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Educational Services

Testing & Assessment



Welcome to the TUSD Testing Information page. Here, parents will find helpful information and links related to upcoming and previously administered academic/instructional assessments within the District.

Additional information about Local, State and Federal Assessments are also available here.

Please click on the links pertinent to the test(s).

Local Assessments

Torrance Unified students take several assessments across different levels at varying times of the year. These assessments help provide information about how well students are learning and how ready they are for new curriculum. The results may be used for local, state, and federal accountability purposes.

Middle School Accelerated Mathematics Test (Grade 5/6/7)

For more information about the test or mathematics pathways and courses, please check out our TUSD Mathematics website. 

GATE Testing (Gifted and Talented Education)

The Torrance Unified School District recognizes the needs of students with exceptional abilities. The purpose of the GATE Program is to identify students with abilities well beyond grade or age expectations, and to support their instructional program by establishing how students can receive differentiated learning experiences within the classroom, opportunities for enrichment, and social-emotional support.

State & Federal Assessments

California students take several mandated statewide tests. These tests provide parents/guardians, teachers, and educators with information about how well students are learning and becoming college and career ready. The test results may be used for local, state, and federal accountability purposes.

CAASPP - California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress

The Smarter Balanced computer adaptive assessments are aligned with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). English language arts/literacy (ELA) and mathematics tests are administered in grades three through eight and grade eleven to measure whether students are on track to college and career readiness. In grade eleven, results from the ELA and mathematics assessments can be used as an indicator of college readiness. Check out this overview video for more information.

Interim Assessments - IABs

The interim assessments are one of the three components of the Smarter Balanced assessment system, which includes summative assessments, interim assessments, and formative assessment resources available in Tools for Teachers. The interim assessments are available for English language arts/literacy (ELA) and mathematics in grades 3–8 and high school and are available to all California local educational agencies (LEAs) to support teaching and learning throughout the school year. Interim assessments are optional resources that provide teachers with actionable information about student progress, and are designed to be given at locally-determined points during the school year. The interim assessments can help teachers, students, and parents gauge student progress toward college and career readiness, and identify strengths and areas for remediation in relation to the Common Core State Standards.

Summative (Spring Testing) Notifications

ELPAC - English Language Proficiency Assessments for California

The ELPAC is aligned with the 2012 California English Language Development Standards. It consists of two separate English Language Proficiency (ELP) assessments: one for the initial identification of students as English learners and the other for the annual summative assessment to identify students’ English language proficiency level and to measure their progress in learning English. 

ELPAC Notifications

 

NAEP - National Assessment of Educational Progress

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the only assessment that measures what U.S. students know and can do in various subjects across the nation, states, and in some urban districts. Also known as The Nation’s Report Card, NAEP has provided important information about how students are performing academically since 1969.

NAEP is a congressionally mandated project administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences (IES).

NAEP is given to a representative sample of students across the country. Results are reported for groups of students with similar characteristics (e.g., gender, race and ethnicity, school location), not individual students. National results are available for all subjects assessed by NAEP. State and selected urban district results are available for mathematics, reading, and (in some assessment years) science and writing.

PIRLS - Progress in International Reading Literacy Study

The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) is an international assessment and research project designed to measure trends in reading achievement at the fourth-grade level as well as school practices related to instruction. Since 2001, PIRLS has been administered every 5 years. PIRLS 2021, the fifth study in the series, will involve students from more than 50 countries, including the United States. For the first time, PIRLS will be completely electronic and administered on a tablet with a keyboard. This new format for the assessment is called digitalPIRLS. Also for 2021, we will be administering the assessment only to fifth-grade students.


PFT - Physical Fitness Testing

The physical fitness test for students in California schools is the FitnessGram®. The main goal of the test is to help students in starting lifelong habits of regular physical activity. Students in grades five, seven, and nine take the fitness test. This assessment was paused during the 2019-2020 school year due to Covid-19 and remains on moratorium until further notice.

Special Needs

The Torrance Unified Special Education Department offers a continuum of placements and services to eligible students from ages three to 22. For information on these please contact your student's school, or for non-TUSD students, the school closest to where your student resides. You may also contact Special Education directly using the link below.


Questions? Please reach out to the District Educational Testing Coordinator, Eric Lockhart at lockhart.eric@tusd.org
 

Quick Links

This site provides information using PDF, visit this link to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader DC software.