User Roles

Overview of TOMS User Roles

Users are assigned roles through TOMS. Each role is assigned a set of permissions giving specific access to different assessment systems. The tables that follow contain information regarding the user roles available for assignment in TOMS. These user roles govern access to features within TOMS and other systems, including CERS. All user roles include access to the Smarter Balanced Tools for Teachers. Refer to the following links for more information on user roles:

LEA staff who do not need access to California assessment–related systems can have access to the Tools for Teachers website, which serves as the formative assessment component to the Smarter Balanced assessment system. Coordinators can assign the Tools for Teachers Only role for these users. Users with an affiliated LEA email address can also access the System Links menu on the CAASPP & ELPAC Website to use the [Tools for Teachers] link to self-register.

CAASPP

The table that follows (table 1) contains details on the user roles available for users who manage and administer CAASPP.

Table 1. TOMS User Roles for CAASPP

TOMS User Roles

System Responsibilities and Abilities

Superintendent

This role is automatically assigned to LEA superintendents and charter school administrators listed in the California School Directory (CSD). This role has the following system responsibilities and permissions:

  • Assignment and designation of LEA coordinator(s)
  • Removing the permission(s) from LEA coordinator(s)
  • Designate one LEA coordinator as the "primary" LEA coordinator. Only the superintendent and the primary LEA coordinator can assign the LEA coordinator role to other users. If the superintendent does not designate a primary LEA coordinator, the first user assigned the LEA coordinator role will be automatically designated as the primary LEA coordinator. If there is no LEA CAASPP coordinator assigned, then the superintendent is assigned the role of LEA CAASPP Coordinator by default until another user is assigned the role specifically.
  • Add the special education coordinator and technology coordinator contacts, if needed.
  • Access to Completion Status reports in TOMS
  • Access to assessment results in CERS for all students in the LEA
  • Ability to designate user roles for the current and upcoming school year

LEA CAASPP Coordinator (Primary)

There are two types of LEA CAASPP coordinators: primary and additional. The primary coordinator has to be designated by the superintendent. If the superintendent does not assign the Primary LEA CAASPP Coordinator, then the first user designated as an LEA CAASPP coordinator is designated as the primary by default. If there is no LEA CAASPP coordinator assigned, then the superintendent is assigned the role of LEA CAASPP Coordinator by default until another user is assigned the role specifically.

Both the primary and additional coordinators have the following system responsibilities and abilities.

  • Assignment and management—including creating, updating, deactivating, and deleting—of additional LEA CAASPP coordinators
  • Assignment and management of all CAASPP user roles
  • Addition of the special education coordinator and technology coordinator contacts
  • Assignment and verification of test administration windows
  • Entry and uploading of the following:
    • Student test assignments
    • Test settings
    • Unlisted resources
    • Condition codes
    • SSR options
  • Submission of STAIRS incidents
  • Management of the THSS, which includes the ability to view interim assessment constructed responses for all students within the LEA, score responses for which the LEA CAASPP coordinator has been assigned, and reassign responses to any scorer or score manager within the LEA
  • Access to the Interim Assessment Viewing System
  • Access to Completion Status reports in TOMS as well as all other LEA-level reports
  • Access to LEA-level reports in the Completion Status System
  • Access to assessment results in CERS for all students in the LEA
  • Creation of student groups in CERS
  • Ability to administer all summative, interim, practice, and training tests

LEA CAASPP Coordinator (Additional)

There are two types of LEA CAASPP coordinators: primary and additional. If the superintendent does not assign the Primary LEA CAASPP Coordinator, then the first user designated as an LEA coordinator is designated as the primary by default. Once activated, the primary coordinator can add other LEA-level CAASPP coordinators. Superintendents still have the ability to add additional LEA CAASPP coordinators as well.

Both the primary and additional coordinators have the following system responsibilities and abilities.

  • Assignment and management of all CAASPP user roles
  • Addition of the special education coordinator and technology coordinator contacts
  • Assignment and verification of test administration windows
  • Entry and uploading of the following:
    • Student test assignments
    • Test settings
    • Unlisted resources
    • Condition codes
    • SSR options
  • Submission of STAIRS incidents
  • Management of the THSS, which includes the ability to view interim assessment constructed responses for all students within the LEA, score responses for which the LEA CAASPP coordinator has been assigned, and reassign responses to any scorer or score manager within the LEA
  • Access to the Interim Assessment Viewing System
  • Access to Completion Status reports in TOMS as well as all other LEA-level reports
  • Access to LEA-level reports in the Completion Status System
  • Access to assessment results in CERS for all students in the LEA
  • Creation of student groups in CERS
  • Ability to administer all summative, interim, practice, and training tests

Site CAASPP Coordinator

This role is assigned by users who have the LEA CAASPP coordinator role. This role can be assigned to a user at the school level only and has the following system responsibilities and permissions:

  • Identification and training of all relevant site staff
  • Assignment of users at the site level
  • Coordination of test security
  • Entry of the following:
    • Student test assignments
    • Unlisted resources
  • Entry and uploading of the following:
    • Test settings
    • Condition codes
  • Submission of STAIRS incidents
  • Management of the THSS, which includes the ability to view interim assessment constructed responses for all students at the site, score responses for which they have been assigned, and reassign responses to any scorer or score manager within the LEA
  • Access to the Interim Assessment Viewing System
  • Access to Completion Status reports in TOMS along with all site-level reports
  • Access to site-level reports in the Completion Status System
  • Access to summative assessment results in CERS
  • Access to interim assessment results in CERS for all students at the site
  • Creation of student groups in CERS and assignment of rosters and student groups to site users
  • Ability to administer all summative, interim, practice, and training tests at the site

CAASPP Test Administrator

This role is assigned by users who have the LEA CAASPP coordinator or site CAASPP coordinator role. This role can be assigned to a user at the school level only and has the following system responsibilities and permissions:

  • Administration of standard summative, interim, practice, and training tests to students (Administration within a general test session can include students at multiple test sites so long as the test administrator is assigned the role at that test site.)
  • Verification of student test settings in the Test Administrator Interface
  • Test session security
  • Access to the THSS, which includes the ability to view interim assessment constructed responses for all students at the site and score responses for which the test administrator has been assigned
  • Access to the Interim Assessment Viewing System
  • Access to School Level Student Test Assignment and School Level Student Test Settings reports in TOMS
  • Access to summative and interim assessment results in CERS for the students in the student group(s) assigned to them by a coordinator
  • Ability to second-score the CAA for ELA, if needed

CAASPP Test Examiner

This role is assigned by users who have the LEA CAASPP coordinator or site CAASPP coordinator role. This role can be assigned to a user at the school level only. The user must be a credentialed or licensed employee at the LEA and has the following system responsibilities and permissions:

  • Administration of both the general and the alternate summative assessments and interim, practice, and training tests to students (Administration within a general test session can include students at multiple test sites so long as the test examiner is assigned the role at that test site. Because alternate assessments are administered one-on-one, a test session would always include just one student.)
  • Verification of student test settings in the Test Administrator Interface
  • Test session security
  • Access to the THSS, which includes the ability to view interim assessment constructed responses for all students at the site and score responses for which the test examiner been assigned
  • Access to the Interim Assessment Viewing System
  • Access to School Level Student Test Assignment and Student Test Settings reports in TOMS
  • Access to summative and interim assessment results in CERS for the students in the student group(s) assigned to them by a coordinator

IA Administrator Only

This role is assigned by users who have the LEA CAASPP coordinator or site CAASPP coordinator role. This role can be assigned to a user at the school level only and has the following system responsibilities and permissions:

  • Administration only of the interim assessments to students
  • Access to the THSS, which includes the ability to view interim assessment constructed responses for all students at the site and score responses for which the IA administrator has been assigned
  • Access to the Interim Assessment Viewing System
  • Access to the Interim Assessment Completion Status System for interim assessment reporting
  • Access to interim assessment results available through CERS for the students in the student group(s) assigned to them by a coordinator

Educator - District

This role is assigned by users who have the LEA CAASPP coordinator role. This role can be assigned to a user at the LEA level only and has the following system responsibility and permission:

  • Access to assessment results in CERS for the entire LEA

Educator - Test Site

This role is assigned by users who have the LEA CAASPP coordinator or site CAASPP coordinator role. This role can be assigned to a user at the school level only and has the following system responsibility and permission:

  • Access to assessment results in CERS for the entire school

Educator - Roster

This role is assigned by users who have the LEA CAASPP coordinator or site CAASPP coordinator role. This role can be assigned to a user at the school level only and has the following system responsibility and permission:

  • Access to assessment results in CERS for the students in the roster group assigned to them by a coordinator

Tools for Teachers Only

Tools for Teachers access is provided to all coordinator, test administrator, and test examiner roles. A user with any of these roles does not require the addition of the Tools for Teachers Only role.

This role is assigned by users who have the LEA CAASPP coordinator or site CAASPP coordinator role and has the following system responsibility and permission:

  • Access to Tools for Teachers only

The tables that follow (table 2 and table 3) display the features that can be accessed in TOMS for the CAASPP on the basis of the user’s role. These options allow for assigning roles consistent with state and federal privacy laws and local policies and procedures. It is important that the coordinators review their site user list and the roles assigned to those users periodically to ensure that all users maintain appropriate permissions within TOMS.

Table 2. Assessment Systems Permissions Associated with Each CAASPP TOMS Role

Systems Permissions LEA Coordinator Site Coordinator Test Administrator Test Examiner

Organization management

View/edit; entire LEA

View only; site level

View only; site level

View only; site level

User management

Entire LEA

Site level

No

No

Student test management

View/edit; entire LEA

View/edit; site level

View only; site level

View only; site level

Test administration window

Yes

View only; site level

View only; site level

View only; site level

STAIRS

Yes

Yes

No

No

SIS credentials

Yes

No

No

No

Reports

Entire LEA

Site level

Site level

Site level

Test Administrator Interface

All CAASPP

All CAASPP

All CAASPP, excluding CAAs

All CAASPP

Completion Status

Entire LEA

Site level

No

No

CERS

Entire LEA

Site level

Roster; site level

Roster; site level

Interim Assessment Viewing System

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Teacher Hand Scoring System

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Administer CAASPP practice and training tests

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Tools for Teachers

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Table 3. Assessment Systems Permissions Associated with Each CAASPP TOMS Role (cont.)

Systems Permissions IA Administrator Only Educator -District Educator - Test Site Educator - Roster

Organization management

View only; site level

View Only Entire LEA

View only; site level

View only; site level

User management

No

No

No

No

Student test management

View only; site level

View Only Entire LEA

View only; site level

No

Test administration window

View only; site level

No

No

No

STAIRS

No

No

No

No

SIS credentials

No

No

No

No

Reports

Site level

Entire LEA

Site level

No

Test Administrator Interface

Interim assessments

No

No

No

Completion Status

Site level

Entire LEA

Site level

Site level

Interim Assessment Viewing System

Yes

No

No

No

Teacher Hand Scoring System

Yes

No

No

No

CERS

Roster; site level

Entire LEA

Site level

Roster; site level

Administer CAASPP practice and training tests

Yes

No

No

No

Tools for Teachers

Yes

No

No

No

ELPAC

The table that follows (table 4) contains details on the user roles available for users who manage and administer ELPAC.

Table 4. TOMS User Roles for ELPAC

TOMS User Role

System Responsibilities and Abilities

Superintendent

This role is automatically assigned to LEA superintendents and charter school administrators as listed in the California School Directory (CSD). This role has the following system responsibilities and permissions:

  • Assignment and designation of LEA coordinator(s)
  • Removing the permission(s) from LEA coordinator(s)
  • Designate one LEA coordinator as the “primary” LEA coordinator. Only the superintendent and the primary LEA coordinator can assign the LEA coordinator role to other users. If the superintendent does not designate a primary LEA coordinator, the first user assigned the LEA coordinator role will be automatically designated as the primary LEA coordinator. If there is no LEA ELPAC coordinator assigned, then the superintendent is assigned the role of LEA ELPAC Coordinator by default until another user is assigned the role specifically.
  • Add the special education coordinator and technology coordinator contacts, if needed.
  • Access to Completion Status reports in TOMS
  • Access to assessment results in CERS for all students in the LEA
  • Ability to designate user roles for the current and upcoming school year
LEA ELPAC Coordinator (Primary)

There are two types of LEA ELPAC coordinators: primary and additional. The primary coordinator has to be designated by the superintendent. If the superintendent does not assign the Primary LEA ELPAC Coordinator, then the first user designated as an LEA ELPAC coordinator is designated as the primary by default. If there is no LEA ELPAC coordinator assigned, then the superintendent is assigned the role of LEA ELPAC Coordinator by default until another user is assigned the role specifically.

Both the primary and additional coordinators have the following system responsibilities and abilities.

  • Assignment and management—including creating, updating, deactivating, and deleting—of additional LEA ELPAC coordinators
  • Assignment and management of all ELPAC user roles
  • Assignment and verification of student test exemptions
  • Addition of the special education coordinator and technology coordinator contacts
  • Identification of students taking the alternate assessments
  • Uploading of test settings and unlisted resources
  • Management of paper test orders
  • Submission of STAIRS incidents
  • Access to assessment audio files
  • Entry of scores into the THSS
  • Entry of student responses and scores into the DEI
  • Access to individual Initial ELPAC SSRs
  • Access to Completion Status reports in TOMS and assessment results in CERS for all students in the LEA
  • Creation and assignment of student groups in CERS
  • Ability to administer all ELPAC assessments (including the audio files) to students
  • Ability to administer all Alternate ELPAC assessments (including the audio files) to students
  • Ability to administer all interim assessments
LEA ELPAC Coordinator (Additional)

There are two types of LEA ELPAC coordinators: primary and additional. If the superintendent does not assign the Primary LEA ELPAC Coordinator, then the first user designated as an LEA coordinator is designated as the primary by default. Once activated, the primary coordinator can add other LEA-level ELPAC coordinators. Superintendents still have the ability to add additional LEA ELPAC coordinators as well.

Both the primary and additional coordinators have the following system responsibilities and abilities.

  • Assignment and management of all ELPAC user roles
  • Assignment and verification of student test exemptions
  • Addition of the special education coordinator and technology coordinator contacts
  • Identification of students taking the alternate assessments
  • Uploading of test settings and unlisted resources
  • Management of paper test orders
  • Submission of STAIRS incidents
  • Access to assessment audio files
  • Entry of scores into the THSS
  • Entry of student responses and scores into the DEI
  • Access to individual Initial ELPAC SSRs
  • Access to Completion Status reports in TOMS and assessment results in CERS for all students in the LEA
  • Creation and assignment of student groups in CERS
  • Ability to administer all ELPAC assessments (including the audio files) to students
  • Ability to administer all Alternate ELPAC assessments (including the audio files) to students
  • Ability to administer all interim assessments
Site ELPAC Coordinator

This role is assigned by users who have the LEA ELPAC coordinator role. This role can be assigned to a user at the school level only and has the following system responsibilities and permissions:

  • Identification and training of all relevant site staff
  • Assignment of users at the site level
  • Coordination of test security
  • Entry of the following:
    • Student test assignments
    • Unlisted resources
  • Entry and uploading of the following:
    • Test settings
    • Condition codes
  • Access to assessment audio files
  • Submission of STAIRS incidents
  • Access to site-level reports for all students at the school site
  • Access to Completion Status reports in TOMS and assessment results in CERS for all students at the site
  • Creation and assignment of student groups in CERS
  • Ability to administer all ELPAC assessments (including the audio files) to students
  • Ability to administer all Alternate ELPAC assessments (including the audio files) to students
  • Ability to administer all interim assessments
  • Entry of scores into the THSS
  • Entry of student responses and scores into the DEI
  • Printing of individual Initial ELPAC SSRs
ELPAC Test Examiner

This role is assigned by users who have the LEA ELPAC coordinator or site ELPAC coordinator role. This role can be assigned to a user at the school level only and has the following system responsibilities and permissions:

  • Administration of the Initial ELPAC, Initial Alternate ELPAC, Summative ELPAC, Summative Alternate ELPAC, and ELPAC Interim Assessments (including the audio files) to students (Administration within a general test session can include students at multiple test sites so long as the test examiner is assigned the role at that test site. Because K–2, the Speaking domain, and alternate assessments are administered one-on-one, a test session would always include just one student.)
  • Test session security
  • Entry of data and scores into the THSS
  • Ability to administer the Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments for ELA and mathematics
  • Access to site-level reports in the Completion Status System
  • Access to assessment results in CERS for students in assigned student group(s)
  • Entry of student responses and scores into the DEI

IA Administrator Only

This role is assigned by users who have the LEA ELPAC coordinator or site ELPAC coordinator role. This role can be assigned to a user at the school level only and has the following system responsibilities and permissions:

  • Administration only of the interim assessments to students
  • Access to the THSS, which includes the ability to view interim assessment constructed responses for all students at the site and score responses for which the IA administrator has been assigned
  • Access to the Interim Assessment Viewing System
  • Access to the Interim Assessment Completion Status System for interim assessment reporting
  • Access to interim assessment results available through CERS for the students in the student group(s) assigned to them by a coordinator
LS Correspondence Administrator

This role is assigned by users who have the LEA ELPAC coordinator role. This role can be assigned to a user at the LEA level only and has the following system responsibilities and permissions:

  • Entry of data and scores into the THSS
  • Printing of Initial ELPAC SSRs, individually or in a batch
  • Exporting of student results to merge into a parent/guardian notification letter
  • Access to assessment results in CERS for students in the LEA
  • Entry of student responses and scores into the DEI
LS Data Entry

This role is assigned by users who have the LEA ELPAC coordinator role. This role can be assigned to a user at the school level only and has the following system responsibilities and permissions:

  • Entry of data and scores into the THSS
  • Printing of individual Initial ELPAC SSRs
  • Access to assessment results in CERS for students in assigned student group(s)
  • Entry of student responses and scores into the DEI
Tools for Teachers Only

Tools for Teachers access is provided to all coordinator, test administrator, and test examiner roles. A user with any of these roles does not require the addition of the Tools for Teachers Only role.

This role is assigned by users who have the LEA ELPAC coordinator or site ELPAC coordinator role and has the following system responsibility and permission:

  • Access to Tools for Teachers only

The tables that follow (table 5 and table 6) display the features that can be accessed in TOMS for ELPAC on the basis of the user’s role. These options allow for assigning roles consistent with state and federal privacy laws and local policies and procedures. It is important that the coordinators review their site user list and the roles assigned to those users periodically to ensure that all users maintain appropriate permissions within TOMS.

Table 5. Assessment Systems Permissions Associated with Each ELPAC TOMS Role

System Permissions LEA Coordinator Site Coordinator Test Examiner

Organization management

Yes

View only; site level

View only; site level

User management

Yes

Site level

View only; site level

Student test management

Yes

Site level

View only; site level

Test administration window

View only

View only; site level

View only; site level

STAIRS

Submit

Submit

No

Orders

Yes

No

No

Audio

Yes

Yes

Yes

SIS credentials

Yes

No

No

Reports

Yes

Site level

Some site level

Teacher Hand Scoring System

Yes

Yes

Yes

Test Administrator Interface

All ELPAC

All ELPAC

All ELPAC

Completion Status

LEA level

Site level

Site level

DEI

Yes

Yes

Yes

CERS

Entire LEA

Site level

Roster; site level

Practice and training tests

ELPAC only

ELPAC only

ELPAC only

Table 6. Assessment Systems Permissions Associated with Each ELPAC TOMS Role (cont.)

System Permissions IA Administrator Only LS Correspondence Administrator LS Data Entry

Organization management

View only; site level

View only

View only; site level

User management

No

View only; site level

View only; site level

Student test management

View only; site level

View only; site level

View only; site level

Test administration window

View only; site level

No

No

STAIRS

No

No

No

Orders

No

No

No

Audio

No

No

No

SIS credentials

No

No

No

Reports

Site level

Yes

Site-level reports

Teacher Hand Scoring System

Interim assessments

Score Manager; LEA level

Scorer; site level only

Test Administrator Interface

No

Yes

No

Completion Status

Site level

No

No

DEI

Yes

Yes

Yes

CERS

Roster; site level

Roster; LEA level

Roster; site level

Practice and training tests

Yes

No

No

Map of TOMS User Roles to CERS Permissions

The type of access users have in CERS is determined on the basis of their assigned role in TOMS. Refer to the User Roles and Permissions subsection of the CERS User Guide for descriptions of how TOMS user roles map to CERS.

LEAs should take care when assigning “site-based” roles (that is, Site CAASPP Coordinator, Site ELPAC Coordinator, and Educator - Test Site) because these roles allow access to all interim and summative assessment results for an entire school (site).

Please ensure that students’ personally identifiable information is made available only to the appropriate users.

TOMS Functions

User functions depend on their roles in TOMS.

Coordinators

The following tasks can be performed by coordinators in TOMS, depending on the user’s role:

  • Preadministration functions
    • Add users, either one at a time or by batch upload, which allows users to access the California assessment systems
    • Add and manage (including password resets) CAASPP or ELPAC site coordinator, test administrator, test examiner, and educator roles
    • Set up and manage CAASPP test administration windows
    • Indicate which students are taking the CAAs for ELA, mathematics, and science
    • Indicate which students are taking the Initial Alternate ELPAC and Summative Alternate ELPAC
    • Assign accommodations and designated supports to students in the LEA
    • Request the use of an unlisted resource (an accessibility resource that is not otherwise available) for a student who uses the resource in daily instruction
    • Assign certain condition codes (either NTE or PGE), either one by one or in a batch upload, to students before or during the selected testing window (CAASPP only)
    • Assign the special education coordinator and technology coordinator contacts
  • Test administration functions
    • Report testing irregularities, breaches, improprieties, and incidents by completing the STAIRS form in TOMS
    • Download secure CAASPP materials and resources, such as training materials for hand scoring interim assessments, DFAs for the CAAs for ELA and mathematics, and separate DFAs for the CAA for Science (TOMS)
    • Download secure ELPAC materials and resources, such as the Initial ELPAC DFAs, Summative ELPAC DFAs. and PFA documents
    • Score Initial ELPAC results in the THSS for the Writing domain (grades three through twelve)
    • Enter scores in the DEI for the Initial ELPAC Writing domain (K–2) and Speaking domain (all grade levels and grade spans)
    • Enter score in the DEI for the Summative ELPAC Speaking domain
    • Print Initial ELPAC SSRs, download Initial ELPAC student score data, and generate parent/guardian letters
    • Install files for the voice packs used by the TDS
  • Postadministration functions
    • View Completion Status reports
    • Access the LEA’s test results and SSRs

Test Administrators and Test Examiners

The following tasks can be performed by test administrators and test examiners in TOMS, depending on the user’s role:

  • Test administration functions
  • Download secure CAASPP materials and resources, such as training materials for hand scoring interim assessments, DFAs for the CAAs for ELA and mathematics, and separate DFAs for the CAA for Science
  • Download secure ELPAC materials and resources, such as the Summative ELPAC DFAs
  • Score Initial ELPAC results in the THSS for the Writing domain (grades three through twelve)
    • Enter scores into the DEI for the Initial ELPAC Writing domain (K–2) and Speaking domain (all grade levels and grade spans)
    • Enter scores into the DEI for second scoring of the Summative ELPAC Speaking domain, second scoring of the CAA for ELA, or both, if the school is assigned to second-score
  • Postadministration functions
    • View Completion Status reports

Superintendent Role

Superintendents are the first role to be assigned in TOMS for both CAASPP and ELPAC. The superintendent is responsible for completing the Superintendent Designation in TOMS. Once the superintendent role has been established, the primary LEA CAASPP coordinator and the primary LEA ELPAC coordinator can be assigned. Primary coordinators are responsible for designating LEA-level coordinators and receiving any ordered materials, in addition to the other responsibilities outlined in the User Roles chapter.

To complete the Superintendent Designation, the superintendent must complete both the Test Security Agreement and the Test Security Affidavit.

The primary LEA ELPAC coordinator must be assigned no later than April 1. The primary LEA CAASPP coordinator must be assigned by July 1. If there is no LEA coordinator assigned for a testing program, then the superintendent is assigned the role of LEA [CAASPP or ELPAC] Coordinator by default until another user is assigned the role specifically.

For support in designating the superintendent, contact CalTAC by phone at 800-955-2954 or the Success Agent assigned to the LEA.

Missing primary coordinator designation message on the MyTOMS Home screen.

Figure 1. Missing primary coordinator designation message

The superintendent’s role is also responsible for adding the technology director and the special education director. While the addition of the technology director and the special education director is not mandatory, having these individuals identified in TOMS will allow for the appropriate personnel to receive communications regarding their respective areas. For directions on how to add or edit user roles for technology director and special education director, refer to Add, Edit, or Delete Contact.