CAASPP Update

Focusing on the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) System, including the Smarter Balanced assessments—a major component of CAASPP—and the California Alternate Assessments and science assessments. 

Accessibility Notes: Updated Guide Now Available!

The updated  Accessibility Guide for CAASPP Online Testing , which includes a change log (in the appendix), is now available on both the  Student Accessibility Resources and Test Settings  Web page and the  Manuals and Instructions  Web page of the CAASP Portal Web site.

March System Downtime Begins Tonight

Tonight at 5 p.m. through March 20 at 7 a.m., the Test Operations Management System, Test Administrator Interface, Interim Assessment (IA) Viewer, IA Hand Scoring, Online Reporting System, and the Appeal, Completion Status, and Roster Management systems will be undergoing system maintenance and will not be accessible.

March 20—California Alternate Assessments and California Science Tests

March 20—the opening of the CAASPP science and alternate assessments administration—is less than a week away! Are you ready?

The high school grade-level assignment for the pilot California Science Test (CAST) and the pilot California Alternate Assessment (CAA) for Science can be confirmed by checking the assignment link on the CAASPP Portal  CAST Web page . 

Confirm your  CAA version assignments  before you start printing out Directions for Administration (DFAs) or administer the CAA for English Language Arts and CAA for Mathematics.

The new CAA for Science pilot test is a performance task (PT) assessment designed to be administered closer to the student’s instructional activity. This innovative assessment allows test examiners (TEs) some flexibility in the administration of the PT. TEs can select familiar materials for students and allow students to demonstrate what they know. A sample training test is available on the CAASPP Portal  CAAs Web page .

The training test is aligned with the grade five California Next Generation Science Standards but can be used by students in any of the tested grades to familiarize educators, students, parents, and stakeholders with the testing format of the pilot. This training test is the same type of embedded PT that will be administered during this year’s pilot CAA for Science. Designed to be administered one on one, the training test PT is nonsecure and for use in preparing for the pilot CAA for Science. 

Science Fact Sheets

The  California Science Test Pilot Assessment Fact Sheet  is now available! It provides a quick and easy “Who, What, When, Why, and How” for the CAST as well as a timeline for implementation through to the operational assessment in 2019. A fact sheet for the California Alternate Assessment for Science will be posted soon.

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