The California Alternate Assessments (CAAs) for ELA and Mathematics are available in grades three through eight and grade eleven. The CAA for Science is administered to all eligible students in grades five and eight and one time in high school in grade ten, eleven, or twelve.

California Alternate Assessments (CAAs) ELA and Math – February 22-May 26, 2023

California Alternate Assessments (CAA) for Science – Between September and the end of the school year

The summative California Alternate Assessments (CAAs) for English language arts/literacy (ELA), mathematics, and science are administered to eligible students using the secure browser and test delivery system. The CAAs are for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities and whose individualized education program (IEP) team has designated the use of an alternate assessment on statewide summative assessments. The CAA for Science is administered as four separate embedded performance tasks (PTs) that are integrated into each student’s instruction. Embedded PTs are available for administration any time, in any order, between September and the end of the school year, whichever comes first.

The California Alternate Assessments (CAA) and California Alternate Assessments (CAA) for Science is delivered one on one by a trained CAA test examiner familiar to the student.

The summative California Alternate Assessments (CAAs) for English language arts/literacy (ELA), mathematics, and science were developed by the California Department of Education (CDE) to ensure that all students are able to participate in assessments that are a measure of what they know and can do in relation to the grade-level California Common Core State Standards (CA CCSS) and the California Next Generation Science Standards (CA NGSS). In addition, the CAAs are aligned with grade-level content and are part of a curriculum and assessment cycle, which is accomplished through a linkage between the CA CCSS and the CA NGSS and their respective Core Content Connectors.