Prepare Students for California State Tests with Online CAASPP Practice Tests

California’s computer-based state assessments — whether the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments, the California Science Test, or another CAASPP test — require that students are familiar with not only the academic material, but the virtual testing environment and tools as well. With CAASPP practice tests, you can help your students develop the virtual test-taking skills they need so on test day they’ll be prepared for whatever CAASPP throws their way.

Here’s what you should know about CAASPP, the practice test, and how to best prepare your students.

The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) is a system of assessment designed to measure student mastery of California learning standards. Made up of four different test types, CAASPP provides insight into whether or not students are progressing as expected.

All tests are delivered online in the spring term, with flexibility provided to schools on when to administer the tests. This year, the statewide testing window falls between January 11 and July 15, 2022. The computer-based tests are adaptive, so if students answer questions correctly, they are then delivered harder questions; if they answer a question incorrectly, the next question will be easier. Tests also include technology-enhanced questions, which take advantage of the possibilities of virtual testing in the form of question types like drag-and-drop, graph drawing, and data collection and analysis, among others.

CAASPP tests include:

• Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments (SBSA), which test all students in grades 3–8 and 11 in English language arts/literacy and mathematics.
• California Science Test (CAST), which tests students in grades 5 and 8, and once in high school (grade 10, 11, or 12), on the California Next Generation Science Standards. This test lasts about 2 hours and covers life sciences, physical sciences, and earth and space sciences.
• California Spanish Assessment (CSA), an optional test available to native Spanish speakers in grades 3–12. CSA measures Spanish language skills in reading, writing, mechanics, and listening.
• California Alternate Assessments for English Language Arts/Literacy, Mathematics, and Science (CAAs), alternate tests for students with significant cognitive disabilities whose individual educational plan indicates a need for an assessment alternate to SBSA and CAST. These tests are computer-based and adaptive, but are administered to qualifying students one-on-one by a test administrator who is familiar with them and their needs.

CAASPP tests provide additional supports, such as American Sign Language videos or Braille, for students with disabilities to ensure accessibility.

Computer-based tests like CAASPP assessments provide greater insight into student learning because, unlike old-school paper Scantron tests, questions can take many more forms than just multiple choice. Short answer and technology-enhanced items enable students to use more of the skills they’re learning in class, including critical thinking and creative problem solving.

By preparing for the real tests with CAASPP practice tests, students can not only become familiar with the sort of content they’ll be tested on — but they can also develop a familiarity with the testing technology, which makes navigating the tests a breeze. They’ll sharpen their keyboarding skills, learn how to fill in tables and use online calculators, and work with drag-and-drop features.

Be sure to have your students practice on the same device they’ll use on test day, whether a tablet, laptop, or desktop computer. That way, they’ll know the ins and outs of their device and how the testing technology interacts with it.

Along with sharpening their virtual test-taking skills, CAASPP practice tests help build student self-confidence. Your students will know, first, that they know how to navigate an online test so they won’t enter test day unprepared, and second, they’ll see that the content they’ll be tested on is what they’ve already mastered thanks to their all-star teachers.

To make prepping your students as easy as possible, Edulastic has uploaded CAASPP released items to the Edulastic Public Library. With a free account, you can welcome your students into a virtual environment that mimics the look and feel of CAASPP tests.

Once you’ve set things up, your students can practice for the real CAASPP tests and develop the technology skills they need. When test time comes around, they’ll be more than ready to show off everything they’ve learned. Ready to get started?

Join Edulastic for FREE to administer the CAASPP Practice Test

Resources

• https://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/ca/
• https://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/