Teacher Hand Scoring System: Overview

The Teacher Hand Scoring System (THSS) allows educators to score student responses to items that require hand scoring. When students complete an interim assessment, the items that require hand scoring are sent to the THSS, where scorers can view students’ responses to each item and enter scores or mark them with condition codes. Items that require hand scoring must be scored and submitted in the THSS for results to be displayed in the California Educator Reporting System (CERS).

Hand scoring interim assessments is a local responsibility. To plan adequate time for hand scoring of interim assessments, it is a good idea to preview the interim assessment of interest using the Interim Assessment Viewing System, which can be accessed from the CAASPP Interim Assessment Administration Resources web page. The Interim Assessment Viewing System allows educators with the appropriate Test Operations Management System (TOMS) credentials to view all the interim assessments and develop an estimate of the time required for hand scoring.

To find which interim assessments contain items that require hand scoring, visit the Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments by Grade web document.

Allow approximately 20 minutes for results to populate in CERS. In some cases, results may take longer to populate because of high volumes of student testing during peak summative testing windows.

This section contains information on how to do the following:

  • Understand THSS user roles
  • Access the THSS
  • Select assessment and item responses to score
  • Score item responses
  • Mark item responses as complete
  • Apply condition codes

Quick Start Instructions to Access the THSS

  1. Navigate to the CAASPP website, select the [Interim Assessments] button, and then select the [Teacher Hand Scoring System] button.
  2. Log on by entering the TOMS username and password on the Logon screen and selecting the [Secure Logon] button.
  3. Select school.
  4. Select test to score.
  5. Select item responses to score.
  6. Score item responses.
  7. Reassign items (optional).
  8. Select [Submit Score(s)].

More detailed procedures are outlined in the Using the THSS subsection.