CAASPP Communication: July 2023

email update, Monday, July 3, 2023

This communication includes information and updates about the CAASPP .

Urgent Reminders

Complete Interim Assessment Hand Scoring

In preparation for the 2023–24 school year, the Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments and related systems will experience downtime starting on Friday, July 28, 2023, at 5 p.m. to Tuesday, August 1, 2023, at 8 a.m. During this downtime, student responses will be cleared from the Interim Assessment Hand Scoring System (IAHSS) and will no longer be available for hand scoring. To ensure that student results from all completed 2022–23 interim assessments appear in the California Educator Reporting System (CERS), all outstanding hand scoring must be completed in the IAHSS prior to the CERS downtime on July 27, 2023.

The IAHSS will be replaced by the enhanced Teacher Hand Scoring System (THSS), which will feature updated communication and navigation features. The THSS will be the single system for hand scoring all interim assessments and the Initial ELPAC. For interim assessments, the THSS will be available beginning August 1, 2023, at 8 a.m. when systems resume operation after the downtime.

Upcoming Dates

Register Now: Assessment and Accountability Information Meeting (AAIM)

Registration is now open to all for the 2023–24 AAIM , hosted by the California Department of Education. These two-hour meeting sessions will provide coordinators with the latest information and updates on California's assessment and accountability systems.

The sessions, which will be presented virtually, will be held weekly on three afternoons in August, from 2 to 4 p.m. The dates and topics are as follows:

August 3: General assessment updates, national and international tests, Physical Fitness Test, high school equivalency, English language arts/literacy and mathematics summative assessments, and the California Spanish Assessment
August 10: Interim and formative assessments, ELPAC, and the California Science Test
August 17: Accountability

Apply Now: Upcoming Meetings for Educator Opportunities

The CAASPP Opportunities to Get Involved web page provides information about meetings for educators who want to be involved in the development and review of test items for California assessment programs.

The fall Item Writer Workshops for the California Spanish Assessment is accepting applications through July 21. During the workshop, educators will receive training on how to write assessment items and learn about opportunities to write items for use in future test administrations. Spanish teachers are encouraged to apply on the Educator Opportunities Portal . If you do not have an Educator Opportunities Portal account, you will need to create an account in the Educator Opportunities Database. If you have forgotten your password or have any questions about how to get involved in educator opportunities, please contact the Educator Opportunities Team by phone at 916-228-2682.

CAA for Science Administration Planning Guides

These guides provide the assessed Science Connectors and include a testing planner to help in preparing for the best time to administer performance tasks throughout the school year. The guides will be posted on the CAASPP CAA for Science Administration Planning Guides web page.

Schools are assigned to one of four forms, and all grade levels within a school have the same form assignment. It is important to download the materials associated with the correct form for the administration of the CAA for Science. LEAs can locate their form assignments by county/district/school code on the CAASPP CAA for Science Form Assignments web page.

The CAA for Science testing window opens on Tuesday, September 19, 2023.

Upcoming Trainings

To register or locate additional details about upcoming, including dates, times, or content, visit the CAASPP Upcoming Training Opportunities web page.

July 10–August 9: 2023 Interim and Formative Assessment Training Series

Register now for the Interim and Formative Assessment Training Series . This engaging training series will provide direct, online training focused on leveraging the interim and formative components of the CAASPP and ELPAC comprehensive systems of assessment to inform teaching and learning.

It will be composed of three distinct, independent modules with multiple opportunities to attend. Modules 1 and 2 apply to Smarter Balanced, the California Science Test, and the ELPAC collectively, while Module 3 includes separate hand scoring sessions tailored to each assessment.

July 11: Coffee Session, 2–3 p.m.

Register now for the 2023–24 Coffee Session Series . The first session in the series will be held on July 11, 2023, and will recur on the second Tuesday each month. Use the Coffee Session Content Request Form to submit questions, request demonstrations, or share a best practice.

July 13: New CAASPP Coordinator Welcome Webinar, 3–4 p.m.

Register now for the New CAASPP Coordinator Welcome Webinar . This, hosted by the Sacramento County Office of Education (SCOE), is designed for LEA CAASPP coordinators who have been in their role for less than 12 months or want a refresher on the coordinator responsibilities. This will provide information on the various assessments included in California's assessment system and coordinator resources, and it will conclude with a question-and-answer session with experienced coordinators.

July 18–October 26: CERS Trainings

This training is designed for staff and teachers who have access to or manage LEA use of CERS. To register for the coordinator and administrator training, go to the CERS Training for Test Coordinators and Administrators registration web page. To register for the teacher-focused training, go to the Introduction to CERS for Teachers Online Training registration web page.

July 20: New Coordinator Webinar #1: Receiving Scores, 3–4 p.m.

Register now for New Coordinator Webinar #1: Receiving Scores . This, hosted by SCOE, is part of the 2023–24 New Coordinator Training Webinar series and is designed for LEA CAASPP and LEA ELPAC coordinators who have been in their role for less than 12 months or want a refresher on the coordinator responsibilities. This first in the series will review the process of receiving and sharing assessment results and conclude with a question-and-answer session with experienced coordinators.

Ongoing Reminders

Prepare for SSR Electronic Distribution

Collaborate with technology personnel to ensure that connections between the local student information system (SIS) and the Test Operations Management System (TOMS) are active, which will result in Student Score Reports (SSRs) populating for students in a timely manner, as outlined in the Options for Distributing SSRs section in the CAASPP Scoring and Reporting Guide .

Ensure that parents/guardians are notified of when SSRs will become available and that they are aware of how to access the reports for their child.
Note the SIS vendor credentials have a 365-day expiration rule. If needed, regenerate credentials for the SIS to securely connect to TOMS.

Please refer to the Score Reporting web page on the CAASPP website for the estimated SSR release dates. Sample SSRs for 2022–23 available on the Starting Smarter website and CAASPP Sample SSRs web page.

Confirm the Accuracy of Role Designations in the California School Directory

The TOMS superintendent role is automatically assigned to LEA superintendents and charter school administrators listed in the California School Directory (CSD) . Administrators of funded charter schools should ensure that the person named in the Administrator field in the CSD is the primary site administrator for the school with the authority to designate roles such as LEA CAASPP coordinator.

Previous CAASPP Monthly Communications

Previous CAASPP monthly communications, as well as other email communications, are located on the CAASPP Coordinator Emails web page.

Additional Help

Direct questions about policies, regulations, and requirements to caaspp@cde.ca.gov.
Contact your Success Agent for answers to questions about assessment coordination, development, and administration, as well as for technical support.
Direct questions about Moodle , certification, and calibration to moodlesupport@scoe.net.
Get Answers from a new user-friendly lookup tool available to help LEA coordinators quickly find answers to the most common testing questions. Users can also suggest Additional Questions for the FAQ , which will be reviewed on a regular basis.
Chat with Anita, your virtual assistant for LEA help, which is available on the CAASPP and ELPAC home pages. Unanswered questions will be routed to your LEA Success Agent.

Sincerely,

California Outreach Team

CAASPP website