Prepare Students for Success With an Online CAASPP Practice Test

CAASPP stands for California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress and is a statewide assessment program that measures student performance with a core aim of boosting the quality and standards of learning. Students in grades 3, 8, and 11 take the CAASPP test. Providing students with an online CAASPP practice test can help students prepare for the official test. Some of the subjects covered in these assessments include English Language Assessment (ELA), Mathematics, Science, and Spanish.

CAASPP consists of four different types of assessments which are:

• CAAs (California Alternate Assessments)
• SBAC (Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium)
• CAST (California Science Test)
• STS (The Standards-based Tests in Spanish for Language, Reading and Arts assessments.)

California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) was established in 2014 and replaced the STAR Program. CAASPP as we know it consists of numerous types of assessments administered at various grade levels for different subjects.

California Alternate Assessment (CAA) covers ELA and Mathematics for grades 3-8 and 11. The science test is administered to grade 5 and 8 as well as Grade 12. Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments (SBAC) are administered to students from grade 3 to grade 8 and Grade 11. Subjects tested in SBAC include Mathematics and English Language Arts (ELA).

California Science Test (CAST) is given to students when they reach the end of Grade 12 however there’s an option to be tested at grade 10 or 11. In addition, students from Grade 3-8 and 11 sit for the Science Field test. The California Spanish Assessment (CSA) is administered to Spanish speaking students from grade 3-8 as well as high school. These tests both assess competency in the Spanish language.

Typically the CAASPP testing window begins in early April 2019 but can open as early as the second Tuesday in January under the condition that 66% of instructional year of the school has been successfully completed.

The testing window is 25 days. In this case, students are each tested for a period of approximately 7-8 hours. Each local education agency can come up with its own testing schedule so long it meets the conditions above and all tests are carried out within the set testing window.

Students who’ve been enrolled for 12 months in a U.S. school are exempted from taking SBAC (Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments). The SBAC assessment is divided into two sections: Computer Adaptive and Performance Task. The test format mostly consists of technical enhancement items, selected response and constructed response that require students to use their reasoning skills and apply real-life situations.

Some of the critical skills students learn from a CAASPP practice test include keyboarding to familiarize themselves with various keyboard functions and commands. Online practice and training can also prepare students for technical skills such as filling of tables, use of online calculators, drag and drop, as well as selection and deselection.

Computers, tablets and laptops used for the test must satisfy the threshold of Smarter Balanced Technology. Students are permitted to use any of these gadgets so long as they have a compatible operating system and a secure browser platform. Since most of the tests are administered online, digital CAASPP practice on Edulastic allows students to develop key technology skills and familiarize themselves with the exam format and practices. Edulastic has CAASPP released items available in the assessment library and is a free online assessment tool that mimics the test format. By taking a CAASPP practice test on Edulastic, students can become comfortable with the look and feel of the test and the TEIs.

  https://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/ca/ http://www.caaspp.org/administration/about/testing/index.html