Assessment Spotlight, Issue 197

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! 2022–23 Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments

The 2022–23 Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments are now available, with new test forms for specific grade levels and content areas, including new performance tasks! Altogether, the three types of interim assessments—Interim Comprehensive Assessments, Interim Assessment Blocks (IABs), and focused IABs—offer educators a selection of over 200 interim assessments.

The following resources provide key information on the interim assessments to assist educators in understanding them and deciding which ones to administer:

• 2022–23 Interim Assessments Overview (PDF), which describes the interim assessments, including their purpose, use, and varieties, and provides a list of interim assessments available for each grade and subject.
• 2022–23 Interim Assessments at a Glance (PDF), which provides a quick view of all available interim assessments by content area and grade level.
• 2022–23 Interim Assessments by Grade (PDF), which provides details about every available interim assessment by grade, including the claims and targets assessed, the total number of items, and the number of items that require hand scoring.

In addition, local educational agency (LEA) staff who have access to the interim assessments can use the Interim Assessment Viewing System to preview interim assessment forms in their entirety and the Interim Assessment Item Portal to search for individual interim assessment items that align with specific content of interest.

For more information about the Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments, visit the California Department of Education (CDE) Interim Assessments web page.

2022–23 CAA for Science Administration Planning Guides!

The 2022–23 California Alternate Assessment (CAA) for Science Administration Planning Guides—for grades five and eight and high school—are available! Find them on the CAASPP CAA for Science Administration Planning Guide web page . Each planning guide provides LEAs with the following:

• Basic information on the CAA for Science administration and test security
• Assessed standards (i.e., Science Connectors)
• Planning template to assist in preparing for the administration each of the four embedded performance tasks
• Points to consider when deciding the best time to administer a CAA for Science embedded performance task to a student

LEAs are reminded of the importance of downloading the correct form for the administration of the CAA for Science. Schools are assigned to one of four forms, 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.

To follow best practices in administering the 2022–23 CAA for Science, LEAs should access these guides early to ensure the careful and timely planning of the four embedded performance tasks over the course of the school year. The testing window opens on September 6, 2022.

2022–23 Tools for Teachers Shared Practices Webinar Series

The 2022–23 Tools for Teachers Shared Practices Webinar Series begins next month! This series is for California LEA staff, including administrators and classroom educators, who want to learn more about the Tools for Teachers website and the formative assessment process. Each webinar in this series will feature California educators sharing how they use Tools for Teachers and related resources to support teaching and learning in the classroom and will conclude with a question-and-answer session.

Registration is open for all three webinars in the series:

• Webinar 1, Supporting Teaching and Learning with the Tools for Teachers Website
  • September 29, 2022
  • 3:30–4:30 p.m.
  • Registration, Webinar 1
• Webinar 2, Boosting Instruction with Formative Assessment and Accessibility Strategies
  • November 15, 2022
  • 3:30–4:30 p.m.
  • Registration, Webinar 2
• Webinar 3, Supporting Student Success with Interim Assessments and Tools for Teachers
  • February 21, 2023
  • 3:30–4:30 p.m.
  • Registration, Webinar 3

Full access to Tools for Teachers requires an account, which LEA staff can obtain either through the self-registration process (PDF) or through their LEA CAASPP coordinator.

Questions regarding this webinar series should be directed to the California Outreach Team by email at CalOutreach@ets.org.

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.