Science Indicator FAQs

The State Board of Education (SBE) adopted status levels, change levels, and performance colors for the Science Indicator at their March 2025 Meeting. To access the Status and Change cut scores for each state indicator, please refer to the CDE Five-by-Five Colored Tables web page.

Science Points (SPs) are a simplified way to understand student performance on the California Science Test (CAST) and California Alternate Assessment (CAA) for Science. While each grade level has its own unique scale score range, science points always range from 0 to 100. This makes it easier to interpret results across grades. A student’s scale score is converted into science points, where 0 is the lowest possible score and 100 is the highest possible score. This is different than the DFS reported on the Academic Indicators.

Yes, students are required to take the CAST once in high school (that is, in grade ten, eleven, or twelve). If the student graduates early, they will be included in the participation rate calculation for the Science Indicator

The SBE adopted a participation rate requirement within the Science Indicator to require local educational agencies (LEAs), schools, and student groups to test at least 95 percent of their students starting with the 2025 Dashboard.
If they fail to meet the 95 percent minimum target, a Lowest Obtainable Scale Score (LOSS) is assigned to each student needed to bring the participation rate of the LEAs, schools and/or student group to 95 percent. The LOSS assigned to each of these students who did not test will be used in calculating the average SPs. If an LEA, school, and/or student group participation rate is 95 percent or above, assigned LOSS is not applied.

No. LEAs can access California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) test completion rates in TOMS, which is based on the total number of students who took the test at a given school. The participation rates for the Dashboard only includes students enrolled during the “accountability testing window.” This accountability window includes the application of grace periods, which hold an LEA/school harmless when there is inadequate time to administer the assessments.

Yes. A participation rate of 95% is required by the California State Board of Education to not receive a participation rate penalty. All students should be tested; however, students taking the California Alternate Assessment (CAA) for Science who receive a LOSS are removed from the SP calculation. In other words, they need to be tested but will not count against the LEA or school if they are unable to perform.

SP results for LEAs, schools, and student groups will be based on grades that are tested at your school. For example, a Transitional Kindergarten through grade eight school with students testing in grades five and eight will only include scores from students in grades five and eight.

While California recognizes parent opt-out waivers as a reason not to test, the U.S. Department of Education does not recognize the waiver for the Academic Indicators. The Science Indicator will follow the same rule to not exclude opt-out waivers when calculating the participation rate.

TOMS is a great tool for looking at real-time testing rates within a school or LEA. Completion rates, however, are a similar but different metric than the participation rate. Additionally, students remain in TOMS at their last known school in the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS). Therefore, if a student never enrolled in another California school, they will appear as needing to test in TOMS. Since these students left before the testing window opened, they will not be included in the numerator or the denominator of the participation rate.

Students need to log on to the CAST for all domains of the CAA for Science in order to be counted as participating. If the student only logged on to one of the four domains of the CAA for Science, they will not be counted as participating. If the student did not complete the tests but were provided a score, that score will be used in the SP calculations. Starting with the 2025-26 school year the number of domains for the CAA for Science will reduce to three domains.

If the student is expected to test and did not test, the school and LEA will be held accountable for the student not testing. If the student falls under any of the exemptions including grace periods and is not expected to test, the school and LEA will not be held accountable for the student not testing.

The School Dashboard Additional Reports and Data web page reports science participation rates in the Science Participation Rate Report. Schools, LEAs, and student groups display the participation rates of the most recently available CAASPP data.

No. 5th and 8th grade students that exit the school before testing has begun are not expected to test and will not be included in either the numerator or the denominator of the participation rate. Be aware that there are additional rules for CAA Science and 12th grade CAST takers. Refer to the Science Indicator Technical Guide on the Technical Guide web page for more information.

To report on the participation rate and Science Points, the SBE made the decision to combine current year high school scores. For example, the Science Indicator participation rate numerator for the 2025 Dashboard will include all 10th graders, 11th graders, and 12th graders who tested in 2024–25 who meet the participation rate eligibility requirements. The denominator for the 2025 Dashboard will include all 10th and 11th graders who tested and all 12th graders who meet the participation rate eligibility requirements. The average SP calculation will include all high school (grades 10, 11, and 12) testers from the current year.

The TOMS reports provide insight into the students who have taken part in the assessments in “real-time”. However, the CDE does not receive any testing data until the Fall when testing has been completed. Additionally, the Dashboard does not use the same inclusion and exclusion rules for the participation rate. Therefore, the Dashboard participation rate and the TOMS completion reports can be the same or differ depending on the student.

Per the decision of the SBE at their July 2025 meeting, the Science Indicator will not be used for differentiated assistance determinations for the 2025 Dashboard.

Yes. The 2025 Dashboard will apply a 95 percent participation rate requirement for the Science Indicator for both current and prior year status. The 2025 testing participation rate will be used to determine current year status, while the 2024 rate will be used for prior year status and change. If a LEA, school, or student group falls below 95 percent, a participation rate penalty will be applied.