Academics
What will my child be learning this year? Where should his/her academic skills be at right now?
Take a look at our handout for parents about what is learned at each grade level. Copies of this handout will likely be given to you at Back to School Night, and/or are available with the teacher.
California Content Standards: National Common Core Standards
California schools–including New Haven Unified School District and Hillview Crest Elementary–use the National Common Core Standards. Please click on the link below for a access to California Department of Education’s links to all state standards.
What are the school’s policies on homework and parent engagement?
Please check out our Parent Engagement page!
Testing & Assessments
Every year students participate in three standardized tests.
ELPAC
The ELPAC (English Learner Performance Assessment for California) is administered to all students designated as English Learners in grades Tk-12. This test measures a students proficiency in the English Language in Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking. English Learners take this test every year until they are reclassified.
- Learn more about ELPAC here.
CAASPP and CAST
California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress is the state standardized testing that replaced STAR. Third through fifth graders take the online, Smarter Balanced Test in the areas of Reading, Writing, Math. Additionally, the 5th graders will also take the CAST, California Science Test.
Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Reading Assessments
Hillview Crest teachers give the Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment to determine students’ independent and instructional reading levels. By using this teacher-given assessment, teachers are able to:
- Observe and quantify student reading behaviors
- Engage students in comprehension conversations that go beyond retelling
- Make informed decisions about instruction and coaching students based on what students can do and where they struggle while reading
NWEA MAP Growth Assessments
All First through Fifth graders take online assessments at least twice per year so that we can measure their skills in reading and math. We use this information to track growth and to identify areas in which students may need additional support. In other words, MAP® Growth™ measures what students know and informs what they’re ready to learn next. This online assessment changes the level of difficulty according to a student’s responses, giving more and more difficult questions as students are able to answer accurately. This gives students a personalized assessment experience that accurately measures performance. Parents are often given copies of the NWEA Map Growth Assessment results for their students with multiple years’ worth of scores so that we can measure growth over time.
