Science Indicator

This indicator, reported on the California School Dashboard, applies to districts and schools with students in grade five, grade eight, and in high school (grades 10, 11, and 12).

What is this Indicator?

The Science Indicator is one of several state indicators that the California Department of Education (CDE) reports on the California School Dashboard (Dashboard) and reflects how well students are meeting grade-level standards for science by reporting the average Science Points (SPs). SPs translate the science assessment scales to a range from zero, as the lowest possible score, to 100 points as the highest possible score.

The Science Indicator will continue to display status, change, and performance colors as a full state indicator on the 2026 Dashboard. However, the Science Indicator will not be used for Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) accountability nor Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

This indicator is reported on the Dashboard for any local educational agency (LEA) and school who test students on the California Science Test (CAST) and California Alternative Assessments in Science (CAA for Science) in grades five and eight and high school (grades 10, 11, or 12).

LEAs and schools are required to test at least 95 percent of all students and student groups in science. If a LEA, school, or student group does not meet the 95 percent participation rate, the number of students needed to meet the participation rate must be factored into the results. See the Resources section on this page for more information.

Recent Updates

Updates to the Participation Rate Calculation.

At the State Board of Education (SBE) on March 11, 2026, the SBE modified the participation rate calculation for the English Language arts (ELA), Mathematics (Math), and Science Indicators beginning with the 2026 Dashboard and all future Dashboard publications. This action followed a review of an evaluation conducted by the CDE and consideration of feedback provided by educational partners.

Effective immediately for the 2025–26 administration of the ELA, Math and Science summative assessments, the California School Dashboard’s calculation of the participation rate will be inclusive of all students enrolled at an LEA/school between the first date of testing (in that subject area) and the final date of LEA’s chosen assessment window. In previous years, the Dashboard allowed a series of “grace periods” at the start and end of the testing period. These have been eliminated and will no longer be applied within Accountability calculations for the 2026 Dashboard.

Science as a State Indicator

At the July 2026 SBE meeting, the SBE adopted Science as a full state indicator within LCFF Priority Area 4 - Student Achievement, starting with the 2026 Dashboard. However, the Science Indicator will not be used for Differentiated Assistance or Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) support eligibility criteria for the 2026 Dashboard.

CAASPP Trend Display on the Dashboard

At the May 2026 SBE meeting, SBE members approved the display of trends in student performance at all performance levels for the California Science Test and California Alternate Assessment, and a link to the local educational agency/school’s California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress web page.

Additional Reports

Designed for educators, the School Dashboard Additional Report offers information and data beyond what is reported on the Dashboard, including summarized views across all state indicators. The Science Indicator has two additional reports:

Five-by-Five Science Placement Report (Included in the Supplemental Dashboard Release on December 15, 2026)
Science Participation Rate Report (Included in the Supplemental Dashboard Release on December 15, 2026)

Resources

General Information about the Indicator

Science Indicator flyer(PDF)

Technical Information about the Indicator

Dashboard Technical Guide - The technical guide is the key to unlocking how state indicators are calculated on the Dashboard. The technical guide is broken up into multiple "mini-guides" for ease of access and provides explanations on the calculation formulas and business rules.
Information on the Participation Rate (PDF) - Access this flyer to learn how the participation rate requirement impacts the Academic- English Language Arts (ELA) and Academic - Mathematics Indicators. The Science Indicator will use a similar participation rate methodology beginning in 2025.
- Translated Versions of the Information on the Participation Rate Flyer can be found on the Translations web page.
The District of Special Education Accountability Rule for Students with Disabilities -The District of Special Education Accountability is applied to all state indicators, including Science. Download the flyer from the Flyers for Educators section on the CDE Dashboard Communications Toolkit web page.
Crosswalk Between the California School Dashboard and DataQuest (DOCX) - This document provides a short overview of the differences in the way that data are produced for the Dashboard and DataQuest.
Downloadable Data Files: Science Indicator - Access statewide LEA, school, and student group Dashboard science results.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The Science Indicator FAQs web page addresses the common questions received on this state indicator.

Additional Information about the Dashboard

The Dashboard Communication Toolkit web page provides a variety of informational materials that help explain the data reported on the California School Dashboard.
The Dashboard Resources web page provides an extensive selection of resources relating to the California School Dashboard for parents, educators, and community partners.
- Connect to the Dashboard Measures section on the Dashboard Resources web page to learn about other state indicators reported on the Dashboard
The Dashboard Performance Levels and Categories web page provides the Status cut scores, Change cut scores, and Performance Levels (or colors) for all state indicators excluding growth-based indicators which report Performance Categories.

Access information about California's statewide student assessment system by going to the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) web page.