Academic Indicators FAQs

The ELA and Math Indicators use summative assessment results from the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments and the California Alternate Assessments for ELA and Math.

No. The State Board of Education has not approved using the 3x5 methodology for the ELA and Math Indicators. Both indicators use a Balanced 5x5 methodology that adapts the 3x5 color table to reduce large performance color changes from one year to the next. The five-by-five colored table for these indicators are available on the CDE Dashboard Performance Levels and Categories web page.

Participation rate is calculated separately for each subject matter and removes certain students from needing to participate. Specifically, English Learner (EL) students who have been enrolled for less than one year are required to test in Mathematics but are excluded from testing in ELA, which may affect the participation rates for the respective tests differently.

No. The ELA and Math Growth Indicators are separate state indicators.

The 2025 Dashboard introduced the new Science Indicator to measure student results on the California Science Test and CAA for Science with colors for the first time. The SBE has determined that the Science Indicator will be separate from the ELA and Math Indicators.

The DFP represents the “distance” between a student’s score on the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments and the Proficient Achievement Level threshold (i.e., the lowest threshold scale score for Level 3). An average DFP (or an average of all the distances) is calculated at the LEA, school, and student group levels. This average is then used to determine the Status, Change, and Performance Levels/Colors for each level.

To provide continuity between the Dashboard and the new Achievement Level Descriptors, the SBE approved an update of the term “Distance from Standard” (DFS) for the ELA and Math Indicators on the California School Dashboard to “Distance from Proficiency” (DFP) at their May 2026 meeting.

If an EL student has been enrolled in a U.S. school for less than one year, they are exempt from taking the ELA portion of the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments and the CAA. EL students who have been enrolled in a U.S. school for less than one year will automatically be removed from the calculation of the ELA participation rate even if the student opted to take one or both parts of the ELA assessment. These students will not be included in the participation rate or DFP calculations.

English Learner students new to the U.S. (those enrolled in a U.S. school for less than one year) are all expected to take the math assessment no matter how long they have been enrolled. However, those that have an enrollment period of less than one year will be removed from the Distance from Proficiency calculation for the Math Indicator.

Yes. A participation rate of 95% is required by the U.S. Department of Education to not receive a participation rate penalty, including on the California Alternate Assessment (CAA).

Yes. California Education Code Section 60641(a)(1) requires that the tests “…are scheduled to be administered to all pupils” and Title 5 Regulations Section 851(a) requires that “…LEAs shall administer the achievement tests”. Therefore, regardless of when the students enroll at the LEA or if the final score will be included in the DFP calculation, LEAs are required to test their students.

No. However, the CDE School Dashboard Additional Reports and Data web page reports the ELA and Math participation rates in the ELA and Math Indicators Participation Rate Report. Schools, LEAs, and student groups display the participation rates of the most recently available California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) data. The same information is also available in the downloadable data files.

Yes. The 95% participation rate is required for all schools, districts, and student groups.

Yes. At their March 2026 meeting, the SBE took action that modified the way that Accountability Windows operate for the 2026 Dashboard. The Accountability testing window for the Math and ELA Indicators begin when the first student logs on to the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments or the California Alternate Assessments for ELA and Math. The Accountability testing window ends with the end of the LEA selected testing window.

If the participation rate is less than 95%, the number of students needed to bring the rate up to 95% are added to the average DFS calculation in the form of a LOSS. For more information about how this is calculated, visit the Dashboard Communications Toolkit page where you can find the Participation Rate flyer.

While California recognizes parent opt-out waivers as a reason not to test, the U.S. Department of Education does not recognize the waiver and requires 95% participation for all students. Unfortunately, parent opt-outs do not change the federal requirement. If the school, district, or student group does not meet the 95% requirement, a penalty in the form of a LOSS will be applied.

Students need to log on to both the Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) and Performance Task (PT) portions of the Summative Assessments in order to be counted as participating. If the student only logged on to one of the two portions, they will not be counted as participating. If the student logged on to both portions of the assessment, they will be counted as participating.

If the student logged on but did not complete the tests and were given a score from Educational Testing Service (ETS), that score will be used in the DFP calculations. If no score is given, a Lowest Obtainable Scale Score (LOSS) will be assigned.

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 and is not expected to test, the school and LEA will not be held accountable for the student not testing.

No. 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.

If students graduate before the testing window has opened for the LEA, the student is not expected to test and will not be included in the participation rate. If their exit date is after the window has opened, they are expected to test and will be included in the participation rate.

Students who have a testing irregularity (for example, cheating) are assigned the appropriate grade-level LOSS for purposes of calculating the DFS for the Dashboard. For example, if the testing irregularity was for an ELA grade eight test, then the student is assigned the grade eight ELA LOSS score. (However, note that the student does not receive a LOSS on the CAASPP student score report.) While the student will be counted as participating, they will receive a LOSS and be included in the DFP calculations.

No. Under CAASPP, LEAs can access test completion rates, which are based on the total number of students who took the test at a given school. The participation rates for the Dashboard apply different rules for than CAASPP. More on the differences between the CASSPP and the Dashboard are detailed at the beginning of this mini-guide. They are also available in the “Crosswalk Between the Dashboard and DataQuest” document available on the CDE Dashboard Resources web page.

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.”

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 California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) school. 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.

The TOMS reports provide insight into the students who have taken part in the assessments in “real-time”. However, the dashboard does not use the same inclusion and exclusion rules and does not collect any testing data until September. Therefore, the dashboard participation rate and the TOMS completion reports can be the same or differ depending on the student.