Assessment Spotlight, Issue 194

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 .

July’s Featured Resource in Tools for Teachers—In Defense of Kelp

High school science teachers can use this month’s featured Tools for Teachers instructional resource, In Defense of Kelp (account required), to help their students investigate the effect of keystone species on biodiversity. This phenomenon-based lesson, which is aligned with the California Next Generation Science Standards, focuses on the Science and Engineering Practice: Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions.

During the lesson, students evaluate the impacts of humans on California’s Monterey Bay ecosystem by analyzing data showing how the displacement of the sea otter as a keystone species has affected populations at lower trophic levels. Students also investigate conservation efforts that have been made and propose new approaches to restoring balance to that valuable ecosystem. This rich instructional sequence engages students through formative assessment strategies, including Notice/Wonder, Think-Pair-Share, Blanket the Table, and Four Corners.

To access this resource and other science instructional resources, log on to the Tools for Teachers website (account required). Local educational agency (LEA) staff will need a Tools for Teachers account, which can be obtained either through the How to Self-Register for Tools for Teachers web page or through their LEA CAASPP coordinator.

High School Equivalency Summer Convenings in August!

Next month, the California Department of Education (CDE) Proficiency, Equivalency, and Fitness Testing Office is hosting the 2022 High School Equivalency (HSE) Summer Convenings. This no-cost, in-person professional development training will provide key information to HSE chief examiners, HSE test site administrators, high school counselors, and others who have a connection to this alternate route for students.

Staff from the CDE, the HiSET Program, and GED Testing Services will facilitate these trainings. The locations and dates are as follows:

• Sacramento—August 8 (full; openings still available nearby at Yolo location)
• Yolo—August 9
• Santa Clara—August 10
• Fresno—August 11
• Ventura—August 16
• Riverside—August 17
• Orange County—August 18

Registration is available on the HSE Summer Convenings registration web page . Register today, as some locations are filling up quickly.

Find details in the 2022 HSE Summer Convenings flyer (PDF), and please forward this flyer to school site staff and others who may be interested. Questions can be emailed to Melissa Stockbridge, Sacramento County Office of Education, at mstockbridge@scoe.net.

Upcoming Downtime for CAASPP and ELPAC Systems

Downtime is approaching for various CAASPP and ELPAC systems. From Friday, July 29, at 5 p.m. to Tuesday, August 2, at 8 a.m., the following CAASPP and ELPAC systems will be unavailable:

• Test Operations Management System
• Test Administrator Interface
• Test Delivery System
• Completion Status System
• Interim Assessment Viewing System
• Interim Assessment Hand Scoring System
• California Educator Reporting System

The 2022–23 CAASPP Planned System Downtime and 2022–23 ELPAC Planned System Downtime web pages provide a calendar of scheduled downtimes through June 2023 as well as a glossary of abbreviations.

Direct any questions about the scheduled downtime to your LEA’s assigned LEA Success Agent. You can locate your LEA's assigned Success Agent on the LEA Success Agents web page . For other support options, visit the California Outreach web page .

Please share this email with any educators in your LEA who would be interested in or benefit from this information. To join the email list, send a blank email message to subscribe-caaspp@mlist.cde.ca.gov. Are you a new subscriber? Visit the CDE Assessment Spotlight web page to find previous issues.