Appendix A: Definition of Reporting Terms

ELA and Mathematics Interim Assessments

Scale Score

All reporting is based on scale scores. A scale score for each interim assessment is displayed within CERS along with the achievement level corresponding to the earned scale score.

Achievement Levels and Proficiency

Achievement levels are defined and described by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. Defining these levels of achievement is a reporting feature that is federally required under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Smarter Balanced has also developed a set of initial policy achievement level descriptors (ALDs) for ELA and mathematics that are aligned with the Common Core State Standards and the Smarter Balanced assessment claims. The purpose of these descriptors is to specify, in content terms, the knowledge and skills that students display at the four levels of achievement for the Interim Comprehensive Assessments (ICAs) (i.e., Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, and Level 4). Table A.1 shows the ICA achievement levels and their corresponding achievement levels on the summative assessments.

Table A.1. ICA and Summative Achievement Levels and Descriptors
Achievement Level	Achievement Level Descriptor
Level 1	Standard Not Met
Level 2	Standard Nearly Met
Level 3	Standard Met
Level 4	Standard Exceeded

Although the ALDs are intended to aid interpretation of achievement levels, they will be less precise than scale scores for describing student gains over time or changes in achievement gaps among groups because they do not reveal changes of student scores within the bands defined by the achievement levels. Furthermore, there is not a critical shift in student knowledge or understanding that occurs at a single cut-score point. Therefore, the achievement levels should be understood as representing approximations of levels at which students demonstrate mastery of a set of concepts and skills as well as the concepts and skills in the scale scores just above and below the score received. An achievement level should be understood as a general band of performance.

A student is considered proficient if test results place the score received in levels 3 or 4. Therefore, the Level 3 cut score is somewhat analogous to a proficiency line; in other words, a score at or above the Level 3 cut score indicates that the student understands and can apply subject-area knowledge to the standards measured by the assessment.

Interim assessments are optional resources that provide teachers with information about student progress and are designed to be given at locally determined points during the school year. The interim assessments can help teachers, students, and parents/guardians gauge student progress toward college and career readiness and identify strengths and areas for remediation in relation to the state standards. Interim assessments are not designed to be a predictive measure of summative assessment performance or for accountability and should not be used for such purposes.

Claims Reporting

Smarter Balanced has identified the following claims that support the overall subject scores (refer to table A.2).

Table A.2. Claims List
Mathematics	ELA
Concepts and Procedures Problem Solving, and Modeling and Data Analysis Communicating Reasoning	Reading Writing Listening Research and Inquiry

Reporting provides claim-level insights for individual students, but claim-level aggregations are not supported.

Claim Calculation Details and Levels Determination

The California Educator Reporting System (CERS) Interpretive Guide provides detailed claim calculation and level information on pages 9 through 13.

Single Sign-On and Access to Student Data

All users must have Single Sign-On (SSO) logon credentials and must log on to view student test results in CERS. There is no anonymous public user support (i.e., unregistered users, logged-off users).

NOTE: The CERS Sandbox is a publicly available training tool that can be accessed by anyone without the need for a secure logon. The CERS Sandbox can be used to become familiar with the features and functions of CERS in a nonsecure environment. The CERS Sandbox uses simulated data for fictitious students.
Access to student test results and personally identifiable information (PII) is managed by the CDE to provide access to LEA CAASPP coordinators and LEA ELPAC coordinators. Access to CERS is managed by LEA CAASPP coordinators and LEA ELPAC coordinators via TOMS (SSO) roles.
Educators may have access to student PII for their associated entities (schools and LEAs), which can be controlled within CERS at the site level. The educator’s LEA CAASPP coordinator, LEA ELPAC coordinator, site CAASPP coordinator, or site ELPAC coordinator is to provide this access.
No one other than LEA staff will have access to the reporting system; Smarter Balanced does not support parent/guardian or student access to the reporting system.

Error Bands and Standard Error of Measurement

Standard error of measurement (SEM) is accounted for in the student test results by the error bands that are displayed in the Individual Score Report and the list of students in a grade report for overall scores. SEMs are also included on claim scores in the Student Assessment Results downloads.
The error band meaning is explained in the legend of each report that displays them.
Smarter Balanced assessments provide the most precise scores possible within a reasonable time limit, but no assessment can be 100 percent accurate. The error band indicates the range of scores that students would very likely achieve if the students were to take the assessment multiple times. It is similar to the “margin of error” that is reported for public opinion surveys.

Interim Assessment Block Reporting

The Interim Assessment Blocks (IABs) focus on a smaller set of skills and are designed to provide targeted information for educators about student performance. Educators may use the IAB score(s) to focus classroom instruction on certain areas where a student or group of students needs improvement. Scores will be reported at the block level. Further details of the Block Level Descriptors are found in table A.3.

Table A.3. Block Level Descriptors
Icon	Descriptor
	The assessment results indicate that the student understands and can apply subject-area knowledge to the standards measured in this test.
	The assessment results may be just above or just below the standard, but because of the error band, it is impossible to determine with a sufficient degree of confidence.
	The assessment results indicate that the student has not yet displayed sufficient evidence of understanding the standards measured by this test.

When a student takes the same interim assessment subsequently, the scores are reported with the same name, but these scores do not replace the original assessment report. Previous scores will persist to provide a comparison between the first test opportunity and the second and any subsequent opportunity.

ICA Reporting

The ICAs are intended for use as a benchmarking tool that measures similar content to the summative assessments. The ICAs contain overall scale scores, overall achievement level designations, and claim-level information.

Refer to the descriptors of an ICA score in table A.5 (mathematics).

Table A.4. ELA Reporting Achievement Level Descriptors
Level	High School	Grades 6–8	Grades 3–5
Level 4	The student has exceeded the achievement standard and demonstrates the knowledge and skills in ELA needed for likely success in entry-level credit-bearing college coursework after high school.	The student has exceeded the achievement standard and demonstrates advanced progress toward mastery of the knowledge and skills in ELA needed for likely success in future coursework.	The student has exceeded the achievement standard and demonstrates advanced progress toward mastery of the knowledge and skills in ELA needed for likely success in future coursework.
Level 3	The student has met the achievement standard and demonstrates progress toward mastery of the knowledge and skills in ELA needed for likely success in entry-level credit-bearing college coursework after completing high school coursework.	The student has met the achievement standard and demonstrates progress toward mastery of the knowledge and skills in ELA needed for likely success in future coursework.	The student has met the achievement standard and demonstrates progress toward mastery of the knowledge and skills in ELA needed for likely success in future coursework.
Level 2	The student has nearly met the achievement standard and may require further development to demonstrate the knowledge and skills in ELA needed for likely success in entry-level credit-bearing college coursework after high school.	The student has nearly met the achievement standard and may require further development to demonstrate the knowledge and skills in ELA needed for likely success in future coursework.	The student has nearly met the achievement standard and may require further development to demonstrate the knowledge and skills in ELA needed for likely success in future coursework.
Level 1	The student has not met the achievement standard and needs substantial improvement to demonstrate the knowledge and skills in ELA needed for likely success in entry-level credit-bearing college coursework after high school.	The student has not met the achievement standard and needs substantial improvement to demonstrate the knowledge and skills in ELA needed for likely success in future coursework.	The student has not met the achievement standard and needs substantial improvement to demonstrate the knowledge and skills in ELA needed for likely success in future coursework.

Table A.5. Mathematics Reporting Achievement Level Descriptors
Level	High School	Grades 6–8	Grades 3–5
Level 4	The student has exceeded the achievement standard and demonstrates the knowledge and skills in mathematics needed for likely success in entry-level credit-bearing college coursework after high school.	The student has exceeded the achievement standard and demonstrates the knowledge and skills in mathematics needed for likely success in future coursework.	The student has exceeded the achievement standard and demonstrates advanced progress toward mastery of the knowledge and skills in mathematics needed for likely success in future coursework.
Level 3	The student has met the achievement standard and demonstrates progress toward mastery of the knowledge and skills in mathematics needed for likely success in entry-level credit-bearing college coursework after completing high school coursework.	The student has met the achievement standard and demonstrates progress toward mastery of the knowledge and skills in mathematics needed for likely success in future coursework.	The student has met the achievement standard and demonstrates progress toward mastery of the knowledge and skills in mathematics needed for likely success in future coursework.
Level 2	The student has nearly met the achievement standard and may require further development to demonstrate the knowledge and skills in mathematics needed for likely success in entry-level credit-bearing college coursework after high school.	The student has nearly met the achievement standard and may require further development to demonstrate the knowledge and skills in mathematics needed for likely success in future coursework.	The student has nearly met the achievement standard and may require further development to demonstrate the knowledge and skills in mathematics needed for likely success in future coursework.
Level 1	The student has not met the achievement standard and needs substantial improvement to demonstrate the knowledge and skills in mathematics needed for likely success in entry-level credit-bearing college coursework after high school.	The student has not met the achievement standard and needs substantial improvement to demonstrate the knowledge and skills in mathematics needed for likely success in future coursework.	The student has not met the achievement standard and needs substantial improvement to demonstrate the knowledge and skills in mathematics needed for likely success in future coursework.

Important Information About Interim Assessments

Interim assessments that require hand scoring must be scored locally in the Teacher Hand Scoring System (THSS). This scoring is not subject to the rigorous controls used in summative assessment, and local results may show some variations.
Interim assessment items are not public. For example, educators may display interim assessment items to a classroom of students as part of their instruction but should not allow test content to leave the classroom. Exposure to and familiarity with test items may affect student performance and the validity of interim assessment results.

CAST Interim Assessments

Scale Score

All reporting is based on scale scores. A scale score for each interim assessment is displayed within CERS along with the achievement level corresponding to the earned scale score.

Achievement Levels and Proficiency

Next is the set of ALDs used for the CAST Interim Assessments. The purpose of these descriptors is to specify, in content terms, the knowledge and skills that students display at the three levels of achievement for the CAST Interim Assessments. Table B.1 provides the set of ALDs used for the CAST Interim Assessments.

Table B.1. CAST Achievement Levels and Descriptors
Achievement Level	Achievement Level Descriptor
Level 3—Above Standard	The assessment results indicate that the student understands and can apply subject-area knowledge to the standards measured in this test.
Level 2—Near Standard	The assessment results may be just above, at, or just below the achievement level which indicates the student has met the standard for their grade level. Due to the error band, it is impossible to determine with a sufficient degree of confidence.
Level 1—Below Standard	The assessment results indicate that the student has not yet displayed sufficient evidence of understanding the standards measured by this test.

Although the ALDs are intended to aid interpretation of achievement levels, they will be less informative than scale scores for describing student gains over time or changes in achievement gaps among groups because they do not reveal changes of student scores within the bands defined by the achievement levels. Furthermore, there is not a critical shift in student knowledge or understanding that occurs at a single cut-score point. Therefore, the achievement levels should be understood as representing approximations of levels at which students demonstrate mastery of a set of concepts and skills as well as the concepts and skills associated with the scale scores just above and below the score received. An achievement level should be understood as a general band of performance.

A student is considered proficient in the content if test results place the score received in Level 3. Therefore, the Level 3 cut score is somewhat analogous to a proficiency line; in other words, a score at or above the Level 3 cut score indicates that the student understands and can apply subject-area knowledge to the standards measured by the assessment.

Single Sign-On and Access to Student Data

All users must have SSO logon credentials and must log on to view student test results in CERS. There is no anonymous public user support (i.e., unregistered users, logged-off users).
Access to student test results and PII is managed by the CDE to provide access to LEA CAASPP coordinators and LEA ELPAC coordinators. Access to CERS is managed by LEA CAASPP coordinators and LEA ELPAC coordinators via TOMS (SSO) roles.
Noneducators have no access to student information; the CDE does not support parent/guardian or student access to the reporting systems.
Educators may have access to student PII for their associated entities (schools and LEAs), which can be controlled within CERS at the site level. The educator’s LEA CAASPP coordinator, LEA ELPAC coordinator, site CAASPP coordinator, or site ELPAC coordinator is to provide this access.

Error Bands and Standard Error of Measurement

SEM is accounted for in the student test results by the error bands that are displayed in the list of students in a grade report for overall scores. SEMs are also included in the Student Assessment Results downloads.
The error band meaning is explained in the legend of each report that displays them.
CAST Interim Assessments provide the most precise scores possible within a reasonable time limit, but no assessment can be 100 percent accurate. The error band indicates the range of scores that students would very likely achieve if the students were to take the assessment multiple times. It is similar to the “margin of error” that is reported for public opinion surveys.

CAST Interim Assessment Reporting

The CAST Interim Assessments are intended for use as a benchmarking tool that measures the student’s knowledge and skills associated with the standards included in the CA NGSS. The CAST Interim Assessments contain a scale score with an associated error band and an achievement level designation. The CAST Interim Assessments also provide information on a student group’s performance on each item. Educators may use interim assessment score(s) to focus classroom instruction on certain domains where a student or group of students needs improvement.

When a student takes the same interim assessment subsequently, the scores are recorded with the same name, but these scores do not replace the original assessment report. Previous scores will persist to provide a comparison between the first test opportunity and the second, and any subsequent opportunity.

Important Information About Interim Assessments

Interim assessments that require hand scoring must be scored locally in the THSS. This scoring is not subject to the rigorous controls used in summative assessment scoring, and local results may show some variations.
Interim assessment items are not public. For example, educators may display interim assessment items to a classroom of students as part of their instruction but should not allow test content to leave the classroom. Exposure to and familiarity with test items may affect student performance and the validity of interim assessment results.

ELPAC Interim Assessments

Scale Score

All reporting is based on scale scores. A scale score for each interim assessment is displayed within CERS along with the performance level corresponding to the earned scale score.

Performance Levels and Proficiency

Next are the set of performance level descriptors (PLDs) used for the ELPAC Interim Assessments. The purpose of these descriptors is to specify, in content terms, the knowledge and skills that students display at the three levels of performance for the ELPAC Interim Assessments. Table C.1 provides the set of PLDs used for the ELPAC Interim Assessments.

Table C.1. ELPAC Performance Levels and Descriptors

Performance Level	Performance Level Descriptor
Level 3—Well Developed	The assessment results indicate that the student can consistently use English in an academic context as described by the standards measured in this test.
Level 2—Somewhat/Moderately Developed	The assessment results indicate that the student may be able to use English to communicate simple ideas but is not yet able to consistently use English in an academic context as described by the standards measured in this test.
Level 1—Beginning to Develop	The assessment results indicate that the student may know some English words and phrases as described by the standards measured in this test.

Although the PLDs are intended to aid interpretation of performance levels, they will be less informative than scale scores for describing student gains over time or changes in performance gaps among groups because they do not reveal changes of student scores within the bands defined by the performance levels. Furthermore, there is not a critical shift in student knowledge or understanding that occurs at a single cut-score point. Therefore, the performance levels should be understood as representing approximations of levels at which students demonstrate proficiency of a set of concepts and skills as well as the concepts and skills in the scale scores just above and below the score received. A performance level should be understood as a general band of performance.

A student is considered proficient in the content if test results place the score received in Level 3. Therefore, the Level 3 cut score is somewhat analogous to a proficiency line; in other words, a score at or above the Level 2 cut score indicates that the student understands and can apply the concepts and skills to the standards measured by the assessment.

Interim assessments are optional resources that provide educators with information about student progress and are designed to be given at locally determined points during the school year. The interim assessments can help educators, students, and parents/guardians gauge student progress toward English language proficiency and identify strengths and areas for remediation in relation to the state standards. Interim assessments are not designed to be a predictive measure of summative assessment performance or for accountability and should not be used for such purposes.

Single Sign-On and Access to Student Data

All users must have SSO logon credentials and must log on to view student test results in CERS. There is no anonymous public user support (i.e., unregistered users, logged-off users).
Access to student test results and PII is managed by the CDE to provide access to LEA CAASPP coordinators and LEA ELPAC coordinators. Access to CERS is managed by LEA CAASPP coordinators and LEA ELPAC coordinators via TOMS (SSO) roles.
Noneducators have no access to student information; the CDE does not support parent/guardian or student access to the reporting systems.
Educators may have access to student PII for their associated entities (schools and LEAs), which can be controlled within CERS at the site level. The educator’s LEA CAASPP coordinator, LEA ELPAC coordinator, site CAASPP coordinator, or site ELPAC coordinator is to provide this access.

Error Bands and Standard Error of Measurement

SEM is accounted for in the student test results by the error bands that are displayed in the list of students in a grade report for overall scores. SEMs are also included in the Student Assessment Results downloads.
The error band meaning is explained in the legend of each report that displays them.
ELPAC Interim Assessments provide the most precise scores possible within a reasonable time limit, but no assessment can be 100 percent accurate. The error band indicates the range of scores that students would very likely receive if the students were to take the test multiple times. It is similar to the “margin of error” that is reported for public opinion surveys.

ELPAC Interim Assessment Reporting

The ELPAC Interim Assessments are intended for use as a benchmarking tool that measures similar concepts and skills as the Summative ELPAC. The ELPAC Interim Assessments report a scale score with an associated error band and a performance level descriptor. The ELPAC Interim Assessments also provide information on a group of students’ performance on each item. Educators may use interim assessment score(s) to focus classroom instruction on certain areas where a student or group of students needs improvement.

Important Information About Interim Assessments

Interim assessments that require hand scoring must be scored locally in the THSS or the Data Entry Interface. This scoring is not subject to the rigorous controls used on the Summative ELPAC, and local results may show some variations.
Interim assessment items are not for public use. For example, educators may display interim assessment items to a classroom of students as part of their instruction but should not allow test content to leave the classroom. Exposure to and familiarity with test items may affect student performance and the validity of interim assessment results.