{"id":5798,"date":"2023-02-02T18:16:01","date_gmt":"2023-02-02T18:16:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.classtime.com\/blog\/?p=5798"},"modified":"2025-08-27T21:09:58","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T21:09:58","slug":"caaspp-california-professional-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.classtime.com\/blog\/caaspp-california-professional-development\/","title":{"rendered":"CAASPP California Professional Development"},"content":{"rendered":"

The CAASPP<\/a> presents more complex challenges for students and educators compared to the previous California Standards Test (CST). To help students succeed, teachers need to identify and articulate the Strategic Thinking skills required in each CAASPP Math question and ensure they are preparing students for all 4 ELA claims. In this article, we explore what makes the CAASPP assessment<\/a> so challenging and how we prepare educators to address these obstacles.<\/span><\/p>\n

CAASPP Math and ELA Challenges in California<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"CAASPP<\/p>\n

CAASPP Math scores<\/a> on the CAASPP have remained stagnant across California. On the CST, 55% of students met or exceeded standards, with performance steadily improving over a decade. In contrast, only 34% of students now meet or exceed CAASPP standards, and growth has stalled.<\/span><\/p>\n

One reason for this is the added cognitive stressors of the CAASPP. Beyond content knowledge, students must navigate advanced tech and higher levels of Strategic Thinking, increasing the likelihood of simple mistakes. For instance, Situational Analysis questions require students to assess multiple situations and choose several correct answers. Claims-based questions ask students to analyze claims and either support or refute them. These skills can be challenging, as many students have little experience with these types of thinking.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"CAASPP<\/p>\n

Without training to handle these cognitive stressors, students can become frustrated and disengaged, even when they know the content. This can be equally frustrating for educators, who see students struggle with demonstrating their knowledge of complex problems. This is why CAASPP practice<\/a> and familiarizing students with the types of thinking they will encounter on the CAASPP is crucial.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

CAASPP ELA scores have also remained relatively stagnant. One reason for this is that many students find the cold read portion of the CAASPP especially challenging, as they\u2019re expected to analyze and respond to a passage independently\u2014without the usual teacher guidance or class discussions. This can create stress and uncertainty on test day. In addition to cold reading, students often don\u2019t get enough practice across all four CAASPP ELA claims: Reading, Writing, Speaking\/Listening, and Research. Traditional curriculums may emphasize certain skills while overlooking others, leaving students unprepared for the variety of tasks they\u2019ll face on the exam.<\/p>\n

Tackling CAASPP Math and ELA Cognitive Stressors\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Our training helps teachers address the key CAASPP stressors in both Math and ELA, ensuring students can demonstrate their content knowledge on challenging questions. <\/span><\/p>\n

For Math, we focus on three main strategies for improving CAASPP scores:<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n