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 
web page.
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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.
- Test Administrator Interface for All Online Tests
- Select this button to access the Test Administrator Interface that is used to access all CAASPP and ELPAC online assessments.
- Completion Status
- Select this button to access the system that will allow display the completion status for students taking all CAASPP and ELPAC assessments.
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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.
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California Educator
Reporting System (CERS) - Select this button to access results and reports for all CAASPP and ELPAC assessments.
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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 User Guide
- CAASPP and ELPAC Completion Status Guide
- California Educator Reporting System (CERS) User Guide
- California Educator Reporting System (CERS) Interpretive Guide (Posted 10/20/23)
Interim Assessment Lists
- 2023–24 Interim Assessments At-a-Glance (July 2023)
This document lists, by grade level or grade span, all available CAASPP and ELPAC Interim Assessments. - 2023–24 Interim Assessments by Grade (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
- CERS Resources web page
Smarter Balanced Interim Assessment Resources
- 2023–24 Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments Overview
- Smarter Balanced Interim Assessment Fact Sheet
- Training Tests, Practice Tests, and Interim Assessments At-a-Glance
- Interim Assessment Item Portal
Access printable interim assessment items and answer keys for the Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments - Smarter Balanced Content Explorer
Access claim and target information, content specifications, and more related to the Smarter Balanced ELA and mathematics summative and interim assessments - Smarter Annotated Response Tool
Access examples of student writing, scoring annotations, and rubrics for sample ELA items
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 web page
Quick Instructions and Flyers
- Creating an Answer Key Using the Interim Assessment Item Portal (IAIP)
- Smarter Balanced Guidelines for Read Aloud, Test Reader
- Scribing Protocol for Smarter Balanced Assessments
- Tools for Teachers Interim Connections Playlists Flyer
- Interim Assessment Item Portal Flyer
Videos
- Using Smarter Balanced Interim Connections Playlists (Video; 06:52)
- Using the Interim Assessment Item Portal (Video; 06:27)
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:
- Asynchronous Learning Module: Hand Scoring ELA Performance Tasks
- Asynchronous Learning Module: Hand Scoring Mathematics Performance Tasks
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
- CAST Interim Assessment Blueprint (January 2023)
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 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.
- CAST: Practice Test Constructed Response Annotated Examples–Grade Five
- CAST: Practice Test Constructed Response Annotated Examples–Grade Eight
- CAST: Practice Test Constructed Response Annotated Examples–High School
Last Reviewed: September 19, 2023