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Overview of the State Accountability Report Card

Information about the requirements and contents of the State Accountability Report Card (STARC).

The federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) requires each state to produce an annual report card that summarizes data of students statewide and disaggregated by student groups.

On December 10, 2015, President Obama signed the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which reauthorized the ESEA of 1965, and required states to have a new multiple measures accountability system in effect by 2017–18.

On September 8, 2016, the State Board of Education adopted a new accountability system and released the California School Dashboard, referred to as the Dashboard, in Spring of 2017.

The Dashboard has since been updated each Fall with the most recent available data and design improvements based on user feedback. The Dashboard shows how districts and schools are performing on test scores, graduation rates, and other measures of student success.

The recent enactment of the ESSA gives states greater discretion to implement academic content standards, administer statewide and local assessments, and set ambitious performance goals to direct evidence-based improvement strategies and interventions to improve student performance. ESSA requires each state to continue to implement the state report card requirements specified under Title I, Part A of the ESEA, as amended by No Child Left Behind.

The State Accountability Report Card contains data for the following categories:

Accountability
  • California School Dashboard Accountability System
State High School Graduation Rate (Four-Year Cohort)
  • State High School Graduation Rate (Four-Year Cohort) by Student Group
School Improvement Funds
  • Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) with School Improvement Funds
California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP)
  • CAASPP Test Results – English Language Arts/Literacy (ELA), Two-Year Trend in Student Achievement, Grades Three through Eight and Grade Eleven
  • CAASPP Test Results – Mathematics, Two-Year Trend in Student Achievement, Grades Three through Eight and Grade Eleven
  • CAASPP Test Results – Science, Two-Year Trend in Student Achievement, Grades Five, Eight, and High School
  • CAASPP Test Results – ELA, Disaggregated by Student Group, Grades Three through Eight and Grade Eleven
  • CAASPP Test Results – Mathematics, Disaggregated by Student Group, Grades Three through Eight and Grade Eleven
  • CAASPP Test Results – Science, Disaggregated by Student Group, Grades Five, Eight, and High School
Teacher Qualifications
  • Teacher Credentials and Misassignments
  • Teacher Education Levels
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Results
  • California NAEP Results in Reading and Mathematics by Grade Level, All Students
  • California NAEP Results in Reading by Grade Level, Disaggregated by Student Group
  • California NAEP Results in Mathematics by Grade Level, Disaggregated by Student Group
  • California NAEP Results in Reading and Mathematics by Grade Level, for Students with Disabilities and/or English Language Learners
Questions: SARC TEAM | sarc@cde.ca.gov | 916-319-0406 
Last Reviewed: Thursday, June 22, 2023