Training Resources

Emails

Both the CDE and the ETS California Outreach team communicate with LEA CAASPP coordinators and other interest holders by email.

Assessment Spotlight

The CDE sends regular emails, the Assessment Spotlight, about current and upcoming activities related to statewide testing to California educators—including testing coordinators—and subscribers who opt in to receive the emails. Emails are archived on the CDE Assessment Spotlight web page.

To join the email list, send a blank message to subscribe-caaspp@mlist.cde.ca.gov.

Coordinator Emails

Primary and secondary LEA CAASPP coordinators, as assigned in TOMS, are sent program-wide communications from the ETS California Outreach team. Topics include monthly updates, scheduled system downtime, administration downtime, and training announcements and reminders.

Emails for the current and previous test administration year are posted on the CAASPP Coordinator Emails web page. Targeted emails that are sent to selected LEAs are not archived.

Training and Videos

A variety of workshops and professional development opportunities each year are available on a variety of topics. Most statewide trainings are held virtually. Training opportunities are available for CAASPP coordinators as well as classroom educators. Refer to the CAASPP Upcoming Training Opportunities web page to review the topics scheduled.

All Participants

All LEA CAASPP coordinators, CAASPP test site coordinators, TAs, TEs (both primary and secondary), and school administrative staff who will be involved in CAASPP assessment administration should review the applicable supplemental videos and archived trainings available on the Videos and Quick Reference Guides and Upcoming Training Opportunities web pages.

CAASPP Coordinators

The LEA CAASPP coordinator and CAASPP test site coordinator are responsible for ensuring all appropriate trainings have been completed. Such training should include, but not be limited to, training on item security and professional conduct associated with the administration of standardized assessments.

Test Administrators

TAs for the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments for ELA and mathematics, the CAST, and the CSA can take the optional Test Administrator Tutorial, which covers all of the basic information needed to prepare TAs to administer the general assessments. The Test Administrator Tutorial does not contain any secure content. This training, which does not require a logon, is available on the CAASPP Test Administrator Tutorial web page.

If the tutorial will be offered to TAs, LEA CAASPP coordinators should also provide local and relevant testing information. An LEA still has the option to provide local training.

Test Examiners

TEs for the CAAs—for ELA, mathematics, science, or any combination thereof—must receive training and certification by completing the required CAA Test Examiner Tutorial. There are three content-area sections: General, CAA for Science, and CAAs for ELA and mathematics. For completion, participants must view the What’s New and Basics video in the General section and answer all Check for Understanding questions correctly. After successfully completing the General section of the tutorial, participants must complete all Check for Understanding questions correctly in the CAA for Science section, the CAAs for ELA and Mathematics section, or both content-area sections to receive a Certificate of Completion. All videos in the tutorial, except the What’s New and Basics video, are recommended, but not required, for certification.

Secondary TEs should view the test examiner tutorial for the CAAs for ELA and mathematics. Two videos are available to demonstrate how to second-score and how to input second scores into the DEI:

Trained TEs receive a certificate of completion, generated automatically by the online training system. TEs must be trained each year before administering one or more of the CAAs for ELA, mathematics, and science.

Practice and Training Tests

Online practice and training tests are available for all CAASPP summative assessments.

Practice Tests

For the Smarter Balanced assessments, practice tests include CAT items and PTs for each grade level (i.e., grades three through eight and grade eleven). The practice tests provide a sample of the item types and experience with grade-level content and accessibility resources similar to what appears in the operational Smarter Balanced assessments.

For the CAST, practice tests are available for each tested grade level or grade band (i.e., grades five and eight, and high school). Each practice test consists of a series of discrete or stand-alone items followed by three PTs, one from each of the three science content domains. The practice tests provide experience with grade-level content and accessibility resources similar to what appears in the operational CAST.

For the CAAs for ELA and mathematics, practice tests include items for each grade level (i.e., grades three through eight and grade eleven). The practice tests provide experience with grade-level content and accessibility resources similar to what appears in the operational CAAs.

For the CAA for Science, practice tests are available for all three science content domains at each tested grade level or grade band (i.e., grades five and eight, and high school). The practice tests provide experience with grade-level content and accessibility resources similar to what appears in the operational CAA for Science.

For the CSA, practice tests include items for each grade level or grade band (i.e., grades three through eight and high school). The practice tests provide experience with grade-level content and accessibility resources similar to what appears in the operational CSA.

Item types are listed and described in Appendix B: Computer-based Item Types in this manual. Scoring guides, PFAs, and DFAs for practice tests are found on the Online Practice Test Scoring Guides, Preparing for Administration (PFAs), and Directions for Administration (DFAs) web page.

Training Tests

Training tests are for TAs, TEs, and students to become familiar with the format and functionality of the computer-based test. For the Smarter Balanced assessments, this resource is available by grade band (i.e., grades three through five, grades six through eight, and grade eleven) and has approximately six to nine mathematics items and six to seven ELA items per grade band.

The CAST offers grade-specific training tests in grades five and eight, and high school, that can be taken by students in all tested grade levels or grade band. All unique item types available on the operational test are covered in the training tests.

For the CAAs for ELA and mathematics, there is one training test for all grade levels. For the CAA for Science, there is one training PT available for all grade levels. DFAs for training tests are found on the Online Practice Test Scoring Guides, Preparing for Administration (PFAs), and Directions for Administration (DFAs) web page.

For the CSA, there are training tests available in three grade bands: grades three through five, grades six through eight, and high school.

Item types are listed and described in Appendix B: Computer-based Item Types in this manual. There are no scoring guides for training tests.

Public Access

All of the practice and training tests are publicly available. Each can be accessed and used without the need for logon credentials or a secure web browser. However, please note that Internet Explorer is not a supported web browser.

While the practice and training tests do not require the use of the secure browser, some accessibility resources, such as text-to-speech, are only available through the secure browser. Refreshable or embossed braille, where available, can be accessed using a web browser.

Secure Access

If users want to access the practice and training tests as a TA or TE—required for the use of the text-to-speech accessibility resource—a logon will be required. TAs and TEs can contact their CAASPP test site coordinator for logon credentials.