CAASPP Coordinators Update - March 20, 2017

March 20, 2017 

Dear County and District Superintendents and Charter School Administrators: 

LAUNCH OF THE PILOT TESTS FOR SCIENCE 

The California Department of Education (CDE) is pleased to announce the launch of two new assessments for pilot testing, the California Science Test (CAST) and the California Alternate Assessment (CAA) for Science. These assessments will be available once your local educational agency (LEA) testing windows opens. Please note that students and schools will not receive results from the CAST and CAA for Science pilot tests. I encourage you to use this opportunity to begin the transition to the California Next Generation Science Standards (CA NGSS). 

The items on the CAST pilot test reflect the new, innovative approach to teaching science called for in the CA NGSS. Item types used for the CAST pilot range from traditional multiple-choice item types to items that utilize simulations and other technology-enabled item types. The CAST is designed to encompass items that assess at least two of the three learning dimensions in the CA NGSS: Disciplinary Core Ideas; Science and Engineering Practices; and Crosscutting Concepts. The CAST practice test Online Practice and Training Test Portal contains sample items for grades five, eight, and high school and is available on the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress Portal. The Quick Reference Guide: How to Start a Training Test for Science is a resource for educators and parents on how to access the CAST training test and is available on the CDE CAST Web page. 

The CAA for Science pilot test consists of an embedded performance task, that consists of a collection of activities and questions that can be administered after related concepts are introduced and taught to the students. The administration of the embedded performance task following instruction allows students to demonstrate what they know and can do in a less burdensome environment and minimizes the gap between instruction and assessment. A Training Sample of an Embedded Performance Task is posted on the CAASPP portal. 

Building the CAST and the CAA for Science tests are a learning process. We are continually seeking new ways to improve our items as California continues to implement the CA NGSS to ensure that the CAST and the CAA for Science best measures what students know and can do. The CDE continues to engage stakeholders, teachers, and science and assessment experts for input on this journey of creating a quality assessment that best reflects the richness of the CA NGSS. Because the science pilot tests serve as a learning process, we encourage educators and students to complete the surveys at the end of the pilots to provide feedback that will be used to refine the science assessments. 

In addition, the CDE will be providing new resources to assist you during the transition to these new assessments on the CAASPP System Web page. These resources will include: 

• Introductory videos to the CAST and the CAA for Science pilot tests 


• CAST and CAA for Science Fact Sheets providing the who, what, where, why 
and how questions about the pilot tests 


• Quick Reference Guide: How to Start a CAST pilot test 
If you have any questions regarding this information, please contact the CAASPP Office by phone at 916-445-8765 or by e-mail at .


cc: LEA CAASPP Coordinators