Assessment Spotlight, Issue 246

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 website and the ELPAC website .

Now Available: 1.0 Percent Threshold Survey

The annual survey for the one percent threshold on CAASPP alternate assessments is now available and will be open until the close of business on October 12, 2023. The 1.0 Percent Threshold Survey is conducted in response to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which requires all local educational agencies (LEAs) to report the percentage of students taking alternate assessments, regardless of whether the LEA:

• Anticipates exceeding the 1.0 percent cap
• Anticipates not exceeding the 1.0 percent cap
• Has no students expected to take the alternate assessments

The overall intent of the ESSA regulations is to help address concerns about disproportionality related to potentially overidentifying students for alternate assessments. The state undergoes increased monitoring and oversight by the U.S. Department of Education as a consequence for exceeding the threshold.

LEAs can find the link to the survey, which applies to the 2023–24 administration year, and guidance for completing the survey on the California Department of Education's (CDE) One Percent Threshold on Alternate Assessments web page.

Reminder—Downtime for CAASPP and ELPAC Systems

The following CAASPP and ELPAC systems will be unavailable from Friday,
September 15, at 5 p.m. to Tuesday, September 19, at 8 a.m. for a scheduled downtime:

• Test Delivery System/Test Administrator Interface
• Completion Status System
• Interim Assessment Viewing System
• Practice & Training Tests

2023–24 CAASPP Planned System Downtime

2023–24 ELPAC Planned System Downtime

Reminder—2023 Interim and Formative Assessment Training Series Fall Sessions

There is still time to register for the 2023 Interim and Formative Assessment Training Series fall sessions that will kick off September 25! These training sessions are a great way for LEA staff to prepare for the 2023–24 school year and are free of charge!

These three-to-four-hour facilitated training sessions for teachers and other LEA staff are organized into the following three modules:

• Module One—Deep dive into formative assessment practices and resources, including an exploration of the Tools for Teachers website.
• Module Two—Deep dive into the CAASPP and ELPAC Interim Assessments and associated online systems and how to use these resources to support teaching and learning.
• Module Three—In-depth instruction and practice in hand scoring interim assessments for the California Science Test and ELPAC.

Further information, including training dates and times and registration details, is available on the Interim and Formative Assessment Training Series registration page .

California Alternative Assessment for Science Testing Window Opens September 19, 2023

The testing window for the California Alternative Assessment (CAA) for Science opens on Tuesday, September 19. The test is available for administration through the end of your LEA’s 2023–24 instructional calendar. The CAA for Science embedded performance tasks are intended to be administered throughout the year shortly after students receive the related science instruction to allow students their best opportunity to highlight what they know and can do in science.

Schools are assigned to one of four forms for the CAA for Science, and all grade levels within a school have the same form assignment. LEAs can locate their form assignments by county/district/school code on the
CAASPP CAA for Science Form Assignments web page . Administration Planning Guides are also available on the CAA for Science Administration Planning Guides web page . These guides provide the assessed Science Connectors and include a testing planner to help in deciding the best time to administer performance tasks.

New HiSET^® Session Self-Service Training Required

For all HiSET^® test centers, new Session Self-Service training is now being offered! Future access to self-service session scheduling will only be granted to those test center staff who have attended the one required training. Please choose and add one of the links below to your calendar to attend.

Training sessions will be offered on the following dates and times:

Training Sessions	Time
Monday, September 18, 2023	11 a.m to noon Pacific time (PT)
Tuesday, September 19, 2023	8 to 9 a.m. PT
Wednesday, September 20, 2023	11 a.m. to noon PT
Thursday, September 21, 2023	11 a.m. to noon PT
Friday, September 22, 2023	8 to 9 a.m. PT
Monday, September 25, 2023 (Morning Session)	7 to 8 a.m. PT
Monday, September 25, 2023 (Afternoon Session)	1 to 2 p.m. PT
Tuesday, September 26, 2023 (Morning Session)	8 to 9 a.m. PT
Tuesday, September 26, 2023 (Afternoon Session)	1 to 2 p.m. PT

To recieve future CAASPP updates and notifications, subscribe to the CAASPP mailing list by sending a blank email message to subscribe-caaspp@mlist.cde.ca.gov. For previous Assessment Spotlight issues Visit the CDE Assessment Spotlight web page.