are quick to point out that while 850L may be “typical” it doesn’t necessarily mean that those students tested proficiently for their grade level.
In other words, “typical” doesn’t necessarily mean “good” or “preferred.”
And frankly, these numbers weren’t intended to be used to indicate proficiency—only chart progress and identify which specific skills are needed next in instruction to produce that progress.
The CAASSP is a multi-faceted test that assesses many domains in English and Math. The overall proficiency rating is just one number, as are the Lexile and Quantile numbers. Taken together, they provide a fuller picture of your child’s academic needs. But they are only part of the picture.
What your child does day to day as far as independent practice, effort toward assignments and projects, and exposure to new concepts and experiences are far more indicative of overall scholastic success than a single snapshot. Try to keep perspective and check out the vocabulary lists and math challenges available to you if you want some summer enrichment.