Benchmarks & District Assessments
English and Math students in grades 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 take a district benchmark twice a year. School sites determine specific dates but the window for Benchmark 1 is November and for Benchmark 2 is February. In addition, students take a District Writing Assessment in September for all grades 7-12.
Benchmark assessments are online formative assessments that mimic the format and question types of the end of the year California Assessments (CAASPP). These assessments are short (about 15 questions) and are intended to provide teacher and students with information on their progress with a specific set of standards in English and Math. These assessments are NOT to be used as a grade in the class, but student participation and effort is important as it helps to guide instructional decisions.
The placement of students in an appropriate mathematics course is important during the middle and high school years for future educational success. As a result, SB-359, the California Mathematics Placement Act of 2015, establishes that districts, “systematically take multiple objective academic measures of pupil performance into consideration” for placement into accelerated math courses. In ABC Unified School District the following multiple measures (criteria) of student performance will be used to enroll students in the accelerated or non-accelerated math courses for the 7th , 8th , and 9th grade levels:
- Students scores on the CAASPP Math Assessment
- Teacher recommendation from previous math course
- Report card grades for both Fall and Spring Semester
- Other local measures, such as a district assessment, to permit for re-evaluation of individual student progress in grades 7 and 9 in the first four weeks of school.
- Completion of any applicable summer coursework (varies depending on grade level)