Every March and April, juniors at Archie Williams take the state-mandated California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) tests. Some test takers demonstrate low engagement or motivation to participate to their fullest, often skipping questions or rushing through answers. As a result, Archie Williams consistently struggles with low participation and proficiency rates, raising concerns among teachers, administrators, and the Tamalpais Union High School District (TUHSD) board.
The CAASPP tests assess students’ math, English Language Arts (ELA), and science proficiency. The tests are administered during school hours over the span of three days, with each session lasting two to three hours. The length of the tests can be difficult for some students to manage, as many of them find it hard to maintain focus throughout. An anonymous senior who will go by the name “Jeffrey” took the tests last year and didn’t feel motivated to take the test seriously.
“I thought it was a waste of time. I basically clicked through the whole thing and didn’t really pay attention. I tried to answer a couple questions, but at a certain point, I kind of started clicking through them,” Jeffrey said.
However, not all students share the same view. Archie Williams senior Roy Quaas views the tests in a more positive light than Jeffrey.
“I feel like a lot of people make [the tests] out as these super boring, uninteresting tests where nothing [important] really happens because they’re not actually graded. I didn’t look at them that way… As a person, I don’t mind taking tests, and so I was always kind of glad to contribute to the [school] and hopefully try and make it [look] better,” Roy said.
The average proficiency level for all participating students is recorded for each school that administers CAASPP tests and is featured on the California School Dashboard. Proficiency, along with suspension, graduation rates, and college and career readiness, is measured in categories with red being the worst, and blue being the best.
As of 2024, 62.6 percent of Archie Williams students met or exceeded the standard in ELA, while 42.6 percent did so in math. These figures placed the school below the TUHSD district averages of 71.4 percent in ELA and 53.5 percent in math, falling in the yellow proficiency category on the dashboard. In contrast, Redwood High School ranked in the blue category for both subjects, indicating higher proficiency.
These district-wide low scores have prompted concern among the TUHSD Board of Trustees. In a December 2024 board meeting, trustees expressed intolerance for the continued decline in student proficiency.
“We need to set some higher expectations, and we need to hold students accountable,” said trustee Cynthia Roenisch.
At Archie Williams, Vice Principal Kaki McLachlan believes this low proficiency level can be attributed to a lack of effort.
“I think we have a [school] culture issue with taking tests, standardized tests specifically, so we need to shift participation. And I think also, [kids] might see kinds of questions on that test that are multiple steps or that are in depth, and [we want them to know] that it’s okay to struggle and to push through and not just stop because it’s not [graded],” McLachlan said.
Another factor that influences proficiency rates is participation. In order to comply with the Every Student Succeeds Act, schools must have 95 percent participation in CAASPP testing to accurately assess the entire student body. Last year, TUHSD’s participation was at 90 percent, an increase by 20 percent from 2023, with Redwood being the only school above the threshold at 96 percent. Since low participation rates can impact schools’ scores, this remains a challenge for the district.
“We’ve been dinged because of low participation. When a student doesn’t participate, it counts as a zero, and so it looks like we’re doing very poorly. When we don’t have people show up, it makes it seem like [we’re] failing,” McLachlan said.
While attendance is mandatory, students still skip the CAASPP testing sessions. The only consequence for skipping a session is an unexcused absence, the same as missing a regular class. Archie Williams has begun implementing strategies to encourage students to attend, including offering students incentives.
“I remember [proctors giving] us smoothies last year from Jamba Juice. They were okay, but I feel like, if they really want to motivate us, they should put more at stake,” Roy said.
Teachers have devised strategies on how to improve test results. The science department at Archie Williams, including chemistry teacher Beth Geler, have proposed interim tests as a way to assess students’ proficiency. Given at the end of freshman and sophomore science courses, these tests would track the progress of students. Geler feels a special sense of responsibility, as she teaches juniors, the students who take the test.
“It’s not my job to teach [physics]. It’s not my job to teach [biology], but it’s my job to apply the test in the year [I teach students]. So if we can [assess students] after [they take those classes], it would be helpful,” Geler said.
For coming years, TUHSD board member Jennifer Holden emphasized that they aim to change the way in which the district communicates with parents.
“I hope that we are better at communicating with the entire community [and say] why the tests are important, what they measure, [and] what they do for our schools and our community at large… Communication about the test has happened, but just a little bit more information [would be helpful] so that parents, students, and community members have more information at their fingertips,” Holden said.
These tests can be especially important for teachers, as they can use results to adjust their curriculum based on the outcomes of the test. According to the Department of Education, CAASPP results can “help teachers assess individual student learning during instruction, provide feedback to students in a timely manner, and adjust teaching and learning as needed.”
While these tests don’t directly reflect student proficiency, they do reflect school proficiency. This can influence college applications, as CAASPP scores are reflected in school profiles visible to colleges.
“When [students apply] to colleges, it looks like we have a very easy school, or our students aren’t very capable, or we’re not learning a lot, when, in fact, that’s not the case. But that’s what they see, and so we don’t want to present ourselves in a poor fashion that reflects badly on our school,” McLachlan said.
In addition to impacting college applications, low CAASPP scores can also have consequences for the local community. High test scores often correlate with stronger school reputations, which can lead to increased property values in the area.
“When families are looking to move into a community, they often want good schools. When that happens, you’re able to have higher property rates and prices. So when you have poor schools, oftentimes you see that reflected in home prices too,” McLachlan said.
As the 2025 CAASPP tests approach March 27, 31, and April 2, Archie Williams continues to make efforts to raise scores and shift attitudes by stressing the importance of these tests to families and students. These efforts have the potential to improve both performance and the school’s academic standing.
