CAASPP Math Practice: California Test Guide, Grades 3 to 11

In short

CAASPP math is California’s annual Smarter Balanced Summative Assessment in mathematics, taken on computer by students in grades 3 to 8 and grade 11. It has a computer-adaptive section and a performance task, it is untimed, and results fall into four levels: Minimal, Developing, Proficient and Advanced. Most schools test between mid-March and mid-May. Modern Age Coders teaches the same California standards live online, either in a group batch or 1-on-1, with our Elementary Maths course as the starting point for grades 3 to 5.

Courses for California students

Three courses built around the California math standards

Each one teaches the reasoning the CAASPP rewards, not a bank of look-alike items.

Elementary Maths for Grades 1-5 course thumbnail

CAP / 01

Grades 3 to 5: elementary math

Fractions, area and word problems explained in sentences.

Open the syllabus →

Middle School Mathematics Mastery course thumbnail

CAP / 02

Grades 6 to 8: middle school math

Ratios, equations and geometry, with and without a calculator.

Open the syllabus →

High School Mathematics course thumbnail

CAP / 03

High school math, for grade 11

Functions, modeling and statistics on a graphing tool.

Open the syllabus →

Format

What is the CAASPP math test, and how is it structured?

It is the Smarter Balanced math assessment that California gives as part of CAASPP, its state testing system. Each student meets two parts: an adaptive set of questions and one performance task.

Estimated CAASPP math testing times (CAASPP Online Test Administration Manual, Table 1; the state notes the tests are not timed and these figures are for scheduling only)
Grade band	Adaptive (CAT) items	Performance task (PT)	Math total
Grades 3 to 5	45 minutes	1 hour	1 hour 45 minutes
Grades 6 to 8	1 hour	1 hour	2 hours
Grade 11	1 hour	1 hour 30 minutes	2 hours 30 minutes

The adaptive part

California’s fact sheet describes the adaptive section plainly: “As students answer correctly, they will receive more challenging questions.” Wrong answers bring easier ones. Two classmates can therefore see quite different questions and still be measured on the same scale.

That is why a child sometimes comes home saying the test felt very hard. A hard-feeling test is often a sign the child was doing well, because the system kept raising the level.

The performance task

The performance task is a short set of linked questions around one real-world situation. California’s score guide says it lets students evaluate information and develop and communicate “a solution to a real-world problem”.

The manual tells schools to give the math performance task in one session, and passes on the consortium’s advice that the adaptive items and the task be taken on separate days so children are not worn out.

Sources: Smarter Balanced Assessments for ELA and Mathematics and the Assessment Fact Sheet (May 2025), caaspp-elpac.org; CAASPP Online Test Administration Manual, all read 31 October 2026. We are not connected with the California Department of Education, ETS or any California district.

Test-day rules

Is the CAASPP timed, and can my child go back to earlier questions?

There is no time limit, but there are two rules about going back that every child should hear before test day.

No clock

The state portal estimates five to six hours for ELA and math together, “however, each is untimed.” A careful child can keep working.

The 20-minute pause

The manual warns that after a pause of more than 20 minutes, the student cannot return to items on earlier screens. Finish a page before a long break.

Segments lock

From grade 6, the math test has a calculator segment and a no-calculator segment, and a submitted segment cannot be reopened.

In practice the second and third rules mean the same thing: check each answer before moving on, because the test is not built for a final sweep back through everything. We practise that habit from the first lesson, so that checking happens question by question rather than at the end.

Who takes it

All students enrolled in grades three through eight and grade eleven take the Smarter Balanced math test, according to the manual, apart from the roughly 1 percent with the most significant cognitive disabilities who take the California Alternate Assessments.

English learners in their first 12 months in a US school get a one-time exemption from the ELA test only. The manual states they are still required to take the Smarter Balanced for Mathematics.

Parent exemption

The manual also recognises a parent/guardian exemption (PGE) submitted to the test site. Whether to use it is a family decision; we simply note that California provides the route.

For grade 11, sitting the test has a second use, described in the next sections: the Early Assessment Program with the California State University.

Calculators

Which calculator is allowed on the CAASPP math test?

None in grades 3 to 5. From grade 6 an on-screen Desmos calculator appears for certain items, and its type changes with the grade.

Embedded Desmos calculator by grade, CAASPP mathematics (caaspp-elpac.org Accessibility Resources page, Desmos Calculators section, read 31 October 2026)
Grade	Embedded calculator
3, 4 and 5	No embedded calculator used
6	Four-function calculator
7 and 8	Scientific calculator
11	Graphing calculator

Practise on the same tool

The portal notes that the same calculators are on the Desmos website so students can get used to them, and links California’s own four-function, scientific and graphing versions.

We teach grade 6 and above with those exact links open. A child who has only used a handheld calculator loses time finding the fraction or square root keys on screen.

Mental arithmetic still matters

Because the calculator appears only for calculator-allowed items, and never in grades 3 to 5, number fluency carries a lot of the test. Multiplication facts and fraction sense are not optional extras here.

In grades 6 to 8 the no-calculator segment comes with its own lock, so a child must be confident doing those questions by hand.

Desmos test calculators for California: four-function, scientific and graphing, linked from the CAASPP accessibility resources page.

Results

What do the new CAASPP levels Advanced, Proficient, Developing and Minimal mean?

They are the old four levels with new names. California’s reporting guide for 2025 to 2026 says only the labels and descriptions changed and that no cut score or threshold moved.

CAASPP Smarter Balanced overall levels, old and new labels (Scoring and Reporting Guide, What’s New in 2025 to 2026, read 31 October 2026)
Level	Label before 2025 to 2026	Label now	California’s description, in short
4	Standard Exceeded	Advanced	Advanced grade-level knowledge and a sophisticated ability to apply it
3	Standard Met	Proficient	Proficient grade-level knowledge and a thorough ability to apply it
2	Standard Nearly Met	Developing	Developing grade-level knowledge and an initial understanding
1	Standard Not Met	Minimal	Minimal grade-level knowledge and a limited understanding

Two composite areas on the report

Besides the overall level, the math report gives two composite areas: “Composite Area 1: Concepts and Procedures, and Composite Area 2: Mathematical Practices”, in the words of California’s March 2026 score guide.

Each area is marked Above Proficient, At or Near Proficient, or Below Proficient. These were Above, Near and Below Standard on older reports.

Why the rename matters to families

A child who was “Standard Nearly Met” in 2025 and “Developing” in 2026 has not slipped. The labels changed; the thresholds did not, so the two years can be compared directly.

California also removed the dashed line between Level 2 and Level 3 from the gauge on the printed report, so read the scale score itself rather than the picture.

Scale scores

What CAASPP math score is proficient for each grade?

Each grade has its own scale. California prints the current ranges in its Scoring and Reporting Guide, and they are the Smarter Balanced thresholds.

Current CAASPP Smarter Balanced mathematics scale score ranges (Scoring and Reporting Guide, Appendix A, read 31 October 2026)
Grade	Minimal (1)	Developing (2)	Proficient (3)	Advanced (4)
3	2190 to 2380	2381 to 2435	2436 to 2500	2501 to 2660
4	2205 to 2410	2411 to 2484	2485 to 2548	2549 to 2700
5	2220 to 2454	2455 to 2527	2528 to 2578	2579 to 2740
6	2235 to 2472	2473 to 2551	2552 to 2609	2610 to 2780
7	2250 to 2483	2484 to 2566	2567 to 2634	2635 to 2820
8	2265 to 2503	2504 to 2585	2586 to 2652	2653 to 2860
11	2280 to 2542	2543 to 2627	2628 to 2717	2718 to 2900

Our example: reading a grade 6 report. Suppose a sixth grader scores 2560. In the table, grade 6 Proficient runs from 2552 to 2609, so 2560 is Proficient, but only 8 points above the start of that band.
Look at the measurement error, too. Every score on the report comes with a plus-or-minus range. A score sitting 8 points above a threshold could, on another day, land just below it. We treat it as “on the line”, not “safe”.
Then read the two composite areas. If Concepts and Procedures is Above Proficient but Mathematical Practices is Below Proficient, the gap is in reasoning and problem solving, which is exactly what the performance task tests. That shapes the next term’s lessons.

One warning from California’s own guide: “It is not possible to calculate a scale score by multiplying a student’s percent correct”. Because the test adapts, two children with the same number right can earn different scale scores. Ignore any website that converts a practice-test percentage into a CAASPP level.

Sources: Appendix A: Scale Score Ranges, What’s New in 2025 to 2026 and What Do the Scores Mean? Mathematics (March 2026). The worked reading above is our example, not a real student.

Performance task

How do you answer a CAASPP math performance task?

One situation, several connected questions, and at least one answer that has to be explained. Here is a grade 5 problem we wrote in that spirit, worked the way we teach it.

Our problem (not a CAASPP item). A class is planting a garden with 6 raised beds. Each bed needs 3/4 of a bag of soil. Soil is sold only in packs of 4 bags. Part A: how many bags of soil does the class need? Part B: how many packs must they buy? Part C: Mia says they should buy 1 pack because 6 x 3/4 is less than 4. Is Mia right? Explain.
Part A. 6 x 3/4 = 18/4 = 4 2/4 = 4 1/2 bags. We write the multiplication and the simplified mixed number, not just the result.
Part B. One pack is 4 bags, which is less than 4 1/2, so one pack is not enough. Two packs give 8 bags. They must buy 2 packs. The context decides the rounding: you cannot buy half a pack, so we round up.
Part C. Mia is not right. 6 x 3/4 is 4 1/2, which is more than 4, not less. One pack would leave the class half a bag short for the last bed.
What makes this a performance-task answer. Each part uses the one before, the rounding comes from the situation rather than a rule, and Part C asks for a judgement with a reason. That is California’s Mathematical Practices composite in miniature.

Three habits we drill

Reread the situation before every part. Performance tasks hide the deciding fact (packs of 4, whole buses, a deadline) in the first paragraph.

Label every number with its unit, and answer the question that was asked: “2 packs”, not “8”.

One habit we break

Writing “Mia is wrong” and stopping. The explanation is where the reasoning shows, and a reason that uses a number (4 1/2 is more than 4) is stronger than one that does not.

Spring 2027

When is the CAASPP math test in 2027?

California does not set one statewide test day. Each district chooses its window, and the state says most schools test between the middle of March and the middle of May.

How the CAASPP math window is set (Assessment Fact Sheet, May 2025; CAASPP Online Test Administration Manual, read 31 October 2026)
Question	What California publishes
Who sets the dates	Each local educational agency’s CAASPP coordinator sets test dates in TOMS, the state test management system
Typical spring window	Most schools test between the middle of March and the middle of May
Make-ups	All CAASPP testing, including any makeup testing, must take place within the school’s window
Suggested pacing	Adaptive items and the performance task on separate days; the math task in one session

For 2026 to 2027, ask your child’s school for its window as soon as it is published, usually in the winter. Our ten-week plan below counts back from the first math day. California’s August 2026 assessment timeline on the portal shows the year’s tests in one chart for families who want the full calendar.

Source: California Assessment Timeline (August 2026) and the fact sheet above.

Grade 11

Does the grade 11 CAASPP math score matter for college?

It can help with placement at the California State University through the Early Assessment Program, and the state says it does not affect admission.

What the EAP is

California’s manual calls the Early Assessment Program “a joint collaboration of the CDE and the CSU.” Every eleventh grader takes part simply by completing the Smarter Balanced ELA and math tests.

The program gives an early indicator of readiness for college-level work in mathematics and quantitative reasoning before senior year, and the CSU uses the results for course placement once a student is admitted.

What it is not

The manual is explicit: “The release of CAASPP results will not affect a student’s application for admission.” Students are asked to authorise release of their results to the CSU.

So the grade 11 test is worth taking seriously for placement, but it is not an admissions exam, and we never present it as one.

Grade 11 is also the only CAASPP math year with the graphing calculator. Teenagers who have only used a scientific calculator benefit from a few lessons on the Desmos graphing tool: entering a function, finding an intersection, and reading a table of values.

Practice

Twelve CAASPP-style math practice questions with answers

Written by us, two per grade band and four for grade 11, labelled with the composite area each one leans on. They are not CAASPP items.

Our original practice (not California or Smarter Balanced items), with answers
Grade	Question	Leans on	Answer
3	A shelf holds 7 rows of 8 books. How many books? Write the equation.	Concepts and Procedures	7 x 8 = 56
4	Is 3/5 closer to 0, 1/2 or 1? Explain using a number line.	Mathematical Practices	1/2 (3/5 = 0.6, which is 0.1 from 1/2)
5	A recipe uses 2/3 cup of oats per batch. How many cups for 4 batches?	Concepts and Procedures	8/3 = 2 2/3 cups
5	Leo says 0.4 x 0.2 = 0.8. Find and explain his error.	Mathematical Practices	0.08: tenths times tenths gives hundredths
6	A phone plan costs 12 per month plus 3 per gigabyte. Write the cost for g gigabytes.	Concepts and Procedures	12 + 3g
6	Which is the better buy: 5 pens for 4 or 8 pens for 6? Show unit rates.	Mathematical Practices	8 for 6 (0.75 each against 0.80)
7	Solve 3(x - 2) = 15.	Concepts and Procedures	x = 7
8	A line passes through (0, 2) and (4, 10). What is its slope and equation?	Concepts and Procedures	slope 2; y = 2x + 2
11	Solve x² - 5x + 6 = 0.	Concepts and Procedures	x = 2 or x = 3
11	A population of 500 doubles every 3 years. Write a model and find the size after 9 years.	Mathematical Practices	P = 500 x 2^(t/3); 4,000
11	Is the function f(x) = 2x + 1 increasing or decreasing? Justify.	Mathematical Practices	Increasing: slope 2 is positive
11	A survey of 40 students finds 14 walk to school. Estimate how many of 600 students walk.	Mathematical Practices	210, assuming the sample represents the school

For the real interface, California provides free practice and training tests through its student testing site, which the portal says give students experience with the testing interface and test content. Children can sign in as a guest. We use those in the last weeks, after the teaching is done.

A plan

How to prepare for the CAASPP math test in ten weeks

Our plan, counting back from the first math day in your school’s spring window.

Week 1: one guest practice test. On the official practice site, so we see both the adaptive section and a performance task, and note where the child hesitates.
Weeks 2 to 4: number fluency for the grade. Facts and fractions in grades 3 to 5, ratios and integers in grades 6 to 8, functions in grade 11, because so much of the test arrives without a calculator.
Weeks 5 to 7: one performance task a week. Our own tasks, written in parts, with every explanation said aloud and then written down.
Week 8: the Desmos tool for the grade. Four-function, scientific or graphing, on the same California links the test uses.
Week 9: test-day rules. Checking each screen before moving on, the 20-minute pause rule and the locked segments.
Week 10: rest and one short task. A light week. The test is untimed, so a calm child does better than a crammed one.

Grade by grade

Where California children usually need help first

Our reading of the California Common Core math standards against the two CAASPP composite areas.

Priorities by grade (ours, from teaching experience and the standards)
Grade	Concepts and Procedures first	Mathematical Practices next
3	Multiplication and division within 100	Explaining area with equal rows
4	Fraction equivalence and multi-digit multiplication	Comparing fractions with a reason
5	Multiplying fractions and decimals	Rounding in context, as in our garden task
6	Ratios, unit rates and expressions	Choosing the better buy and saying why
7	Proportional relationships and equations	Spotting the error in a classmate’s work
8	Linear functions and the Pythagorean Theorem	Modeling a situation with a line
11	Quadratics, exponentials and statistics	Building and checking a model on the graphing tool

For parents

Ask your child to explain one homework answer to you each week. If they can only give the number, the performance task is where points will go missing.

Read last year’s report with the scale score table on this page beside it, not just the gauge picture.

For students

There is no clock, so slow down on the performance task and reread the story before each part.

Before you press Next, check the screen. Long pauses and finished segments can lock the way back.

The catalogue

Math courses for California students

From third grade facts to grade 11 functions, plus a few routes beyond the state test.

I

Elementary

Grades 3 to 5

CAP / E / 01

Elementary math

The grade 3 to 5 standards, explained aloud.

Open the syllabus

CAP / E / 02

Mental math

Fluency for the calculator-free years.

Open the syllabus

CAP / E / 03

Early math

Playful number work for younger siblings.

Open the syllabus

II

Middle school

Grades 6 to 8

CAP / M / 01

Middle school math

Pre-algebra and geometry for grades 6 to 8.

Open the syllabus

CAP / M / 02

Algebra foundations

For grade 8 students starting Algebra 1.

Open the syllabus

CAP / M / 03

Math competitions

MATHCOUNTS and AMC 8 for keen solvers.

Open the syllabus

III

High school

Grade 11 and beyond

CAP / H / 01

High school math

Algebra through calculus.

Open the syllabus

CAP / H / 02

SAT Math

The digital SAT, after the state test.

Open the syllabus

CAP / H / 03

Math through coding

Functions and data in Python.

Open the syllabus

How lessons run

Lessons set on Pacific Time

Weekdays or weekends, flexible: choose your batch, or for a very personalised plan choose 1-on-1 at your convenience, weekend mornings or weekdays.

After school PT

Weekday lessons that track the class topic.

Weekends

Performance-task practice in February and March.

1-on-1

One explanation at a time, rewritten until clear.

Tasks in parts

A linked problem most weeks in spring.

California standards

Taught in the order schools teach them.

The right Desmos

The grade’s own on-screen tool.

Fluency first

Facts that the calculator never covers.

Official practice late

The state’s guest tests to finish.

Batch or private

Fifteen to twenty, or one teacher, one child.

Student work

What our students make

Some California students turn their math into small programs and games. See more on student labs.

AI and ML

NutriLife

An AI nutrition coach that reads what you eat and works you toward a target.

by Bhavya · Open it

AI and ML

Misti

A chatbot that answers mathematics and programming questions, built and deployed by a student.

by Harshit · Open it

AI and ML

GuardianX

An assistant that helps a young person recognise unsafe situations online.

by Vivaan · Open it

Web app

SkyCast

A weather forecasting site with live conditions for any location.

by Krish

Fees

One monthly fee in US dollars, no annual contract, so families can start in January and pause after their school’s spring window ends.

Free first class

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Group batch

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a month, billed in US dollars

Fifteen to twenty students
The same teacher each week
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Billed monthly

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One to one

USD 150

a month, billed in US dollars

A teacher for your child alone
Planned around the school’s window
Times that suit you

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California families ask

CAASPP math: common questions

What grades take the CAASPP math test?

Students in grades 3 through 8 and grade 11 take the Smarter Balanced math test as part of CAASPP. A small group with the most significant cognitive disabilities takes the California Alternate Assessments instead.

How long is the CAASPP math test?

It is untimed. California's administration manual estimates about 1 hour 45 minutes of math in grades 3 to 5, 2 hours in grades 6 to 8 and 2 hours 30 minutes in grade 11, usually split over more than one day.

Is there a calculator on the CAASPP math test?

Not in grades 3 to 5. An embedded Desmos calculator appears for calculator-allowed items from grade 6: four-function in grade 6, scientific in grades 7 and 8, and graphing in grade 11.

What does Proficient mean on the CAASPP?

Proficient is Level 3, the label that replaced Standard Met in 2025 to 2026. California says only the labels changed, so a Proficient score means the same as Standard Met did before.

What is a good CAASPP math score?

It depends on the grade, because each grade has its own scale. In grade 3 Proficient starts at 2436, in grade 6 at 2552 and in grade 11 at 2628, according to California's Scoring and Reporting Guide.

When is the CAASPP test in 2027?

Each district sets its own window in the state system. California says most schools test between the middle of March and the middle of May, so ask your school for its 2027 dates.

Where can I find a CAASPP math practice test?

California offers free practice and training tests through its student testing site, linked from caaspp-elpac.org, and students can sign in as a guest. The questions on this page are our own extra practice.

Can I opt my child out of the CAASPP?

California's manual recognises a parent or guardian exemption submitted to the test site. Talk to your school about the process and what it means for your child's records.

Does the grade 11 CAASPP affect college admission?

No. The manual says releasing CAASPP results will not affect a student's application for admission, but the Early Assessment Program lets the CSU use grade 11 results for placement after admission.

When are your classes?

Weekdays or weekends, flexible: choose your batch, or for a very personalised plan choose 1-on-1 at your convenience, weekend mornings or weekdays. Times are set on Pacific Time.

Are you part of the California Department of Education?

No. Modern Age Coders is an independent online school with no connection to the California Department of Education, ETS, Smarter Balanced or any California district. We quote the state's public documents and link to them.

Elsewhere on this site

Related pages

More for California families and for the grades the test covers.

Third grade math tutoring

The first CAASPP year.

Sixth grade math tutoring

The first year with a calculator segment.

Eighth grade math tutoring

Linear functions and the last middle school test.

Common Core math tutoring

The standards California builds on.

Coding classes in California

Our page for California families.

Bay Area teen classes

Python and AI for older students.

Related pages in this guide

Part of the guide: US state math tests by state

State tests, grades 3 to 8

High school end-of-course and graduation tests

Standards behind the tests

More guides: US gifted and selective school tests · US math placement and college readiness tests · Homeschool and school math curricula guide · US math and coding competitions guide

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