CAASPP and ELPAC: Update to Demographic Locks During Testing
Email Update, January 15, 2025
Dear LEA CAASPP Coordinator or LEA ELPAC Coordinator:
Student demographic information in the Test Operations Management System (TOMS) will have multiple fields locked when a student begins any of the following summative assessments:
- Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments for English language arts/literacy (ELA) and mathematics
- California Science Test
- California Alternate Assessments (CAAs) for ELA and mathematics
- CAA for Science
- California Spanish Assessment
- Summative ELPAC
- Summative Alternate ELPAC
The following demographic fields will be locked when a student begins any summative assessment or domain:
- Economic Disadvantage Status
- Foster Status
- Grade Level When Assessed
- Homeless Status
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Indicator
- Migrant Status
- Military Status
- Parent Highest Education Level
- Primary Disability Type
- All race and ethnicity fields
Starting Summative ELPAC or Summative Alternate ELPAC testing will additionally lock the following fields:
- Date of Birth
- English Language Acquisition Status (ELAS)
- Primary Language
LEA coordinators should ensure that site coordinators and CALPADS administrators confirm all student demographic information is correct prior to beginning any summative assessment. If a student begins a summative assessment or domain and a change is required to a locked demographic field, all summative assessments or domains started or completed will require a Security and Test Administration Incident Reporting System case to be filed for a Reset Appeal in TOMS.
These locked demographic fields will be provided to the California Department of Education, used in the Student Score Data File, and reflected on the Test Results for California's Assessments website. Locking these fields when a student begins testing ensures a more accurate representation of student populations in score reporting. This also prevents discrepancies in demographics across testing programs, enabling LEAs to better compare and analyze student data.
LEAs can find more resources on test reporting on the Student Score Report and Reporting Resources web page. For further support, visit the Contact Us web page.