Assessment Spotlight, Issue 244

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 .

Reminder—Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments are Available

The 2023–24 Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments for English language arts/literacy (ELA) and mathematics were made available to local educational agencies (LEAs) on August 1, 2023. There are more than 200 Smarter Balanced Interim Assessment forms for educators to choose from—114 for ELA and 95 for mathematics.

The following resources provide key information to assist educators in learning about the interim assessments and planning for administration:

• 2023–24 Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments Overview (PDF) describes the Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments, including their purpose, use, and varieties. This overview provides a list of interim assessments available in each grade for ELA and mathematics.

• 2023–24 Interim Assessments At-a-Glance (PDF) provides a quick view of all available interim assessments by content area and grade level.

• 2023–24 Interim Assessments by Grade (PDF) provides details about every available interim assessment form by grade, including content alignment, the total number of items, and the number of items that require hand scoring.

LEA staff who have access to the Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments can use the Interim Assessment Viewing System to preview interim assessment forms. In addition, the Interim Assessment Item Portal can be used to generate answer keys and to search for individual interim assessment items that align with specific content of interest.

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

Coming soon—California Science Test and ELPAC Interim Assessments! The 2023–24 Interim Assessments At-a-Glance (PDF) and the 2023–24 Interim Assessments by Grade (PDF) documents provide key information about these forthcoming interim assessments. More details about the release plan for these new interim assessments will be available in upcoming Assessment Spotlight articles.

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.