Assessment Spotlight, Issue 299

Focusing on the CAASPP System and English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC)—and including, when timely, updates on California’s other statewide assessments. For questions related to test administration, coordination, and trainings, visit the CAASPP and ELPAC website .

November’s Featured Resource in Tools for Teachers

This month’s Tools for Teachers instructional resource empowers grade six students to use the Peer-to-Peer Feedback formative assessment strategy while completing an English language arts/literacy (ELA) Brief Write writing task. Using Rubrics to Improve Student Writing (account required) has students take ownership of their learning by evaluating one another’s work and providing effective feedback. Through this interaction, students show their understanding of effective storytelling using the criteria in a Smarter Balanced narrative writing rubric for Brief Writes.

A video accompanies this resource, demonstrating the implementation of this lesson in a California classroom. It shows students as they examine writing criteria from the scoring rubric to familiarize themselves with a writing task from a Smarter Balanced Sample Item. This resource and video are included as part of the California Department of Education (CDE) Formative Assessment in Action Video Series which highlights California members of the State Network of Educators demonstrating the formative assessment process in their classrooms.

This instructional resource is included in the ELA Interim Assessment Connections Playlist—Write and Revise Narratives. Each playlist consists of instructional resources that can be used to teach the content assessed on the corresponding Interim Assessment Block. To view this and other instructional resources, local educational agency (LEA) staff need a Tools for Teachers account which can be obtained either through self-registration, described in the How to Self-Register for Tools for Teachers (PDF) flyer, or through their LEA CAASPP or ELPAC coordinator.

Seeking Educators to Participate in the Development of the California Spanish Assessment

We are currently accepting applications to participate in the development of the California Spanish Assessment (CSA). If you are bilingual and biliterate in Spanish and English, and have at least two years of experience teaching Spanish, consider joining one of these opportunities to have powerful input on the development and administration of the CSA.

Item Review Meeting—Participants will review items for content-related issues, such as bias and sensitivity that may affect the performance of particular groups of students. Participation includes after-school meetings on January 22 and 23, February 12, and April 2, 2025, as well as independent review.

CSA Achievement Level Descriptors (ALD) Meeting—Participants will review and provide feedback on proposed range ALDs. These range ALDs will be used in standard setting later in 2025. Meetings will be held during the day in April 2025.

Substitute teacher expenses will be reimbursed, and stipends may be available. To apply, access your Educator Opportunities Portal account, or complete the Account Creation Form . The CAASPP Project Team is available at 916-228-2682 or edopportunities@scoe.net to answer any questions.

Find information about more item development opportunities for educators on the CAASPP & ELPAC Website Get Involved web page .

To receive future CAASPP and ELPAC updates and notifications, subscribe to the CAASPP mailing list by sending a blank email message to subscribe-caaspp@mlist.cde.ca.gov. Are you a new subscriber? For previous Assessment Spotlight issues, visit the CDE Assessment Spotlight web page.