California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (English Language Arts/Literacy, Mathematics, California Science Test)—Test Administration Options
It is recommended that the local educational agency (LEA) offer the following two test administration options to meet the needs of the families the LEA serves:
An LEA should implement in-person or co-located administration as the primary method of conducting the assessment. The LEA should carefully limit physical contact and implement proper social distancing protocols that meet all state, county and local health and safety guidelines for in-person administration. In addition, an LEA should offer a computer-based administration alternative for parents and guardians who express concerns about the in-person administration, or in the event local health restrictions make in-person administration unworkable.
Finally, the administration of paper–pencil tests (PPTs) is only for students who take the PPT due to the requirements of their IEP. The PPT assessment may only be completed as an in–person or co–located administration.
In-Person or Co-Located Administration
Per California Department of Public Health (CDPH) guidelines as of September 4, 2020, all LEAs are permitted to bring students into a school or LEA facility for the purpose of assessments. For more details, visit the CDPH’s Guidance for Small Cohorts/Groups of Children and Youth web page.
In-person or co-located administration occurs when the test administrator (TA) and student are in the same room while completing the assessment. It offers the greatest opportunity for ensuring test security by limiting the number of persons able to view assessment questions and additional secure materials. It also removes several potential obstacles by allowing the TA to see and hear what is happening during testing.
General information about physical distancing measures can be found in the Suggested Guidelines for Physically Distancing Test Administration web document. For more up-to-date and specific information on safe test administration in the LEA’s local area, please contact local county health officials.
Remote Computer-based Administration
LEAs should also offer a computer-based assessment option to address parent and guardian concerns or health agency restrictions. Because it is necessary to monitor students online during remote test administration, LEAs must provide parents/guardians with the Parent Notification Letter. The letter will provide information regarding the requirements of a camera and microphone during testing. For the spring administration, students will need to use the secure browser. This browser should already be on any LEA-supplied device. If students are using a personal device (PC, iMac, or iPad with iOS 14), the students may download the secure browser found on the Spring Administrations for Parents/Guardians web page.
For complete technology requirements and instructions on managing remote test administration scenarios, refer to the Technology Requirements and Instructions for Remote Administration of Computer-based Assessments web documents.