CAASPP key terms

The end-of-year online test in English language arts/literacy and mathematics given to California students in grades 3 through 8 and grade 11 to measure progress toward the Common Core State Standards.

A delivery method in which the testing system selects each next question based on the student's responses so far, giving a precise ability estimate with fewer items than a fixed-form test.

A multi-part classroom activity followed by a scored writing or problem-solving product that asks students to apply research, analysis, and extended reasoning rather than answer isolated questions.

A broad statement about what students should be able to demonstrate, such as reading closely or problem solving, that organizes the content standards into score-reporting categories on Smarter Balanced tests.

A narrower, evidence-centered statement of knowledge or skill within a claim that guides item development and links individual questions to the standards they measure.

A written description of the knowledge and skills typical of students at each performance level, used to interpret scale scores and to set or validate cut scores.

A transformed score placed on a common reporting scale so results can be compared across grade levels and test administrations, independent of the raw number of questions answered correctly.

The scale-score boundary separating adjacent performance levels, established through standard setting so that students above it are classified at the higher achievement level.

A specification describing the content, item types, and proportions of questions by claim and target that a test form must contain to represent the standards fairly.

A family of statistical models that estimate a student's ability and each item's difficulty and discrimination, forming the mathematical basis for adaptive testing and score reporting.

The statewide summative science assessment for grades 5, 8, and once in high school that measures the California Next Generation Science Standards through three-dimensional items combining practices, concepts, and crosscutting ideas.

An item design that requires students to use a science and engineering practice, a disciplinary core idea, and a crosscutting concept together rather than recall facts from a single dimension.

An observable event or process that anchors a science item or task and that students explain or model using evidence, practices, and core ideas from the standards.

Alternate tests in ELA, mathematics, and science for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities whose individualized education programs designate them for alternate assessment instead of the general tests.

Performance expectations and cut scores set for the alternate assessments, aligned to the same grade-level content but reflecting a different expected level of performance than the general standards.

An optional statewide test measuring Spanish reading, language, and listening skills for students in grades 3 through 8 and high school who are seeking a measure of Spanish literacy.

The English Language Proficiency Assessments for California, which measure English learners' progress in listening, speaking, reading, and writing and determine proficiency required for reclassification.

The identification test given to students whose home language survey indicates a language other than English, used to decide whether the student is an English learner and needs services.

The annual assessment administered in spring to English learners to measure growth and current English proficiency, producing scores used for reclassification decisions and accountability reporting.

The process of redesignating an English learner as fluent English proficient when the student meets criteria that include ELPAC performance, teacher input, parent consultation, and academic measures.

A questionnaire completed at enrollment that asks which language the student first learned and uses at home, triggering English proficiency testing when a non-English response appears.

A student whose primary language is other than English and whose English proficiency is limited enough that the student needs language support services to succeed academically.

The version of the English proficiency assessments for English learners with the most significant cognitive disabilities, administered in initial and summative forms with adapted item formats.

Short, optional Smarter Balanced tests focused on a specific set of standards that educators can use during the year to check understanding and adjust instruction.

An optional full-length interim test mirroring the summative blueprint in ELA or mathematics, often used to preview the end-of-year test and predict performance.

An online collection of formative assessment resources, including instructional and professional learning materials, available to educators to support classroom practice between interim and summative tests.

A planned process in which evidence of student learning is gathered during instruction and used to adjust teaching and give feedback, distinct from graded summative testing.

The trained staff member responsible for supervising a test session, following the directions for administration, maintaining security, and ensuring approved accessibility resources are provided.

Universal tools, designated supports, and accommodations available to students during testing, such as embedded calculators, read-aloud, or translated glossaries, selected according to student need.

The legally required plan for a student with a disability that specifies services, accommodations, and whether the student takes the general or alternate assessment.

The set of rules and practices protecting test content and results, including prohibitions on sharing secure items, securing devices, and reporting irregularities or compromised materials.

An event that disrupts or compromises standardized testing, such as a security breach, device failure, or improper staff action, which must be documented and reported to the state.

The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, the statewide system comprising Smarter Balanced tests, the science test, alternate assessments, the Spanish assessment, and related interim tools.

California's adopted science standards that integrate disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts, forming the content basis for the CAST.

A statement describing what students at each CAST performance level typically know and can do, used to interpret scores and support standard setting.

An item that requires students to produce their own written or recorded answer, such as a short explanation or essay, scored with a rubric rather than by selecting an option.

A digitally delivered question that uses interactive features such as drag-and-drop, hot spot selection, or equation entry to capture a student response in a non-paper format.

The four skill areas separately reported on the ELPAC, each scored on its own and combined into an overall proficiency level for the student.