CAASPP and ELPAC Interim Assessments
The CAASPP and ELPAC Interim Assessments are designed to support teaching and learning throughout the year. Available interim assessments include the following:
- CAASPP Interim Assessments
- Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments for English language arts/literacy (ELA) and mathematics
- California Science Test (CAST) Interim Assessments
- ELPAC Interim Assessments
Related Systems
Interim Assessment Viewing System
TOMS—Test Operations Management System
Test Administrator Interface
Completion Status
THSS—Teacher Hand Scoring System
DEI—Data Entry Interface
CERS—California Educator Reporting System
CERS Sandbox
| System | Description |
|---|---|
| CERS—California Educator Reporting System | Access results and reports for all CAASPP and ELPAC assessments. |
| CERS Sandbox | Access a sandbox environment to learn about or train others on the functionality of CERS. It offers users virtually the same functions as the reporting system but uses fictitious student data. Username and password are not required. |
| Completion Status | Access information and reports on the completion status for students taking all CAASPP and ELPAC assessments. |
| DEI—Data Entry Interface | Enter scores and responses for certain domains of the ELPAC Interim Assessments as well as the Initial ELPAC and Summative ELPAC. |
| Interim Assessment Viewing System | View the CAASPP and ELPAC Interim Assessments for planning, professional development, and/or nonstandardized administration purposes. |
| Test Administrator Interface | Create or schedule test sessions for all CAASPP and ELPAC online assessments. |
| THSS—Teacher Hand Scoring System | Score student responses to interim assessment items that require hand scoring. |
| TOMS—Test Operations Management System | Assign user roles for accessing the interim assessments and related systems and access interim assessment administration and hand scoring materials. |
Resources for all Interim Assessments
The following resources apply to all interim assessments, including the Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments for ELA and mathematics, the CAST Interim Assessments, and the ELPAC Interim Assessments.
Interim Assessment Lookup Tool
The Interim Assessment Lookup Tool allows users to search for available CAASPP and ELPAC interim assessments and includes information such as associated content, total number of items, and number of items that require hand scoring. The tool includes the functionality to narrow results by filtering by subject (i.e., ELA, mathematics, science, and ELPAC), grade level, and hand scoring requirement.
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.
On-Demand Hand Scoring Learning Modules
These on-demand learning modules guide educators on how to hand score constructed response items for the interim assessments. The modules can be accessed on the following web pages.
CAASPP Modules
ELPAC Modules
Other General Resources
Smarter Balanced Interim Assessment Resources
The Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments for ELA and mathematics are organized into Interim Comprehensive Assessments (ICAs), Interim Assessment Blocks (IABs), and Focused IABs and are aligned with content in grades three through high school.
Common Resources
Access printable interim assessment items and answer keys for the Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments.
Access claim and target information, content specifications, and more related to the Smarter Balanced ELA and mathematics summative and interim assessments.
Access examples of student writing, scoring annotations, and rubrics for sample ELA items.
Administration and Scoring Secure Materials
Training Guides and Exemplars for the Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments for ELA and mathematics are secure materials and are available in TOMS under the Resources tab.
Answer Keys for the Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments for ELA and mathematics are available in the Interim Assessment Item Portal.
Blueprints
Blueprints for the Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments for ELA and mathematics, as well as various other resources, can be found on the CDE Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments web page
CAST Interim Assessment Resources
The CAST Interim Assessments in grades three, four, and five each assess all three science domains. Middle school and high school 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.
Blueprints
Administration and Scoring Secure Materials
Training Guides and Exemplars and Test Content and Answer Key documents for the CAST Interim Assessments are secure materials and are available in TOMS under the Resources tab.
Item Specifications
Item specifications describe how items for the CAST are developed to assess the California Next Generation Science Standards (CA NGSS). Items on the CAST IAs are developed using the same process and guidelines as items on the summative CAST.
CAST Constructed Response Annotated Examples
These annotated examples were created for selected constructed response items on the CAST practice tests. The examples provide rubrics and student samples at each score point. Practice test scoring guides and more can be found on the Practice and Training Test Resources web page.
ELPAC Interim Assessment Resources
The ELPAC Interim Assessments are aligned with the 2012 California English Language Development Standards, and are organized by domain—Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing—for each of the following grade levels and grade spans:
- Kindergarten
- Grade one
- Grade two
- Grade span three through five
- Grade span six through eight
- Grade span nine and ten
- Grade span eleven and twelve
Administration and Scoring Secure Materials
Directions for Administration (DFAs), Training Guides and Exemplars, and Test Content and Answer Key documents for the ELPAC Interim Assessments are secure materials and are available in TOMS under the Resources tab.
In addition to the secure materials in TOMS, there are also secure training materials located in the Moodle Training Site within the ELPAC Interim Assessments (IA) Training Resources course. An enrollment key needed to access that course is located within the ELPAC Interim Assessment secure materials in TOMS.