Assessment Spotlight, Issue 353

Focusing on the CAASPP System and English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC)—and including, when timely, updates on California’s other statewide assessments. For questions related to test administration, coordination, and trainings, visit the CAASPP and ELPAC website .

Save the Date for High School Equivalency Summer Convenings!

The California Department of Education (CDE) invites chief examiners, test site administrators, school counselors, and others with a connection to high school equivalency and proficiency programs to the in-person 2026 Summer Convenings. These convenings are designed to provide timely updates and to collect valuable feedback regarding the GED® and HiSET® exams.

This year you will have an opportunity to earn 0.5 professional development units (7.5 hours) by attending the High School Equivalency and Proficiency Summer Convenings.

Registration is free and opens March 2, 2026!

• Sacramento—Monday, August 10
• Contra Costa—Tuesday, August 11
• Monterey—Wednesday, August 12
• Bakersfield—Thursday, August 13
• Fresno—Friday, August 14
• Orange—Tuesday, August 18
• Los Angeles—Wednesday, August 19
• San Diego—Thursday, August 20

Physical Fitness Test

Our records show that some local educational agencies (LEAs) have not submitted the 2025-26 Physical Fitness Test (PFT) Coordinator Designation Form. In some cases, the form has been submitted but has not yet been approved by your superintendent or charter school administrator.

The PFT coordinator designation form must be submitted annually by November 1, even if the coordinator’s information has not changed from the previous year, you have no students enrolled in grades five, seven, or nine, or your LEA uses a vendor's services.

Identifying and approving a PFT coordinator ensures that the LEA will receive the latest PFT information and updates. You can access the 2025-26 PFT Coordinator Designation Form.

February’s Featured Tools for Teachers Resource

Get ready to spark curiosity and uncover how story elements shape theme with February’s featured Tools for Teachers lesson, Bursting at the Themes: How Story Elements Build Theme . This grade eight English language arts lesson plan is ready-to-go and makes analyzing theme interactive and engaging.

Start the lesson with a Read Aloud accessibility strategy that is used to set clear learning goals and success criteria. Then, energize your students with a Four Corners formative assessment strategy that gets them moving while reviewing story elements. Watch the learning magic happen as you model theme analysis with a Think Aloud using the story The Ants and the Grasshopper. Then hand the reins over to students as they explore The Lion and the Gnat independently. Wrap up with an Exit Ticket to see exactly what students have learned. The embedded formative assessment and accessibility strategies in this lesson help to engage students, capture student understanding, and guide instruction along the way.

To view this and other Tools for Teachers resources, LEA staff need a Tools for Teachers account, which is free of charge and can be obtained either through self-registration, described in the flyer How to Self-Register for Tools for Teachers (PDF) or by contacting their testing coordinator.

To receive future CAASPP and ELPAC updates and notifications, subscribe to the CAASPP mailing list by sending a blank email message to subscribe-caaspp@mlist.cde.ca.gov. Are you a new subscriber? For previous Assessment Spotlight issues, visit the California Department of Education Assessment Spotlight web page.