Example Job Description
CAASPP Coordinator
A specialized assessment leader who coordinates secure, accessible, accurate, and timely administration of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress.
Interview Planning Resource
Possible Interview Q&A: CAASPP Coordinator
How to use this resource: Select questions that measure competencies established through the district’s current job analysis. Ask candidates the same predetermined questions under comparable conditions and evaluate responses against the same job-related criteria.
The indicators below describe evidence a strong response may contain; they are not required scripts or the only acceptable answers.
- How would you build a CAASPP implementation calendar?
Strong response indicators: Connects state and local windows with registration, accessibility review, training, security, materials, technology readiness, school schedules, staffing, makeups, monitoring, score release, owners, lead times, and contingencies.
- A student starts the wrong assessment. What would you do?
Strong response indicators: Protects the student, pauses or secures the session as authorized, verifies assignment and source data, follows current incident and appeal procedures, preserves facts, notifies designated personnel, documents resolution, and fixes the failed control.
- How would you verify school readiness?
Strong response indicators: Uses evidence-based criteria for rosters, testing windows, users, signed agreements, training, accessibility, schedules, rooms, devices, secure browsers, networks, peripherals, materials, support, escalation, and contingency plans.
- A required accommodation is missing in TOMS. How do you respond?
Strong response indicators: Stops unsafe testing, verifies the current plan and authorization, coordinates the approved system correction, follows incident procedures if testing began, confirms the setting before resumption, protects confidentiality, and examines the upstream workflow.
- How would you investigate a participation gap?
Strong response indicators: Defines expected population and rule, reconciles enrollment and TOMS status, checks eligibility, dates, exemptions and assignments, disaggregates patterns, coordinates corrections and makeups within rules, and documents remaining risk.
- What should a district test-security plan include?
Strong response indicators: Roles, training and agreements, access, secure content and materials, environments, prohibited assistance, device and communication controls, incident reporting, evidence preservation, escalation, inventory, retention, closeout, and exercises.
- A school reports widespread secure-browser failures on the first morning. What do you do?
Strong response indicators: Confirms scope and symptoms, uses the support and escalation plan, protects active sessions, checks known issues and local changes, coordinates technology and contractor support, communicates safe steps, preserves logs, and adjusts schedules if needed.
- How would you train staff on updated procedures?
Strong response indicators: Focuses on changed job behaviors and risk, provides role-specific examples and practice, distinguishes unchanged requirements, checks understanding, offers accessible references and support, records completion, and monitors implementation.
- How would you manage secure paper or alternate materials?
Strong response indicators: Uses authorized ordering, named custodians, verified counts, chain of custody, locked storage, controlled distribution and return, incident procedures, documented reconciliation, and required destruction or shipment.
- How would you explain CAASPP results and Dashboard results that differ?
Strong response indicators: Clarifies distinct purposes, populations, measures, participation and business rules, uses current source guidance, states limitations, and avoids suggesting either product is incorrect solely because the displayed values differ.
- What continuity materials should exist?
Strong response indicators: Calendars, contacts, access processes, school assignments, manuals, training records, readiness checklists, accessibility workflows, security and material logs, incident history, support cases, decisions, closeout steps, and cross-training.
- What would you prioritize in your first 90 days?
Strong response indicators: Confirms designation and access, maps deadlines and schools, reviews prior incidents and participation, meets site and department leads, assesses security and accessibility workflows, tests continuity, delivers early risk reductions, and establishes an improvement plan.
Position Description
Under the direction of the appropriate district administrator, the CAASPP Coordinator leads the local educational agency’s planning, readiness, administration, monitoring, incident response, closeout, and reporting support for the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress.
The coordinator translates current state requirements into district calendars, school procedures, training, technology readiness, student registration, accessibility verification, test-security controls, make-up plans, and communications. The position coordinates applicable Smarter Balanced assessments, the California Science Test, California Alternate Assessments, and other CAASPP components assigned to the district.
The role works closely with school coordinators, test administrators and examiners, special education and Section 504 teams, student information and CALPADS staff, technology personnel, curriculum leaders, communications staff, families, the California Department of Education, and the state testing contractor.
Reports To
Insert your school district’s specific reporting relationship here.
Required Education and Credentials
Required
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in education, educational measurement, statistics, research, data science, information systems, public administration, or a closely related field. Additional qualifying experience may be substituted where permitted by district policy.
- Successful completion of all district-required employment clearances.
- Completion of district-required student-privacy, assessment-security, accessibility, and information-security training within established timelines.
Preferred
- Master’s degree or advanced coursework in education, educational leadership, assessment, curriculum and instruction, special education, educational technology, or a related field.
- Valid California teaching or administrative services credential when required by the district’s classification and assigned responsibilities.
- Current or recent CAASPP coordinator, test-security, accessibility, alternate-assessment, or assessment-technology training.
Required / Desired Experience
Required Experience
- Three or more years of progressively responsible K–12 experience in assessment, education, program coordination, student data, educational technology, or a closely related function.
- Experience coordinating complex, deadline-driven work across multiple schools, departments, and staff roles.
- Experience interpreting administration manuals and delivering procedural training and support to adult learners.
- Experience working with student rosters, secure online systems, completion reports, and confidential information.
- Experience documenting and escalating operational, security, accessibility, or technology issues.
Desired Experience
- Direct responsibility for district or school CAASPP coordination, including TOMS, testing windows, completion monitoring, incidents, and score reporting.
- Experience with Smarter Balanced summative and interim assessments, the California Science Test, California Alternate Assessments, and applicable supports.
- Experience coordinating accommodations, designated supports, alternate assessments, assistive technology, and individualized testing conditions.
- Experience with a California student information system, CALPADS data, secure browsers, device management, networks, and assessment-system integrations.
- Experience training school coordinators, test administrators, test examiners, proctors, administrators, and technology support staff.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
CAASPP Planning and Local Coordination
- Serve as the LEA CAASPP Coordinator or designated operational lead and maintain required state and contractor communications.
- Develop the annual CAASPP calendar for state windows, local windows, registration, accessibility review, training, readiness, materials, administration, makeups, closeout, score availability, and communications.
- Coordinate applicable Smarter Balanced, California Science Test, California Alternate Assessment, and other assigned CAASPP activities.
- Maintain current knowledge of manuals, coordinator checklists, regulations, accessibility resources, security requirements, release notes, known issues, and deadlines.
- Define responsibilities, evidence of readiness, escalation paths, approval points, and continuity coverage for district and school personnel.
Registration, Accessibility, and Readiness
- Coordinate accurate student registration, school and grade assignments, test eligibility, testing modes, and other required attributes in TOMS and source systems.
- Work with special education and Section 504 teams to verify universal tools, designated supports, accommodations, alternate assessments, and assistive-technology needs.
- Coordinate trained personnel, accessible locations, individualized settings, devices, peripherals, secure browsers, network capacity, and contingency arrangements.
- Validate user accounts, roles, security agreements, training completion, site plans, schedules, communication trees, and support procedures.
- Use readiness checklists and documented signoff to identify and remediate risks before local testing begins.
Administration, Monitoring, and Incident Response
- Train and support school coordinators, administrators, test administrators, test examiners, proctors, technology personnel, and other assigned staff.
- Monitor testing status, participation, completion, makeups, expiring opportunities, accessibility concerns, system conditions, and site support needs.
- Coordinate ordering, receipt, inventory, secure storage, distribution, return, and destruction of paper, braille, alternate, or other controlled materials as applicable.
- Apply current incident procedures; secure affected sessions or materials, preserve facts, submit or coordinate required reports and appeals, and communicate determinations.
- Coordinate timely technical and operational support and escalate unresolved risks to district leaders, CDE, or contractor support as appropriate.
Security, Data Quality, Reporting, and Improvement
- Maintain the district test-security plan, role-based access, annual authorization, secure-material controls, incident records, and timely account removal.
- Reconcile TOMS records and completion information with the SIS, CALPADS, school records, student plans, and expected populations.
- Coordinate secure receipt, validation, distribution, and appropriate interpretation of student score reports and electronic result files.
- Communicate participation and results accurately, state limitations, protect privacy, and distinguish CAASPP results from accountability calculations.
- Conduct after-action reviews, improve workflows and training, maintain runbooks and continuity materials, and perform other related duties consistent with the position’s purpose and classification.
Required Skills and Abilities
Knowledge of
- CAASPP programs, TOMS functions, administration windows, student registration, test assignment, completion monitoring, score reporting, and coordinator responsibilities.
- Smarter Balanced assessments, California Science Test, California Alternate Assessments, interim assessments, and applicable administration and accessibility requirements.
- Test security, secure materials, incidents and appeals, user access, standardized procedures, and appropriate assistance.
- Student information systems, CALPADS relationships, secure browsers, devices, networks, peripherals, roster data, and validation.
- Student privacy, accommodations, designated supports, assistive technology, accessible communication, documentation, and project management.
Ability to
- Translate changing state and contractor requirements into clear local calendars, procedures, training, checklists, and decisions.
- Coordinate multiple schools, testing programs, staff roles, accessibility needs, systems, materials, and fixed deadlines.
- Recognize and respond appropriately to security, accessibility, registration, device, network, administration, and reporting problems.
- Analyze completion and participation information, trace discrepancies, and verify corrective action.
- Communicate calmly and accurately with educators, families, technical staff, vendors, state support, and executive leaders.
- Exercise discretion, maintain confidentiality, document consequential actions, and sustain transparent escalation and continuity.
Work Environment
- Work is performed in district offices, schools, testing rooms, training environments, meetings, and other computer-based professional settings.
- The position requires extended computer use and detailed review of rosters, TOMS, accessibility settings, status reports, incident records, and technical guidance.
- Work involves frequent interaction with students, educators, administrators, technology personnel, families, vendors, and state or county support organizations.
- Workload and travel may increase substantially before and during CAASPP testing windows, makeups, score releases, and system changes.
- The employee may encounter frequent interruptions, testing incidents, confidential matters, device or network failures, and urgent requests.
- The position requires secure handling of protected assessment materials and personally identifiable student information.
Other Requirements
- Successfully complete required criminal-record, fingerprint, and employment clearances.
- Complete a tuberculosis risk assessment and any examination required by applicable law or district policy.
- Complete annual mandated-reporter training and fulfill all legally applicable reporting responsibilities.
- Complete required assessment-security agreements, administration training, and scoring or calibration activities applicable to assigned duties.
- Complete district-required cybersecurity, student-privacy, safety, nondiscrimination, and workplace training.
- Maintain professional confidentiality and comply with district policies governing student records, information security, acceptable technology use, and assessment security.
- Travel between district offices, schools, testing locations, meetings, and professional-development activities as assigned.
- Possess a valid California driver’s license and maintain insurability when driving is an essential function of the position.
- Occasionally work early-morning, evening, weekend, or extended hours during critical assessment, reporting, or public-release periods.
- Regularly sit, stand, walk, speak, hear, read, and operate computers and standard office equipment.
- Use hands and fingers for keyboarding and handling documents; maintain visual attention while reviewing detailed records and computer displays.
- Occasionally lift, carry, or move records, devices, equipment, or supplies weighing up to 25 pounds.
- Perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.