1. Instructional Services Division of Educational Services
Assessment Update
Chun-Wu Li, Ph.D.
Instructional Services
Division of Educational Services
December 8, 2016

2. RCAN Date Changed to February 17, 2017
(from February 10, 2017)
9am-12 pm Regular Meeting
12:30-2:30 pm Mini-Workshop

3. Smarter Balanced Assessment
Summative Assessment

4. CAASPP 2016-17 Pretest Workshop
Held throughout January and February, 2017 in 17 different venues across the state.
January 17, 2017 – Riverside COE
A Webcast will be conducted on December 14, 2016.
CAASPP Coordinators will receive guidance and resources for administering:
Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments
California Alternate Assessments
New CAST and Cal-Alt for Science pilot tests

5. 2016–17 Updated Manuals
Updated manuals were recently posted to the caaspp.org Web site, including:
TOMS Pre-Administration Guide for CAASPP Testing
Guide to Completion Status and Roster Management
TOMS Passwords, Access, and Logon Guide (Chapter 2 of the TOMS Guide)

6. Accessibility Supports New Videos and Webcasts
Matrix One and the Accessibility Support graphics have been updated and posted on the CDE Web site at
A archived webcast on accessibility supports and accommodations can be found at
The 2016–17 CAASPP Institute will provide a workshop on the selection of designated supports and matching classroom and assessment accessibility supports in early 2017 as well as workshops about creating a standard process for identifying students for designated supports and using designated supports with English learners.
December 9-10: Riverside Convention Center
Register at
A series of mini-demonstration videos, scheduled for release in December, will demonstrate how the embedded resources work.

7. Classroom Activity
The classroom activity has been discontinued for the 2016–17 administration of the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments.
The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium determined that the vast majority of the summative assessment performance tasks contained sufficient explanation and context to be administered without requiring the classroom activity.

8. Smarter Balanced Assessment
Interim Assessment

9. Interim Assessment Manner of Administration Tip Sheet
Results from the Interim Assessment Reporting System will not be purged. For this reason, it is very important for LEAs to use the Manner of Administration setting to identify which interim assessment results are valid for interpretation and comparison.
A Tip Sheet to assist test administrators and LEA CAASPP coordinators is available on the CAASPP Portal Web page at

10. Interim Assessment and Digital Library Clinic Presentation Slides Now Posted
The Interim Assessment and Digital Library Clinic:
Described the importance of the formative assessment process for effective teaching and learning.
Familiarized participants with the various resources available in the Digital Library.
Provided a look into the Digital Library and interim assessment systems.
Discussed considerations in using interim assessments and corresponding results.
Shared resources to promote the use of the Digital Library and interim assessments within LEAs.
The presentation slides and a studio recording of the clinic are now available on the CAASPP Portal Web site at

11. Interim Assessment Hand Scoring Workshop Materials Available Now
Interim Assessment Workshops were offered at ten locations throughout the state in September and October 2016.
The presentation slides and materials from those workshops are now available on the “Interim Assessment Administration Resources” page of the CAASPP Portal Web site at TOMS login credentials are required to access these materials.

12. Smarter Balanced Assessment
Digital Library

13. New! Digital Library Resource Collections Web Page
To further assist teachers in locating resources in the Digital Library, the CDE launched the Digital Library Resource Collections Web page at This Web page contains resource collections created by expert educators in collaboration with the CDE and Smarter Balanced. Three resource collections are featured:
The Professional Learning Series is designed to connect educators with resources in the Digital Library that relate directly to professional learning topics.
The Instructional Learning Series is designed to connect educators with resources in the Digital Library that relate directly to standards assessed by specific Interim Assessment Blocks (IABs).
The Digital Library Connections provide educators with Digital Library resources based on student performance on IABs.

14. California Alternate Assessments (Cal-Alt or CAA)

15. California Alternate Assessments
Student results from spring 2016 administration of the CAAs for English language art/literacy and mathematics are available on the ORS. ORS provides both individual student and aggregate results.
ETS will be shipping student score reports to LEAs from December 6–16, 2016.
Updates to training tests for 2016–17 CAAs for ELA and mathematics will be available to LEAs and the public in January 2017 and will be located on the CAASPP Web site in the Resources tab at
The CAAs for ELA and mathematics will be available March 20, 2017, through the LEAs selected testing window.
ETS is engaged in ongoing development of new test items for the 2016–17 CAAs for ELA and mathematics. They continue to explore various test item functionality to improve the test taker and administrator’s experiences.

16. California Science Tests (CASTs)

17. CASTs
The 2016–17 academic year begins a four-year development cycle for the new science assessments aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
These assessments will be administered to all students in grades five and eight and high school (grades ten, eleven, or twelve).

18. CASTs (continued)
Grade assignments for California high school students are posted at
CAST Training Tests will tentatively be available to students, teachers, parents and the public in January. Test questions will not be scored nor rubrics provided. Training Tests will be available for grades five, eight, and high school.
The CAST assessments will be available beginning March 20, 2017 and will be available to LEAs throughout their testing window.

19. English Language Proficiency Assessments for California
(ELPAC)

21. Field Tests Windows Summative Assessment Field Test Window:
March 6–April 14, 2017
Initial Assessment Field Test Window:
August 28–September 22, 2017

22. 2016–17 Educator Opportunities for Involvement in the Development of the ELPAC
There are three educator opportunities available during the 2016–17 school year. All meetings will be held in Sacramento.
To find out more information about the meetings or to apply, visit the online application at