Introduction to the User Guide

This user guide provides guidance on the overall process of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) interim assessment administration. This user guide supports any local educational agency (LEA) personnel who administer the Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments, LEA personnel who use the Interim Assessment Hand Scoring System (IAHSS) to score Smarter Balanced Interim Assessment responses, and staff members who access and use the California Educator Reporting System (CERS).

Organization of the User Guide

The following bulleted list contains brief descriptions of key concepts discussed in each section of this user guide.

What’s New

Table 1 describes the new features for 2020–21.

Table 1. What’s New
FeatureChange
Enhancements to the IA Viewing System Interim assessment items can be skipped without entering a response.
Tools for Teachers Tools for Teachers replaced the Digital Library as the formative assessment component of the Smarter Balanced assessment system. It is an online collection of resources that supports K–12 teachers in their use of the formative assessment process to adjust teaching for improving student learning.
Interim Assessments for Distance Learning Interim assessments are available to be administered remotely through the 2020–21 school year.
Enhancements to the Test Selection Tree Provides more information about test selections and allows for better control of the test session with added search and filter functions.