Grades, Subjects, and Test Format
The California Standards Tests (CSTs) are an important component of the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program. Developed exclusively for California’s public schools, CSTs are designed to measure how well students are achieving state-adopted content standards in core subjects. Answers to commonly asked questions about the grades and subjects tested and the content and format of the CSTs are provided below. Basic information about the CSTs and other STAR Program tests can be found in the Questions and Answers About the 2008 STAR Program. California content standards addressed on the CSTs are available on the Content Standards Web page.
What grades and subjects are tested on the CSTs?
Students take two, three, four, or five CSTs depending on their grade level or the courses they are taking. The CSTs are given for the following subject areas at each grade level:
- Grades two, three, four, six, and seven
- English-language arts*
- Mathematics
- Grade five
- English-language arts
- Mathematics
- Science
- Grades eight, nine, and eleven
- English-language arts
- Mathematics
- Science
- History-social science (may or may not apply at grade nine)
- Grade ten
- English-language arts
- Mathematics
- Science**
- History-social science (may or may not apply at grade ten)
What content is tested on the CSTs?
There are three kinds of CSTs that are based on California content standards. First, there are CSTs that are based on content standards for a specific grade and subject such as grade two mathematics and grade ten English-language arts. Second, there are CSTs administered in the secondary grades that are based on content standards for specific courses such as Chemistry, World History, and Geometry. These often are referred to as the end-of-course CSTs. Third, there are CSTs that cover selected content standards for a specific subject but for multiple-grades. Two examples are the Grade Five Science CST, which covers science content standards for grades four and five, and the Grade Eight History-Social Science CST, which covers history-social science content standards for grades six, seven, and eight.
What subjects have end-of-course CSTs?
Mathematics, science, and history-social science are the three subjects that have end-of-course CSTs.
What are the end-of-course CSTs in mathematics?
There are six end-of-course CSTs in mathematics. Students in grades seven through eleven take an end-of-course CST in mathematics according to the following guidelines:
- The CST in Algebra I is for students in grades seven through eleven who are completing Algebra I. This CST is based on the content standards for Algebra I.
- The CST in Geometry or the CST in Algebra II are for students in grades eight through eleven who are completing the respective mathematics course. These CSTs are based on the content standards for Geometry or Algebra II respectively.
- The CSTs in Integrated Mathematics 1, Integrated Mathematics 2, or Integrated Mathematics 3 are for students in grades eight through eleven who are completing the respective Integrated Mathematics course. These CSTs are based on selected combinations of content standards for Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II.
In addition to the six end-of-course CSTs noted previously, there are two mathematics CSTs administered at the completion of specific courses:
- The General Mathematics CST is for students in grades eight and nine who are not enrolled in or completing a standards-based mathematics course designated for these grades. For example, grade eight students who are completing the first year of a two-year Algebra I course take the General Mathematics CST. The General Mathematics CST is based on content standards for grades six and seven.
- The Summative High School Mathematics CST is for the following two categories of students:
- Students in grades nine and ten who completed Algebra II or Integrated Mathematics 3 during a previous school year or the first block for students on block schedule. These students will take the Summative High School Mathematics CST each year through grade eleven.
- Students in grade eleven who completed Algebra II or Integrated Mathematics 3 any time prior to the beginning of STAR Program testing. This includes students in grade eleven who are taking higher mathematics courses or no mathematics courses.
What are the end-of-course CSTs in science?
There are a total of eight end-of-course CSTs in science. There are four end-of-course CSTs in science that are based on the content standards for Earth Sciences, Biology/Life Sciences, Chemistry, and Physics respectively. In addition, there are four end-of-course CSTs for integrated/coordinated science that are based on selected combinations of the content standards for Earth Sciences, Biology/Life Sciences, Chemistry, and Physics. Only students completing one of the standards-based science courses listed above take one of the appropriate CSTs in science.
What CSTs in science are required for grade ten students?
Grade ten students are required to take the Grade Ten California Life Science Standards Test. This test covers selected content standards for middle school life sciences and high school biology. In addition to this test, most grade ten students take an end-of-course CST in science for the course they completed during the summer session or are completing that school year.
What is the end-of-course CST in history-social science?
The end-of-course CST in history-social science is World History. This CST may be taken in grade nine, ten, or eleven.
What question formats are found on the CSTs?
Questions for all of the CSTs, except for the writing tasks in grades four and seven, are in a multiple-choice format. Students are presented with a question and asked to select the correct answer from four possible choices. Students in grades two and three mark their answer choices in the test booklet, and students in grades four through eleven mark an answer document. All multiple-choice questions are machine scored. Released CST questions from prior administrations are posted for public viewing on the STAR Web page.
For the CST in English-language arts, students in grades four and seven respond to multiple-choice questions and a writing task or prompt. The score on the written response is combined with the results of the multiple-choice questions to produce an overall score and the performance level for the CST in English-language arts. Writing guides for grades four and seven from prior administrations are posted for public viewing on the STAR Web page.
What standards are addressed by the writing tasks in grades four and seven?
The writing tasks in grades four and seven address the writing applications strand of the content standards in English-language arts.
In grade four, students are required to produce one of three types of writing: a narrative (story), a summary of a reading passage, or a response to literature. In grade seven, students are required to produce one of four types of writing: a fictional narrative (story), a persuasive letter or essay, a summary of a reading passage, or a response to literature.
Where can I see sample questions from the CSTs?
Sample questions from previous CSTs and writing tasks for grades four and seven are available on the STAR Web page.
Additional Information
Additional information about the STAR Program and the CSTs is available on the STAR Web page.
About the Early Assessment Program
In addition to the STAR Program tests, students in grade eleven may participate in the Early Assessment Program (EAP). The EAP is a collaborative effort between the CDE, State Board of Education (SBE), and California State University (CSU). The purpose of this assessment program is to help identify a student’s level of readiness for college level work in English and/or mathematics. Detailed information about the EAP is available on the CSU Web site (Outside Source). The new EAP handbook (Outside Source), released by the CSU for school leaders, also is available as a CSU Web document.
*Students in grades four and seven also complete a writing task as part of the CST in English-language arts.
**Most grade ten students take two science CSTs.
