Among the 24% of students who took the Smarter Balanced assessments in 2020-21, achievement gaps widened, and the youngest students struggled.
California state officials have not yet outlined in detail what conditions must exist for a district to select an alternative assessment.
School districts can't cancel testing without approval, but they can delay it to later in the school year.
Analytical tools that are available but not used can help schools better understand how to improve student performance.
Third-graders, the first class taught according to Common Core standards since kindergarten, show the biggest gains.
