Administration Information for the CAST

Overview of the Assessment

The CAST is a computer-based, summative assessment aligned with the CA NGSS. All LEAs are required to administer the CAST to eligible students in grades five and eight and one time in high school (i.e., grade ten, eleven, or twelve). High school students have only one opportunity to take the CAST. LEAs can elect to administer the CAST to students in grade ten or eleven. Students in grade twelve who have not yet met the science testing requirement will automatically be registered to take the CAST. Students repeating grade twelve are not eligible to test. All students will receive their CAST scores in an SSR after they have tested.

End-of-Assessment Survey

Students in grades five and eight will complete a three-question survey that appears at the end of their test in the TDS. Students in high school will complete a four-question survey. The survey is estimated to take an additional five minutes. The questions are intended to gather more information about the student’s experience with the CAST and science education in general. The responses to these survey questions will not count toward a student’s test score. Individual responses provided by students will be kept confidential and not shared with teachers, schools, or parents/guardians.

TA Materials

Directions for CAST administration, which include the script that must be read prior to test administration and provide instructions on approving student tests, can be found in Scripts for Administering the California Science Test.

Practice and Training Tests

Practice and training tests for the CAST are linked on the CAASPP Online Practice and Training Tests web page. Practice tests can be accessed either through the secure browser or through a standard internet browser. Scoring guides and annotated sample student responses are available on the Online Practice Test Scoring Guides, Preparing for Administration (PFAs), and Directions for Administration (DFAs) web page.

Student Accessibility Resources

The complete list of embedded and non-embedded universal tools, designated supports, and accommodations available for the CAST can be found in the CDE California Assessment Accessibility Resources Matrix. This document provides information for classroom teachers, English language development educators, special education teachers, and instructional assistants to use in assigning the appropriate accessibility resources to students.

Tests will include embedded and non-embedded universal tools, designated supports, and accommodations.