CAASPP Communication: June 2024
Email Update, Monday, June 3, 2024
This communication includes information and updates about the >CAASPP.
Announcements
Register for 2024–25 Coffee Sessions
Register for the 2024–25 Coffee Session Series. Virtual monthly Coffee Sessions, hosted by the California Department of Education (CDE) and ETS, offer opportunities for LEA staff to ask questions and get answers about assessments, trainings, resources, and more. By registering once, you will be eligible to attend all upcoming sessions.
Composite Claims Results Now Available
Since the adoption of the shortened Smarter Balanced adjusted blueprints, the CDE has worked with ETS and the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium to find a way to provide more detail in results reporting. Starting this year, composite claim results will be reported for the Smarter Balanced for English language arts/literacy (ELA) and mathematics assessments on Student Score Reports (SSRs), in the California Educator Reporting System (CERS), and on the Test Results for California's Assessments website.
For ELA, the Reading and Listening claims are combined into a single Reading and Listening composite claim, while the Writing and Research claims are combined into a single Writing and Research composite claim. For mathematics, the Concepts and Procedures claim remains the same, while the other three claims are combined into a single Mathematical Practices composite claim.
Urgent Reminders
June 28: 2024–25 Test Administration Year Rollover
This year, the rollover to the 2024–25 test administration year will happen from Friday, June 28, 2024, at 5 p.m. through Wednesday, July 3, 2024, at 8 a.m., for both CAASPP and the ELPAC. This is approximately one month earlier than in previous years for CAASPP, so LEA CAASPP coordinators should plan on downloading reports and completing the annual rollover preparation steps earlier this year. Please refer to the Preparing to Transition to the 2024–25 Test Administration Year email for more detail about what to expect and how to prepare for the 2024–25 rollover.
Ensure All Eligible Students Are Tested
Ensure that you are testing all eligible students with CAASPP. Section 1111(b)(2)(B)(ii) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 requires that state assessments in ELA, mathematics, and science be administered to all public elementary school and secondary school students in the state. In addition to ESEA, Section 60640 of the California Education Code indicates that testing be administered to all pupils, inclusive of pupils enrolled in charter schools.
Prepare for SSR Electronic Distribution
Collaborate with technology personnel to ensure connections between the local student information system (SIS) and the Test Operations Management System (TOMS) are active, which will result in SSRs populating for the correct students in a timely manner, as outlined in the Options for Distributing SSRs chapter of the CAASPP Scoring and Reporting Guide. Ensure the reports are properly displayed, parents/guardians can access the report(s), and parents/guardians can only access reports for their own children. The SIS vendor credentials have a 365-day expiration rule. If needed, regenerate credentials for the SIS to securely connect to TOMS.
CAASPP SSRs have been redesigned! Please refer to the Score Reporting web page on the CAASPP and ELPAC website for sample SSRs, SSR cover letter templates, as well as the estimated SSR release dates.
Complete 2023–24 Interim Assessment Hand Scoring
The 2023–24 interim assessments for ELA and mathematics, the California Science Test, and the ELPAC will remain available until August 2, 2024. During the system downtime that begins on August 2, student responses for the interim assessments will be cleared from the Teacher Hand Scoring System (THSS) and will no longer be available for hand scoring.
To ensure that student results from all completed 2023–24 interim assessments appear in CERS, all outstanding hand scoring must be completed in the THSS prior to the system downtime on August 2, 2024, at 5 p.m. An email will be sent to LEA coordinators in early June with more information regarding the 2024–25 interim assessment rollover.
Upcoming Trainings
To register or locate additional details about upcoming, including dates, times, or content, visit the CAASPP Upcoming Training Opportunities web page.
June 5: Scoring and Reporting Webinar
Registration is open for the 2023–24 Scoring and Reporting Webinar. ETS, on behalf of the CDE, will host the CAASPP and ELPAC Scoring and Reporting webinar on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, from 1:30 to 3 p.m. This webinar will cover how to access CAASPP and ELPAC results, available resources, information on assessment scoring, and next steps for communicating scores to educational partners.
June 11: Coffee Session, 2–3 p.m.
These virtual monthly Coffee Sessions, hosted by the CDE 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, you can register for one or more upcoming sessions of the 2023–24 Coffee Session Series.
June 12, 13, 17, and 20: Data Leadership Training Series
The Data Leadership Training Series is focused on making sense of CAASPP data within a culture of data use for system improvement to promote equitable outcomes for students. The training series consists of four sessions that form a coherent learning sequence. Participants can either choose to attend all four or selected sessions. Sessions will be held on June 12, 13, 17, and 20 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. For more information on each session's topic and to register for sessions, visit the Data Leadership Training Series registration web page.
June 20: New Coordinator Training Webinar #2: Managing Users
This webinar is the second of the New Coordinator Training series. This webinar will provide information about identifying site coordinators, loading users into TOMS, determining testing windows, and setting local test schedules. This webinar will also end with a question and answer session with experienced coordinators. Register for one or more sessions in this series on the 2024–25 New Coordinator Training Webinar Series registration web page.
Educator Meeting Opportunities
We need your input! California educators are an essential part of the assessment development process. Teachers who work closely with our students provide an important perspective that informs and improves CAASPP and the ELPAC. Meetings are held remotely, and this is an excellent opportunity for participating educators to provide vital input in test composition, accessibility, and implementation.
Details for upcoming meetings can be found on the Get Involved web page on the CAASPP and ELPAC website. Opportunities for the 2024–25 test administration year are now available.
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.
Ongoing Reminders
Summative Assessment Scoring Job Opportunities
ETS applications for scorers. This is an excellent opportunity for educators to become more familiar with the California assessments. Scoring schedules are flexible and can include four-, six-, and eight-hour weekday or weekend shifts. California educators interested in applying can find more information on the ETS Online Scoring web page. Questions about the application or hiring process should be directed to etsrater@ets.org. Current scorers can reach out to ratercertify@ets.org for any scoring-related questions.
Previous CAASPP Monthly Communications
Previous CAASPP monthly communications, as well as other email communications, are located on the Coordinator Emails web page.
Additional Help
- Direct questions about policies, regulations, and requirements to caaspp@cde.ca.gov.
- Contact your Success Agent for answers to questions about assessment coordination, development, and administration, as well as for technical support.
- Direct questions about Moodle, certification, and calibration to moodlesupport@scoe.net.
- Get Answers from a user-friendly lookup tool available to help LEA coordinators quickly find answers to the most common testing questions. Users can also suggest Additional Questions for the FAQ, which will be reviewed on a regular basis.
- Chat with Anita, your virtual assistant for LEA help, which is available on the CAASPP and ELPAC home pages. Unanswered questions will be routed to your LEA Success Agent.