CAASPP Communication: April 2026

Email Update, April 1, 2026

This communication includes information and updates about CAASPP.

Notice

Condition Codes

Condition codes indicate the presence of circumstances during testing and explain the reason for the absence of student responses for a required assessment. There are two such condition codes that an LEA CAASPP coordinator can enter into the Test Operations Management System (TOMS) to document the receipt of a signed letter provided by a student’s parent or guardian:

1. PGE: Parent/Guardian exemption, signed by the student’s parent or guardian
2. NTE: Not tested because of a significant medical emergency, signed by a licensed physician (California Code of Regulations, Title 5, Section 850[y])

Condition codes must be entered before the local testing window closes. Letters can be submitted to schools on paper or digitally and must be kept on file.

Additionally, recently arrived English learners will receive the NEL condition code and will not be required to complete the English Language/Art (ELA) or California Alternate Assessment (CAA) for ELA. There is no entry for this condition code in TOMS, as it is automatically generated by the system based on student information. “Recently arrived English learner” means a pupil designated as an English Learner (EL) who is in their first 12 months of attending a school in the United States as specified in Education Code section 60603(v), as determined after April 15th of the previous school year.

Test Security

Maintaining Test Security

Maintaining test security before, during, and after testing is crucial. A few important requirements that LEA and school staff can observe when administering summative assessments are as follows:

• Before testing: Prepare the test environment with proper signage and seating and remove or cover instructional materials.
• During testing: Supervise the student(s) and ensure they have access only to allowable resources in a quiet environment.
• After testing: Ensure that no test materials were used for instruction and destroy or return them securely. Maintain test security while entering student responses into the Data Entry Interface and student results into the Teacher Hand Scoring System (as needed).

For a list of requirements, refer to tables 1–4 in the Security of the Test Environment section of the CAASPP Online Test Administration Manual.

Signage

Prepare the following signage to use during test administration:

• Testing—Do Not Disturb
• Unauthorized electronic devices MAY NOT be used at any time during the testing session.

Student Electronic Device and AI Usage

This year, there have already been an unusually high number of incidents reported in the Security and Test Administration Incident Reporting System (STAIRS) where students were identified as using cell phones, other electronic devices, or artificial intelligence (AI) during testing. These situations may result in a security breach if test content is exposed online through social media, for example, by saving content to a server or cloud service; or an item or other test content is entered into an AI search chatbot.

LEA CAASPP coordinators should have a protocol in place for managing student electronic devices prior to testing to ensure a secure testing environment. Additionally, test administrators and test examiners should be reminded to actively monitor students during testing.

When an incident involving a summative assessment occurs, a STAIRS case must be filed within 24 hours. Coordinators should include an accurate and specific description of the case in the STAIRS “Notes” section. The description should indicate whether any photos, videos, or screen captures were made during testing; and whether they were removed from both the device and any social media platform. In addition, if test content was exposed, LEA staff should provide the assessment type and question numbers that were compromised.

Please also note that LEAs with pending STAIRS cases should monitor cases for new notes to ensure prompt communication between parties.

When an incident involving an interim assessment occurs, a site coordinator and LEA coordinator should take the following steps. These incidents do not need to be reported in STAIRS.

1. Ensure that any testing photos, videos, or screen captures are permanently deleted from the device, the cloud, and from social media. This includes any reposts that may have occurred.
2. The site coordinator should contact the LEA coordinator to report the incident.
3. The LEA coordinator should report the incident to the LEA’s assigned Success Agent.

Test Security Resources

• Test Security Guidelines for Test Administrators (10:37)
• Test Security Guidelines for Test Coordinators (10:27)
• Security Incidents and Appeals Procedure Guide
• Test Security web page
• Identifying Testing Improprieties, Irregularities, and Breaches section of the CAASPP Online Test Administration Manual

CSA

Administration

The California Spanish Assessment (CSA) is available for students in grades three through twelve to test their Spanish language arts/literacy skills. Please encourage the schools in your LEA to participate in administering this valuable assessment to their students.

For high school students who take the CSA, the California State Board of Education approved the overall achievement level 3 on the high school CSA as one way to meet, in part, the State Seal of Biliteracy (SSB) requirements. The SSB recognizes high school graduates who have attained a high level of proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing one or more languages in addition to English. When LEAs administer the CSA and Smarter Balanced for English Language Arts/Literacy, they have an opportunity to evaluate students’ strengths and weaknesses in reading language arts in both Spanish and English.

The CSA tests students in the following domains:

• Reading
• Writing
• Listening
• Speaking (high school only)

High School Speaking Domain

During the 2024–25 CSA administration, nearly 20 percent of high school students did not record a response to any speaking items. LEA and school staff are encouraged to administer the practice test or training test to high school students before operational testing so the students can become familiar with recording responses in the Test Delivery System while in a group setting.

Refer to the following resources to support your students:

• Student Tips on Taking the CSA Speaking Questions
• Student Tips for the CSA Speaking Test video

Reminder

Crisis Alert Response System (CARS)

As part of the process for scoring constructed-response items, responses may be identified that warrant an LEA’s immediate attention. Upon discovery that a response requires attention, TOMS notifies the LEA CAASPP coordinator(s) and superintendent via email. Upon receipt, an LEA representative is required to acknowledge the CARS incident by logging on to TOMS, accessing the CARS page, and selecting the [Acknowledge] or [Acknowledge and Archive] button.

Upcoming Trainings

To register or locate additional details about upcoming trainings, including dates, times, and content, visit the Upcoming and On-Demand Trainings web page.

April 14: Coffee Session, 2–3 p.m.

These monthly virtual Coffee Sessions, hosted by the California Department of Education and ETS, offer opportunities for LEA staff to ask questions and get answers about assessments, trainings, resources, and more. If you are not already registered, register on the Coffee Session Series registration web page. By registering once, you will be eligible to attend all upcoming sessions.

April 16: New Coordinator Training Series #11, 3–4 p.m.

The eleventh session in the New Coordinator Training Webinar Series will focus on gathering feedback and preparing for scores.

Register for this session of the 2025–26 New Coordinator Training Webinar Series.

Educator Involvement Opportunities

Coming Soon! New Educator Meeting Opportunities

New opportunities for the 2026–27 school year will be available on May 14, 2026. To apply for educator meetings, go to the Educator Opportunities Portal. Those without an Educator Opportunities Portal account can create an account via the Educator Opportunities Portal Account Creation Form. For any questions, please contact the Educator Opportunities Team by phone at 916-228-2682 or by email at edopportunities@scoe.net.

More information is available on the Get Involved web page.

On-Demand Trainings and Recordings

A recording of the following training is now available on the Upcoming and On-Demand Trainings web page:

• Authentic Tasks for Learning and Assessment in Science (ATLAS) webinar
• March Coffee Session

Previous CAASPP Monthly Communications

Previous CAASPP monthly communications, as well as other email communications, are located on the Coordinator Emails web page.

Additional Help

• Contact your region’s Success Agent for answers to questions about assessment coordination, development, and administration, as well as for technical support.
• Direct questions about the Moodle Training Site, certification, and calibration to moodlesupport@scoe.net.

For further support, visit the Contact Us web page.

Sincerely,

California Outreach Team
CAASPP & ELPAC Website