The Assessments are Coming!

Welcome to the new calendar year.  With that comes the whirlwind of testing frenzy, from Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments for English Language Arts and Mathematics to AP testing and more.  This year there are two new assessments that are being added to the mix, the California Science Test (CAST) and English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC), which will replace the CELDT.  Test results are available three weeks after a student completes both parts, CAT and PT, of a content area.

The SBAC Summative Assessments are for students in grades 3 – 8 and 11.  The Operational window is from January through July, after 66% of the instructional year has been completed.  Test results are available approximately three weeks after a student completes both parts, computer adaptive (CAT) and performance task (PT), of each content area.

The CAST is a Field Test for the 2017-18 school year.  Students in grades 5 and 8, and once in high school (10, 11, 12) will take the assessment beginning April 2, 2018 through the last day of the selected testing window.

The ELPAC Summative is operational beginning this year, 2017-18.  The testing window is from February through May 2018.

For more information on the 2017 – 18 California Assessment System go to California Assessment System or California Three Year Assessment Time Line.

The Center on Standards and Assessment Implementation (CSAI)  has created the Assessment System Visualizer  is an online, interactive tool intended to build the capacity of teams and/or individuals seeking to analyze the components of their state, district, school, and/or classroom assessment systems and make decisions about how to improve them.  This resource is free and easy to get started with.

Terri Gibbs-Burke, B.A. Math, M.A. Education, M.A. Ed.Admin.
Teacher on Special Assignment, Math/Accountability
Educational Support Services Department
San Luis Obispo County Office of Education
tgibbsburke@slocoe.org
@tgibbsburke
805.782.7262