This past March, juniors at schools in the Tamalpais Union High School District all took the updated version of the Smarter Balanced Assessment, which shed further light on the academic achievement gap that exists between Tam students. Through both multiple choice and long form answers, students were asked to display their knowledge in mathematics and language arts, as well as their ability to think critically, explain the logic behind an answer, and write.

The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP), a public California education agency, is responsible for administering the Smarter Balanced Assessment. The organization separates performance into four ratings. Students either exceeded the standard expected of an eleventh-grader (Level 4), met the standard (Level 3), nearly met the standard (Level 2), or were far from the standard (Level 1).