December 19, 2019 Updated Joint Guidance on Privacy and Student Education and Health Records The U.S. Department of Education and the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released updated joint guidance today addressing the application of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy Rule to records maintained on students. The guidance, which was first issued in November 2008, clarifies for school administrators, health care professionals, families, and others how FERPA and HIPAA apply to education and health records maintained about students. The revised guidanc...

Important Reminder to update the Student English Language Acquisition Status in CALPADS Prior to Summative Testing for the English Language Proficiency Assessment for California All English learners must be assessed annually with the Summative English Language Proficiency Assessment for California (ELPAC). In order to be tested, students must have an English Language Acquisition Status (ELAS) of English Learner (EL) in CALPADS. Therefore, it is critical that students' ELAS are up-to-date in CALPADS before the Summative ELPAC testing opens on February 3, 2020, in order that students may be tested. In addition, any students' initial ELAS statuses that have been corrected through one of the all...

When to Use an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP), Individualized Education Program (IEP), or an Individualized Service Plan (ISP) This Flash provides further specificity to Flash 161 regarding which plan types students with disabilities (SWD) should have. Individuals: Birth to 35 months should have an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). Ages 3 to 5, should have an Individualized Education Program (IEP), even if the child is attending a private preschool, private transitional kindergarten, or private kindergarten (that is not a nonpublic, nonsectarian certified school). LEAs should enroll students ages 3 to 5 who are attending a private school at the district level, with the Re...

California Department of EducationNews Release Release: #19-68October 9, 2019 Contact: Scott RoarkE-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.: 916-319-0818 SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced today the statewide results of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) summative assessments for English language arts/literacy (ELA) and mathematics. School districts have had access to their own results since May. For CAASPP, performance continues to improve slightly overall within grades as measured by the Smarter Balanced ELA and mathematics assessments. Statewide results in all tested grades showed that 50.87 percent of students met or exceeded standards in ELA, a .99 percentage point increase from 2018 and a 6.87 percentage point increase from 2015. In mathematics, 39.73 percent of students met or exceeded standards, a 1.08 percentage point increase from 2018 and a 6.73 percentage point increase from 2015. Thurmond acknowledged the slight score increases but expressed deep concern that improvement is less consistent across the score range in the later grades of 7, 8, and 11, with a persistent percentage of students of color not meeting standards and, in several grades, showing declining scores from last year. “Disparities between students of color and their white and Asian peers continue from year to year and demonstrate the importance of our priority initiative of closing the achievement gap. Education equity should mean equity for all students and right now, we are not there,” said Thurmond. “All students should have an equal opportunity to succeed academically and enter the workforce prepared with the needed skills to compete in the industries that drive our state forward.” One plan to address disparities that Thurmond supports is working with data experts to interpret the declining scores and evaluate what is causing the results. Strategies can then be identified for how local educational agencies (LEAs) and educators can improve test scores. “The CDE can work with all educational stakeholders to identify strategies and then explore legislative efforts to support the needs of local districts and provide resources to improve test scores,” Thurmond said. Performance gaps have narrowed (based on tracking the same cohort over time and different cohorts over time) in ELA in most grades between Hispanic or Latino students and white students, Ever-English Learner students and English Only students, and Reclassified Fluent English Proficient students and English Only students. The CAASPP Smarter Balanced ELA and mathematics results are the basis for the academic indicator, and the Summative ELPAC contributes to the English Learner Progress indicator of the California School Dashboard. Thurmond reinforced that test results are only one measurement out of many that the state uses to evaluate schools on the California School Dashboard, which allows educators and parents to identify strengths and weaknesses. Schools and districts that are struggling across Dashboard indicators are flagged for state assistance. This is the fifth year of the computer-based tests, which use California’s challenging academic standards and ask students to write clearly, think critically, and solve complex problems, as they will need to do in college and future careers. During this time period, less...

Dear LEA CAASPP or LEA ELPAC Coordinator: Welcome to the 2019–20 school year! CAASPP and ELPAC systems have resumed operation after they were updated to support 2019–20 CAASPP and ELPAC testing. New Test Operations Management System (TOMS) Interface Both the CAASPP and ELPAC TOMS have transitioned to a new combined TOMS interface. Enhancements and new functionality can be previewed on the System Enhancements web page. Share this information with your site staff to introduce them to the new interface. One notable change is with the credentialing functionality for electronic Student Score Reports (SSRs). It has been updated so that credentials only need to be generated once for the 2019–20 yea...

2019–20 LEA CAASPP Coordinator Checklist! The 2019–20 LEA CAASPP Coordinator Checklist is now available! The California Department of Education (CDE) has produced this checklist for local educational agency (LEA) CAASPP coordinators to assist them in understanding the tasks and other activities necessary to ensure the successful administration of the CAASPP assessments. Tasks are listed for the months in which they are most likely to occur; however, the timing may need to be adjusted to best fit local schedules. The checklist can be found on the CAASPP Portal Manuals and Instructions web page. New CDE Alternate ELPAC Web Page The CDE is pleased to announce its new Alternate ELPAC web page, w...

General ELPAC Information Upcoming TOMS Systems Downtime As part of the transition to the 2019–20 school year, the Test Operations Management System (TOMS) will experience downtime from Tuesday, August 27 at 5 p.m. through Tuesday, September 3, 2019 at 8 a.m. The new Test Operations Management System (TOMS) interface will be available on September 3, 2019. During the downtime, LEAs may administer all domains of the Initial ELPAC except Listening in grades three through twelve. LEAs can administer Speaking—Summarize an Academic Presentation by reading aloud the recorded audio script provided in the Examiner's Manual. The Local Scoring Tool and all audio recorded files will be available in MyT...

Focusing on the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) System and English Language Proficiency Assessments of California (ELPAC)—and including, when timely, updates on California's other statewide assessments. Accessing Individual Student Score Reports in TOMS Local educational agency (LEA) CAASPP and ELPAC coordinators can access, print, or save an individual 2018–19 Student Score Report (SSR) through the Test Operations Management System (TOMS). To download an individual SSR: Log on to TOMS. Search for an individual student. Select the magnifying glass icon in the Actions column. Select the Reporting tab on the Student Profile page. Select the link to the SSR PD...

Say Hi to Aida Wong Gamba, an employee of Brisbane School District.  Aida just happened to be our 700th member, so we sent her a complimentary mug.  Hi Aida!  Welcome aboard! (You gotta have a little fun with this stuff . . . . :) -Chris

Dear LEA ELPAC Coordinator: As you administer the 2019–20 Initial and Summative English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC), Educational Testing Service (ETS) is helping to support you and your local educational agency (LEA) by providing key information. General ELPAC Information Upcoming TOMS Systems Downtime As part of the transition to the 2019–20 school year, ELPAC Test Operations Management System (TOMS) will experience downtime from 6 a.m. Monday, July 1 through 8 a.m. Monday, July 8, 2019. The new Test Operations Management System (TOMS) interface, MyTOMS, will be available on July 8, 2019 for the 2019–20 ELPAC administration. During that time, LEAs may administer ...

 Assessment Spotlight Focusing on the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) System and English Language Proficiency Assessments of California (ELPAC)—and including, when timely, updates on California's other statewide assessments. CAASPP Post-Test Guide Available on CAASPP Portal The 2018–19 CAASPP Post-Test Guide has been posted on both the Manuals and Instructions web page and the Score Reporting web page of the CAASPP Portal. This guide provides an overview of each assessment, information and guidelines for interpreting and comparing results, and descriptions of the features of the Student Score Report (SSR) for each subject area as well as additional res...

June 25, 2019 Acquisition unites proven assessments, assessment platforms, data analytics, intuitive reporting, curated item banks and pre-built assessments, and support services IRVINE, Calif. and MINNEAPOLIS (June 25, 2019) — Illuminate Education, the leading K-12 student performance system, has acquired FastBridge Learning, a research-driven assessment platform that transforms the way teachers measure and monitor student progress. Together, the companies comprise educator-driven Illuminate Education. The company provides effective formative assessments and assessment platforms, data that informs instruction, and the ability for educators to build strong systems of support within their dis...

Dear LEA CAASPP Coordinator or LEA ELPAC Coordinator: Based on feedback from coordinators, the ELPAC Test Operations Management System (TOMS) and CAASPP TOMS have been integrated into a new and improved system, called MyTOMS. The new MyTOMS will be available for the 2019–20 administrations of both CAASPP and ELPAC according to the following schedule: July 8, 2019—ELPAC functions available within MyTOMS September 3, 2019—CAASPP functions available within MyTOMS During this time between July 8 and September 3, 2019, ELPAC TOMS can be accessed by selecting the [TOMS] button on the ELPAC website at https://www.elpac.org/. CAASPP users will continue to access CAASPP TOMS in the current interface,...

​The cut scores in the manual are incorrect.  These are the updated ELPAC Summative Scale Scores as of 5/31/2019.  

Assessment Spotlight Focusing on the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) System and English Language Proficiency Assessments of California (ELPAC)—and including, when timely, updates on California's other statewide assessments. ELPAC Administrations Winding Down As both the Summative and Initial ELPAC administration windows come to a close—on May 31 for the Summative, and on June 30 for the Initial—we offer these tips to help local educational agencies (LEAs) with the details of closing the 2018–19 administrations: To ensure that Summative ELPAC materials arrive at testing contractor Educational Testing Service (ETS) in time for scoring, all Answer Books must b...

Dear LEA ELPAC Coordinator: As you administer the 2018–19 and 2019–20 Initial and Summative ELPAC, Educational Testing Service (ETS) is helping to support you and your local educational agency (LEA) by providing key information. URGENT: Actions Required 2018–19 Post-Test—Summative ELPAC Test Materials Return Instructions In order to ensure that your test materials arrive in time for scoring, all Answer Books must be picked up by United Parcel Service (UPS) from your location by June 14, 2019; therefore, requests for pick up must be made prior to that day. Consider this date when planning to return your test materials, and allow enough time to account for shipping so that test materials arriv...

 Focusing on the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) System and English Language Proficiency Assessments of California (ELPAC)—and including, when timely, updates on California's other statewide assessments. New for Families: Starting Smarter Websites On April 25, the California Department of Education (CDE), in collaboration with the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium and Educational Testing Service, launched two new websites to help empower parents/guardians and families to become partners in their children's academic success: Starting Smarter for the CAASPP Starting Smarter for the ELPAC These family-focused websites provide resources to facilitate ...

Focusing on the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) System and English Language Proficiency Assessments of California (ELPAC)—and including, when timely, updates on California's other statewide assessments. New for CAASPP and ELPAC: "Get Involved" Web Pages! Are you interested in getting involved in the continuing development of the CAASPP and the ELPAC? We need input from California educators, and it is now much easier for you to find out about the activities the California Department of Education (CDE) has scheduled and to let us know which ones hold your interest! To learn about upcoming activities, visit our new Get Involved web pages: CAASPP Opportunities ...

Instructional Quality Commission (IQC) Meeting Webcast for March 28, 2019.