Tasks to Complete Prior to Summative Test Administration

The tasks described here outline the actions and responsibilities prior to testing.

Verifying and Updating Student Information and Test Settings

All users should note the following tasks needed to verify, update, or verify and update student demographic information and test settings.

Each student must be correctly assigned to an LEA, school, and grade in TOMS. Site CAASPP coordinators, TAs, and TEs will need to work with LEAs to ensure demographic student information in CALPADS is current, including SSIDs.
In addition to the correct demographic student information in CALPADS, site CAASPP coordinators, TAs, and TEs should verify that all students have accurate test settings configured in TOMS, including designated supports and accommodations (embedded and non-embedded) for each content area prior to testing.
LEA CAASPP coordinators and site CAASPP coordinators can also set embedded and non-embedded designated supports in TOMS for any student for which the need has been determined by an educator or group of educators and accommodations for students who require them as part of an IEP or Section 504 plan. TAs and TEs may view student test settings; however, TAs and TEs cannot add, upload, or modify student test settings. Within the Test Administrator Interface, a TA or TE may change the default font size and turn off universal tools prior to the start of the assessment.

Practicing Prior to Testing

All users should verify that all students be provided the opportunity to practice on the training test and practice test on the device to be used for testing. This allows students the opportunity to become familiar with all of the item types, the universal tools, buttons, and any allowable designated supports and accommodations. Practice and training tests are found on the Practice and Training Tests web page.

Providing and Verifying User Logon Information

LEA CAASPP coordinators and site CAASPP coordinators should ensure all TAs and TEs have electronically signed the Test Security Affidavit in TOMS. This will provide the user access to administer summative assessments and ensure users have accurate logon information that can be used for the Test Administrator Interface.

There is a two-step authentication process used when logging on. TAs and TEs should log on to the Test Administrator Interface prior to actual test administration using the device and web browser that will be used during testing. The system will send a code, via email, to the username (email address) entered for the TA or TE user. A new code is sent once for each device and web browser combination.

Providing and Verifying Student Logon Information

Site CAASPP coordinators should ensure that TAs and TEs have necessary student logon information.

Each student will log on to the TDS using a first name, SSID, and session ID. Prior to starting a test session, TAs and TEs must have a record of each student’s first name and SSID. This information must be provided to each student to complete the logon process for the Smarter Balanced, CAST, and CSA. The TE completes the logon process for a student taking the CAA for ELA, mathematics, or science.

It is suggested that the SSID and the student’s first name be printed on a card or piece of paper and distributed to each student just prior to testing to help a student type it in the device accurately. It is also permissible to include a photo of the student or include the student’s last name with the logon information as additional safeguards to ensure that the student receives the correct logon information.

Student information is confidential; therefore, the cards or papers with this information must be kept secure until used during a test session. The loss of logon information is considered a security incident at the local level and does not need to be reported in STAIRS.

Preparing for Testing

Site CAASPP coordinators should ensure that TAs and TEs have the additional required resources described in the Establishing Appropriate Testing Conditions subsection or a PFA (for administration of the CAAs or CSA).

Tracking Students Who Move

When students move within the state, their data record must be updated with the student’s new school and district (if necessary) codes in CALPADS at least 48 hours before the student begins or resumes testing in the new school or LEA. The CDE CALPADS web page contains links to CALPADS system documents, updates, and other useful information for maintaining student data.

LEA CAASPP coordinators should ensure site CAASPP coordinators understand protocols in the event a student moves to a school within a new LEA or a school within the same LEA.

Downloading CAA DFAs

Site CAASPP coordinators or TEs should download the necessary forms of the CAA DFA by selecting the [Resources] tab in the top navigation bar in TOMS and then selecting CAAs for ELA and Mathematics DFAs or CAA for Science DFAs from the Available Materials list. DFAs can be printed and used as hard copies or accessed as PDFs on the TE’s electronic device. All DFAs used for the CAAs include secure content and must be stored or destroyed according to appropriate test security procedures. Refer to the Handling Secure Materials section for guidelines.

For ELA and mathematics, the DFAs include the script and prompts for the TEs to use throughout testing, providing administration guidance to TEs for every possible test routing outcome, based on the staged design of the assessment. Each DFA contains both ELA and mathematics for a grade level.

The CAA for Science is administered via a computer-based PT that is administered after related concepts have been taught. Each DFA contains instructions for a single, grade-level CAA for Science domain.