CAASPP Interim Assessment Administration Resources

Interim assessments are designed to support teaching and learning throughout the year. The CAASPP Interim Assessments include the Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments for English language arts/literacy (ELA) and mathematics as well as the California Science Test (CAST) Interim Assessments.

To access resources regarding the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) Interim Assessments, please visit the ELPAC Interim Assessment Administration Resources Link to external site web page.

  • Interim Assessment
    Viewing System
  • Select this button to view the CAASPP and ELPAC Interim Assessments for planning, professional development, and/or training purposes.

  • Test Operations Management System (TOMS)
  • Select this button to assign user roles for accessing the interim assessments and related systems, to view student test settings prior to interim assessment testing, and to access interim assessment administration and hand scoring materials.

  • Completion Status
  • Select this button to access the system that will allow display the completion status for students taking all CAASPP and ELPAC assessments.

  • Teacher Hand Scoring
    System (THSS)
  • Select this button to access the system that will allow you to score student responses to interim assessment items that require hand scoring.

  • CERS Sandbox
    Training Tool
  • Select this button to access the CERS Sandbox training tool. Username and password are not required. CAST and ELPAC Interim Assessment results are not yet available in the CERS Sandbox.

General Resources

User Guides

Interim Assessment Video Series

The CAASPP and ELPAC Interim Assessment Video Series consists of six modules covering the content and purpose of the interim assessments and how to use related systems and resources.

Interim Assessment Lists

  • 2023–24 Interim Assessments At-a-Glance Link to external site (July 2023)
    This document lists, by grade level or grade span, all available CAASPP and ELPAC Interim Assessments.
  • 2023–24 Interim Assessments by Grade Link to external site (August 2023)
    This document lists all available CAASPP and ELPAC Interim Assessments by grade or grade span, and provides information such as associated standards, total number of items and number of items requiring hand scoring.

Instructions

Other General Resources

Smarter Balanced Interim Assessment Resources

Blueprints

Blueprints for the Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments for English Language Arts/Literacy (ELA) and mathematics, as well as various other resources, can be found on the CDE Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments Link to external site web page

Quick Instructions and Flyers

Videos

Asynchronous Hand Scoring Learning Modules

These asynchronous learning modules guide educators on how to hand score the Smarter Balanced Interim Assessment performance tasks for English Language Arts/Literacy (ELA) and mathematics. The asynchronous learning modules can be accessed on the following web pages:

CAST Interim Assessment Resources

The CAST Interim Assessments in grades three, four, and five will each assess all three science domains. Middle school and high school will each have three interim assessments that assess a single science domain. Each CAST interim assessment will consist of two segments: one discrete segment and one performance task (PT) segment. The PT consists of four to six items, including one constructed response item worth 2 points that must be hand-scored.

Blueprints

Item Specifications

Item specifications describe how items for the CAST are developed to assess the California Next Generation Science Standards (CA NGSS).

CAST Item Specifications Link to external site web page

CAST Constructed Response Annotated Examples

These annotated examples were created for selected constructed response items on the CAST practice tests. Practice test scoring guides and more can be found on the Online Practice Test Scoring Guides, PFAs, and DFAs web page.

Last Reviewed: September 19, 2023