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
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

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.

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

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

2024–25 Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments Overview Smarter Balanced Interim Assessment Fact Sheet Smarter Balanced 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 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.

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.

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.