Matrix Updates
Updates for the 2007-08 testing administrations have been made to the two testing matrices.
- Matrix 1. Matrix of Test Variations, Accommodations, and Modifications for Administration of California Statewide Assessments (October 2007)
- Matrix 2. Matrix of Test Variations for Administration of California Statewide Assessments for English learners (October 2007)
The updated matrices are available on the California Department of Education (CDE) Student Testing Web site.
The updates this year are minor and include corrections to the wording of the 2007 matrix and the separation of Matrix 1 and 2 into two documents.
California Modified Assessment (CMA) Participation
At the November 2007 meeting, the State Board of Education (SBE) adopted the California Modified Assessment Participation Criteria. The complete criteria are available online with additional supportive documents on the CDE CMA Web site.
Highlights include:
- The student has a standards-based, individualized education plan (IEP) in a content area assessed by the CMA.
- The student previously participated in the California Standards Tests (CST) or in two previous administrations of the California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA).
- The student’s progress is based on multiple measures and objective evidence.
- The student’s progress is in response to appropriate instruction.
- The student is not precluded from attempting to complete requirements for a regular high school diploma.
- The student’s parents are informed that their child’s achievement will be measured based on modified achievement standards.
Additional decision-making considerations also are included with the criteria as well as a section on definition of terms.
- Standard setting will take place in the fall of 2008 for grades three through five.
Since the science assessments are not given prior to grade five, a student may meet the first participation criterion if the student:
- Has taken the CST in a previous year, and
- Scored Below Basic or Far Below Basic in English-language arts (ELA) or mathematics, or
- Has taken the CST with accommodations and/or modifications.
A teleconference presentation and Web conference to discuss CMA and its administration in spring 2008 will be held on December 20 by Educational Testing Service (ETS), the STAR test contractor, and the CDE. The following topics will be included:
- CMA and its role in the STAR Program Participation criteria for CMA
- Procedures to order materials for spring 2008
- Questions and answer session about CMA
Slides and an audio file of this presentation will be available for download on the STAR Web site (Outside Source).
CAPA
Standard setting for Levels I-V will be held in fall 2008.
The new definition for CAPA Level I is as follows:
The decision to place a student in CAPA Level I must be made by the IEP team. Though it may be likely that a student will continue to take the CAPA Level I throughout his/her K-12 education, the IEP team must reevaluate this decision each year. CAPA Level I is intended for the students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, identified in one of the grades 2-11, who are receiving instruction and curriculum aligned to the CAPA Level I blueprints.
Dates for the 2008 CAPA Train-the-Trainers’ Workshops have been set and are available on the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Web site (Outside Source).
The CAPA examinations must be administered by certificated or licensed school staff members who have successfully completed CAPA training annually. To be considered trained, examiners must do at least one of the following:
- Participate in face-to-face local CAPA training, and/or
- Watch the "CAPA Best Practices" DVD or video
Standards-based Tests in Spanish and English Learner Students
The Standards-based Tests in Spanish (STS) are required for Spanish-speaking English learners (ELs) in grades two through seven who either receive instruction in their primary language or have been enrolled in a school in the U.S. less than 12 months. School districts have the option of administering the STS to all other Spanish-speaking ELs. Students who participate in STS must also take the CST tests. La prueba de logros en español, Tercera edición (Aprenda) test is given to students in grades eight through eleven.
English only or Reclassified Fluent English Proficient (RFEP) students may not participate in STS. Assembly Bill 252 (AB 252) would have permitted the CDE, with the approval of the SBE, to make the STS available to public schools to assess their non-English learners enrolled in dual language immersion programs. AB 252 had been approved by the Assembly and Senate but was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger. Consequently, schools cannot purchase the STS to assess their non- English learners in dual language immersion programs.
Pre-Identification Workshops
The CDE recommends that district STAR coordinators submit student demographic data via the Pre-identification (Pre-ID) process for the spring 2008 test administration. The district will receive Pre-ID booklets (where applicable), answer documents and labels from ETS, the STAR test contractor. The 2008 Pre-ID Workshop information is now available on the STAR Web site (Outside Source). All district STAR coordinators are encouraged to attend these workshops.
Since both CST and CAPA data are used in Academic Performance Index (API) and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) reporting, coordinators should ensure that data is as accurate as possible before submitting files to ETS. Please note that the California School Information Services (CSIS) is no longer providing the free CSIS Data Cleansing and Reporting Service for districts.
2008 STAR Item and Time Charts
The 2008 Item and Time Charts for the CSTs, The California Achievement Tests, Sixth Edition Survey (CAT/6 Survey), STS, CAPA, and Aprenda 3 are located on the CDE STAR Administration Web site. These charts show the tests administered for each grade/course, the number of questions for each test, and the estimated time to complete each test.
The 2008 Item and Time Chart for the CMA will be posted on the same Web site at a later date.
Aprenda 3 Pre-Test Workshop and Webinar
An Aprenda 3 pre-test workshop will be held on January 28, 2008 at the Los Angeles County Office of Education. This meeting will take place in the afternoon following the STAR workshop session. Registration information will be e-mailed to Aprenda district coordinators. Prior to the workshop, Aprenda district coordinators will be able to review pre-test materials in the training guide which will be posted on the Coordinator’s Orders-Receipt-Editing System (CORE) Web page (Outside Source) by December 4.
A pre-test workshop webinar will also be posted on CORE on January 14, 2008.
For more information, please contact the Harcourt Customer Support Center at 1-800-763-2306.
2007 Apportionment Information Reports
District superintendents and charter school administrators whose schools tested independently of the district received the 2007 STAR Apportionment Information Reports during early November to certify and return to the CDE. Districts are reminded that the due date for returning certified reports to the CDE is December 31, 2007. If a district or charter school does not return a certified report to the CDE postmarked by the December 31, 2007, deadline, the district may apply for a waiver of the deadline to be approved by the SBE as provided by California Education Code Section 33050. The CDE cannot release payment of the apportionment funding for late reports without a waiver approved by the SBE. The specific waiver request form and instructions for state testing apportionments are available on the CDE Web site. Payment of late apportionment reports is contingent upon the availability of an appropriation for this purpose in the fiscal year in which the tests were administered.
More Information
For more information, check the ETS STAR Web site (Outside Source) for updates on test administration set-up, ordering materials, pre-ID, and upcoming workshops and Webcasts.
