CAASPP Communication: September 2025

Email Update, September 1, 2025

This communication includes information and updates about CAASPP.

Notice

Smarter Balanced, CAST, and the CAAs—Remaining Results Available

All remaining Student Score Reports (SSRs) for the following assessments are available now, in the Test Operations Management System (TOMS) and the California Educator Reporting System (CERS) for students who have completed testing:

• Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments for English language arts/literacy (ELA) and mathematics
• California Science Test (CAST)
• California Alternate Assessments (CAAs) for ELA, mathematics, and science

CAA for Science

The three performance tasks (PTs) for the CAA for Science can be administered in any order beginning September 16, 2025, through the end of the school year or June 30, 2026, whichever comes first. Administration of an embedded PT should occur immediately after instruction on the related science content. Refer to the CAA for Science Administration Planning Guides web page for help with early planning and scheduling for administration of the embedded PTs.

CAA for Science resources are available in the “Ongoing Reminders” section of this communication. Please note that test examiners are required to complete the 2025–26 CAA Test Examiner Tutorial on the Moodle Training Site (Moodle) before administering the CAA for Science.

CERS

Coordinators can now edit student groups in CERS from the user interface through a new enhancement. Navigate to Manage Student Groups and select [Edit Group] to add or remove students and assigned users.

This feature is in addition to the spring 2025 enhancement that enabled users to download an existing student group for editing purposes before uploading the group back into CERS.

Interim Assessments

Fourteen new ELA and eight new mathematics Focused Interim Assessment Blocks have been added for the Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments. CAST Interim Assessments are available for the grades three through five, middle school, and high school grade bands.

Please reference the CAASPP and ELPAC Interim Assessment Lookup Tool for more information on all available CAASPP and ELPAC interim assessments.

Secure interim assessment materials are available and can be found in the [Resources] navigation tab in TOMS.

Test Security Audits

To ensure test security and protect the integrity of CAASPP and ELPAC, LEAs are randomly selected each test administration year to participate in online test security audits. These online audits are conducted by the California Department of Education (CDE) and ETS to support LEAs in verifying that appropriate security protocols are in place and to identify any necessary adjustments. LEAs and schools selected for the 2025–26 Tier 1 online audits will receive notification in September 2025. For more information about the test security audit process and to view sample test security audit questions, please visit the Test Security web page.

To learn more about the test security audit process and test security related to CAASPP and ELPAC testing, test administrators and test examiners are encouraged to watch the Test Security Guidelines for Test Administrators and Test Examiners (14:49) video.

Reminders

CAA Test Examiner Tutorial

The CAA Test Examiner Tutorial is available now in Moodle. The CAA Test Examiner Tutorial contains three sections—General Requirements, CAA for Science, and CAAs for ELA and Mathematics. All test examiners must complete the General Requirements section of the tutorial and at least one content area section to receive a certificate of completion. Test examiners are required to complete the training prior to administering the CAAs.

Video SSRs

Video SSRs for Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments for ELA and mathematics as well as the Summative ELPAC for the 2024–25 test administration will be available for purchase through the end of September. For more information or to request a quote, please visit the Video Student Score Reports web page.

Upcoming Trainings

September 8, 12, and 15: New Coordinator Convenings

Registration is now open for the 2025 New Coordinator Fall Convenings, hosted by the CDE. These in-person events, designed for newly designated LEA CAASPP coordinators and LEA ELPAC coordinators and those with up to three years of experience, will provide practical guidance, hands-on learning, and networking with peers and experts to support effective assessment administration.

Convenings are scheduled in Fresno on September 8, Sacramento on September 12, and Los Angeles on September 15, each running from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

September 9: Coffee Session, 2–3 p.m.

The 2025–26 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. LEA coordinators are recommended to register annually on the Coffee Session Series registration web page. By registering once, you will be eligible to attend all upcoming sessions.

September 15, 17, and 29: Interim and Formative Assessment Training Series, 1–4 p.m.

The CDE invites you to attend the 2025 Interim and Formative Assessment Training Series. Registration is now available! The 2025 Interim and Formative Assessment Training Series will consist of three independent webinars focused on using the interim and formative components of the CAASPP and ELPAC assessment systems to inform teaching and learning. There will be five workshops where educators will dive into the hand scoring process for each of the interim assessment subject areas, and an educator panel in which California LEA staff will share best practices around use of these resources will follow to complete the series.

September 18: 2025–26 New Coordinator Training Webinar #5, 3–4 p.m.

This webinar, which focuses on accessibility, is meant for LEA coordinators who have been in their role for less than 12 months or want a refresher. A question and answer session with experienced LEA coordinators will close the session. Register on the 2025–26 New Coordinator Training Webinar Series registration web page.

If you cannot make it but wish to receive materials or be notified when the recording is available, please fill out the 2025–26 New Coordinator Training Materials and Recordings form.

October 7: Introduction to CERS for Test Coordinators and Administrators 8:30–11:30 a.m.

This training will cover an overview of CERS, accessing summative assessment results and interim assessment data, and procedures for giving LEA staff the access they need to view student results. This information repeats the August 2025 training. Register now for the 2025–26 Introduction to CERS for Test Coordinators and Administrators.

October 9: Introduction to CERS for Teachers, 3:30–5:30 p.m.

This session will provide hands-on practice with CERS features, including accessing assessment results, creating student groups, and using available resources to support instruction. This information repeats the August 2025 training. Register now for the 2025–26 Introduction to CERS for Teachers.

November 12–14: 2025 California Assessment Conference

School and LEA teams are encouraged to attend the California Assessment Conference to learn how other educators use assessment tools and data to improve teaching and learning. This annual conference is a unique opportunity for all educators to explore the connections between classroom instruction and assessment.

Registration is open for the three-day event in Riverside, California.

Educator Meeting Opportunities

Do not miss out on exciting opportunities to help shape the future of California’s assessments. Apply now for the following:

• CAST Item Review Meeting (grade five and high school), which will be held January 20, 21, and 27, 2026 (The application closes September 24, 2025.)
• California Spanish Assessment Item Review Meeting, which will be held January 27 and 28, February 19, and April 7, 2026 (The application closes October 1, 2025.)

Other educator meetings are available for these programs and the CAAs.

To apply for item review, data review, and range finding 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.

Available Now!

On-Demand Trainings and Recordings

Recordings of the following trainings are now available on the Upcoming and On-Demand Trainings web page:

• August Coffee Session
• Assessment and Accountability Information Meeting (AAIM), Day 1
• AAIM, Day 2
• Introduction to CERS for Test Coordinators and Administrators (2025–26)

Ongoing Reminders

SSR Electronic Distribution

Electronic distribution of SSRs requires that the LEA student information system (SIS) credentialing is established in TOMS, as outlined in the Establishing SIS Vendor Credentialing section of the TOMS User Guide. In addition, ensure that SSRs are properly displayed in such a manner that parents/guardians are able to access only scores for their own children.

CAA for Science Resources

The following resources were released in July for the 2025–26 CAA for Science:

• The 2025–26 CAA for Science form assignments are available on the CAA for Science Form Assignments web page.
• The 2025–26 CAA for Science Preparing for Administration document is available on the Administer a Test Session web page.
• The CAA for Science Administration Planning Guides are available on the CAA for Science Administration Planning Guides web page.
• The 2025–26 LEA CAASPP Coordinator Checklist has been updated and is available for the current test administration year.

LEAs should access the Administration Planning Guides early to ensure the careful and timely planning of the three embedded PTs over the course of the school year.

Security Forms

A new Sample Interim Assessment Test Security Agreement was recently added to the Test Security web page. Although a test security agreement is not required for interim assessments, this form can be used at the discretion of the LEA and can be modified as needed for local use.

STAIRS/Appeals Guide

The Security Incidents and Appeals Procedure Guide has been updated for 2025–26. This guide describes testing incident types and definitions and provides the steps for submitting a Security and Test Administration Incident Reporting System (STAIRS) case.

Coordinator How-To Hub Resources for Accessing Summative Assessment Results in CERS

The 2024–25 summative assessment results for CAASPP (Smarter Balanced for ELA, Smarter Balanced for Mathematics, and CAST) have been released to CERS. Educators with access to CERS can explore the data now.

To support LEA coordinators in accessing these results in CERS, the Coordinator How-To Hub includes a section under the Late Spring time frame called Access Summative Assessment Results in CERS.This section provides helpful resources, including quick reference guides and demonstration videos that can be shared with teachers to guide them on how they can access student results in CERS.

As a reminder, CERS provides access to individual summative assessment student results and partial aggregated summative assessment results at the group, school, and LEA levels. Prior to the public release of all summative assessment student results in the fall, aggregated results in CERS are partial and may not reflect final LEA outcomes. These partial results are not appropriate for public release but can be used for the purposes of local planning.

Visit the Coordinator How-To Hub to explore these resources.

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 region’s 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.

For further support, visit the Contact Us web page.

Sincerely,

California Outreach Team
CAASPP & ELPAC Website