Introduction

This guide supports users of the DEI. The DEI is a component of the CAASPP test delivery system and is used in conjunction with the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments and the CAST PPTs, including the braille and large-print formats. The DEI allows authorized users to enter student responses for students using these special versions to take the CAASPP Smarter Balanced for ELA and mathematics for students in grades three through eight and grade eleven; and the CAST for students in grades five and eight and high school. All student responses from paper–pencil testing must be entered into the DEI.

Students with disabilities have the option to use accommodations for providing responses on the assessments. These accommodations allow students with disabilities to provide oral responses, recorded responses, or written responses on paper other than the answer booklet provided with the assessment. These responses are then entered into the DEI so they can be scored.

LEA CAASPP coordinators should work with the LEA’s CALPADS coordinator or technology coordinator to ensure that student data is correct before paper–pencil testing begins. LEAs should not exit students from the system until all student responses are submitted and any open Appeals have been resolved. If it is found that something entered into the DEI needs correction, an exited student would have to be reenrolled into the tested grade level before an Appeal can be requested.

Use of PPTs

Only students with an IEP or Section 504 plan that specifies the PPT test in braille, large-print, or as a standard PPT can receive the PPT. If there are students in the LEA who have been approved to take the CAASPP Smarter Balanced, CAST, or both Smarter Balanced and CAST PPTs for the current administration, follow the processes in this guide when entering the responses from a student’s answer booklet into the DEI.

LEAs will have access to the DEI after the selected testing window starts. Access ends when the selected testing window ends, so all student responses must be entered prior to the close of the window.

Only LEA personnel who have signed a CAASPP Test Security Affidavit in TOMS can log on to the DEI. The following user roles can access the DEI:

  • LEA CAASPP Coordinator
  • Site CAASPP Coordinator
  • Test Administrator
  • Test Examiner

When to Enter Data

After the student has completed testing, the test site coordinator, test administrator, or other authorized staff will be responsible for entering the responses from the student’s answer booklet into the DEI. The responses should be entered within five days of the student’s completing the test.

It is important to note that all responses must be entered for a student before the LEA’s selected testing window ends. If a student moves to a different LEA after testing or exits the testing LEA before the results are entered into the DEI, the original LEA has to reenroll the student and complete the data entry.

Guidelines for Student Response Entry

The following guidelines ensure accurate and fair transcription of student responses:

  • All test materials and student responses are to be considered secure and confidential.
  • Transcribers should be impartial and have no vested interest in student scores.
  • Personnel entering student responses into the DEI must have submitted an electronically signed CAASPP Test Security Affidavit in TOMS.
  • Transcriptions of student responses must be identical to what the student provides, including grammar, punctuation, and spelling. If a student provides an incomplete response, the transcription must match that incomplete response exactly.
  • When transcription is complete, student responses must be packaged for return to the testing contractor. Do not dispose of student responses by placing them in the trash.
  • Only persons who know braille should transcribe braille responses.
  • For braille, transcriptions should be proofread by a second impartial party to confirm accuracy. For cases where students have provided a graphic in a response, two transcribers should collaborate to transfer the response.