2023–24 CAASPP Test Administrator Tutorial

This section provides an overview of each part of the CAASPP that test administrators will be responsible for administering. The California Assessment Timeline flyer and the following video provide a quick overview of assessments in California.

Overview of the CAASPP video [00:00:45]:

Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments for ELA and Mathematics

Students in grades three through eight and grade eleven will take the summative assessments for both ELA and mathematics.

The following video explores the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments. In this video, educators will learn about the two parts of the summative assessment, the computer adaptive test (CAT) and the performance task (PT), why it is a valuable component of every student's educational journey, and what resources are available to make it accessible for test takers.

Understanding the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessment video [00:08:03]:

California Science Test

Students in grade five, grade eight, and high school will take the CAST. The CAST is administered once to each student while that student is in high school. All students must take the CAST by the end of grade twelve but have the option of testing in grade ten or grade eleven.

The following video discusses the California Next Generation Science Standards and how they are built into the CAST. The video has information about the structure of the CAST and the types of questions students can expect to encounter on the assessment.

California Science Test (CAST) and the Next Generation Science Standards video [00:05:33]:

California Spanish Assessment

The CSA, presented in Spanish, is available to students who speak Spanish as their primary language, as well as those who are learning Spanish as an additional language. The CSA measures a student's literacy in Spanish reading/language arts, provides student-level data in Spanish literacy, and evaluates the implementation of Spanish reading/language arts programs at the local level. Currently, the CSA does not meet the requirements identified in California Education Code, Section 51460(a) of the State Seal of Biliteracy.

The Bilingualism and the CSA video explains what the CSA is and its benefits [00:06:17]:

There is also a version in Spanish available to share with parents/guardians [00:08:50]:

Practice and Training Tests

The practice and training tests offer an opportunity to practice with the test delivery system, accessibility resources, and sample items. It is recommended that all students and test administrators practice with the test delivery system and accessibility resources prior to testing day. Navigate to the Online Practice and Training Tests web page to access the following:

1. The Test Administrator Interface for practice and training tests.
   1. Test administrators can practice starting a test session and have students log on to a practice test session using their Statewide Student Identifiers (SSIDs).
2. Resources, including scoring guides, rubrics, and Directions for Administration, for the online practice tests.
   1. Practice and training tests are not recorded, scored, or reported.
   2. Scoring guides are available for practice tests if teachers, students, or parents/guardians want to record the answers and score them manually.
3. The Student Testing Interface for practice and training tests.
   1. Teachers, students, and parents/guardians can use the guest profile to access practice or training tests, without the need to enter an SSID.
   2. Students can log on using their SSIDs and the test administrator's session ID.

The following video explains how to use online practice and training tests. By the end of this tutorial, educators will be able to access and administer the online practice and training tests to prepare students to participate in online assessments.

Using the Online Practice and Training Tests video [00:13:06]:

How to Start a Practice or Training Test

• How to Start a Practice Test
• How to Start a Training Test

Practice tests expose students, teachers, and parents/guardians to the test and provide them with a grade level–specific experience similar in structure and format to the summative assessments. Practice tests are not automatically scored, but scoring guides are available for anyone to use. Understanding item scoring is helpful in preparing students for testing. Practice tests are also a great way to plan for and practice the use of accessibility resources for students.

Training tests are designed by grade band to expose students, teachers, and parents/guardians to different items that could be encountered on the test. They can provide students an opportunity to become familiar with the test delivery system (TDS). These tests are short and can be used by individual students or as part of a class presentation or activity. Like the practice tests, training tests do not provide scores.

CAASPP Interim Assessments

Interim assessments are optional tests that provide meaningful information to guide instruction and support student learning. For a standardized administration, interim assessments require the use of a secure browser in which students will need to log on with their first name, SSID, and session ID. The Interim Assessments At-a-Glance and Interim Assessments by Grade web documents outline the interim assessments available to administer. Visit the CAASPP Interim Assessment Administration Resources web page for related systems and resources.

Interim assessments can also be administered in a non-standardized manner, which can provide teachers with information and evidence that can be used to support the formative assessment process. The Tools for Teachers website also provides resources that support this formative assessment process. Visit the Tools for Teachers and Other Formative Assessment Resources web page for more information.

Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments for ELA and Mathematics

The Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments are aligned with grade-level content in ELA and mathematics for grades three through eleven. The Smarter Balanced Interim Assessment Fact Sheet provides more information about interim assessments. The Smarter Balanced Training Tests, Practice Tests, and Interim Assessments At-a-Glance web document provides a side-by-side comparison of the attributes and functions of these tools. The Smarter Content Explorer is another resource for exploring test questions or items for Smarter Balanced assessments. This resource displays individual sample items in a user-friendly format.

New! CAST Interim Assessments

CAST Interim Assessments are now available to administer. The CAST Interim Assessments, like the summative assessments, are aligned with the California Next Generation Science Standards.

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 consists 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.

Additional Optional Resource:

The Interim Assessment Video Series consists of several videos about the CAASPP Interim Assessments and ELPAC Interim Assessments. Each video is 3 to 10 minutes long. This video series complements the Interim Assessment User Guide , which contains more detail for educators using the interim assessments.

Overview of Accessibility Resources

The CAASPP System provides a full range of assessment resources for all students, including those who are English learners and students with disabilities. These resources ensure that the assessments meet the needs of all students. Teachers are encouraged to review these resources early in the school year and provide opportunities for students to experience these resources throughout the year in classroom instruction and assessment.

Some resources are embedded into the technology platform for the computer-administered CAASPP tests. Other resources are considered non-embedded since they are provided by the LEA. The following list defines the four different categories of student accessibility resources:

• Universal tools are available to all students on the basis of student preference and selection.
• Designated supports are available to all students when determined for use by an educator or team of educators (with parent/guardian and student input, as appropriate) or specified in the student's individualized education program (IEP) or Section 504 plan.
• Accommodations must be permitted on CAASPP tests to any eligible student if specified in the student's IEP or Section 504 plan.
• Unlisted resources are non-embedded and shall be made available if specified in the eligible student's IEP or Section 504 plan and only upon approval by the California Department of Education.

Overview of Accessibility Resources video [00:01:51]:

The one-page California Student Assessment Accessibility Graphics web documents are helpful to reference when determining what resources are allowed for each assessment.

• ELA
• Mathematics
• Science
• CSA

Accessibility Resources Videos and Training

The Accessibility Resources Demonstration Videos web page on the CAASPP website provides demonstrations of embedded universal tools, designated supports, and accommodations allowed as part of the CAASPP and ELPAC. Test administrators should view the videos with students to learn more about the available accessibility resources.

Accessibility Resources Virtual Training Series (Optional Resource)

The Matching Accessibility Resources to Students' Needs virtual training provides participants with an understanding of the importance of accessibility resources, the categories of accessibility resources, and the process for matching students with the appropriate accessibility resources for daily instruction and for assessments. Educators learn how to categorize accessibility resources into Universal Design for Learning (UDL) categories. UDL provides a research-based framework for teachers to incorporate flexible materials, techniques, and strategies for delivering instruction; and for students to demonstrate their knowledge in a variety of ways.

The Using Accessibility Resources in Daily Instruction virtual training is a follow-up training that goes in depth into how to observe students using assigned accessibility resources and how to make adjustments throughout the year based on these observations.

Visit the CAASPP Accessibility Resources Asynchronous Training web page for all the videos and resources.

Resource: CAASPP Test Administrator Checklist (Posted 06/23/23)

Estimated Testing Times

CAASPP assessments are untimed, and students should be given as much time as they need to complete each assessment. Though the assessments are untimed, estimated testing times can help educators prepare testing schedules based on how long it may take most students to complete each assessment.

CAASPP Estimated Testing Times video [00:01:46]:

Scheduling Time for Testing

Estimated testing times do not account for any time needed to start devices, load secure browsers, and log students on; nor do they account for breaks. Test administrators should work with CAASPP test site coordinators to determine precise testing schedules. Test administrators should review only the following sections relevant to the test they will be administering.

Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments for ELA and Mathematics

Table 1 contains rough estimates of the time it will take most students to complete the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments based on the time it took students to complete the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments in prior years. This information is for scheduling purposes only, as the assessments are not timed.

Table 1. Estimated Testing Times for Smarter Balanced Computer-based Assessments

Grade-Level Assessment	Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) Items in hrs:mins	Performance Task (PT) in hrs:mins	Total in hrs:mins
ELA 3–5	0:45	2:00	2:45
ELA 6–8	0:45	2:00	2:45
ELA 11	1:00	2:00	3:00
Mathematics 3–5	0:45	1:00	1:45
Mathematics 6–8	1:00	1:00	2:00
Mathematics 11	1:00	1:30	2:30
ELA and Mathematics 3–5	1:30	3:00	4:30
ELA and Mathematics 6–8	1:45	3:00	4:45
ELA and Mathematics 11	2:00	3:30	5:30

When developing a testing schedule, use the estimated testing times to calculate the number of days and the amount of time it will take to complete an assessment in each content area and grade level. Also consider that Smarter Balanced recommends that students take the CAT and PT items on separate days to minimize student fatigue.

CAST

Administration of the CAST is estimated to take approximately two hours. The CAST is composed of five segments of test questions: two or three blocks of discrete (stand-alone) questions followed by three or four PTs where each PT is a block. It is strongly recommended that a PT be started and completed in a single test session, with a break after either the second or third block of test questions. More information about the organization of the CAST can be found in the following web document: Organization of the California Science Test.

CSA

Administration of the CSA is estimated to take approximately four hours to four hours and 30 minutes.

Test Security Procedures

Users need to access the Test Operations Management System (TOMS) prior to testing to complete the Test Security Affidavit. Users accessing the Test Administrator Interface without completing the Test Security Affidavit in TOMS will not be able to view a list of tests or administer the summative assessments.

Please watch the Test Security Guidelines for Test Examiners and Test Administrators video to learn more about guidelines and procedures. Topics include the following:

• Testing regulations and requirements
• Test security guidelines
• Incidents and Appeals
• Common testing scenarios

Test Security Guidelines Video [00:17:28]:

Remote Testing (Optional)

Resources:

• Administering Remote Assessments
• Remote Testing Features
• Common Icons and Troubleshooting Tips
• Videos and Quick Reference Guides

How to Administer a Test from Start to Finish

Please watch the following video to view a live demonstration of a test administrator administering a CAASPP test to a classroom of students. This video shows the beginning, middle, and end of a test session with various student scenarios and helpful tips.

How to Administer a Test From Start to Finish video [00:20:31]: