CA Science Test - CAST

Administration Manual: 2018–19 CAASPP Online Test Administration Manual (PDF)

Administration Webinar and PowerPoint with Notes: In February 2019, CDE hosted and made available a one-hour webinar and copy of the slide deck.

• 2018–19 Operational CAST Administration (58:50) Archived Webcast
• 2018–19 Operational CAST Administration (PPT)
  

Who Will Participate: The 2018–19 CAST will be administered to all eligible students in grades five and eight, and students in grade 12 who did not participate in the 2018 CAST field test. Districts may also elect to administer the high school assessment to eligible students enrolled in grades 10 and 11 (see "High School Administration Guidance" below for details).

Testing Window: The operational test will be available for LEAs on January 9, 2019. (The Braille Form of the CAST will be available April 1, 2019.) The field test closes when the LEA-selected testing window closes. Available testing window begins when 66 percent of instructional year has been completed and continues through the LEAs last day of the selected testing window, the last day of instruction, or July 15, 2019, whichever comes first.
LEAs may select their own testing window each year:

• Minimum window of 25 instructional days
• Must fall within available testing window

About the Test: The operational assessment will utilize the design approved by the State Board of Education in 2017. See the table below for details including span, number and types of items, and assessment segments. The CAST is an untimed, computer-based assessment that consists of six test segments. The first five segments may take students an average of 20 minutes each to complete. The sixth segment is a student survey of three to four questions. This first operational year will not be adaptive.

For the first operational year of the CAST, Segments 1 and 2 will be made of 12 - 17 discreet items; students will be randomly assigned either another set of 12 - 17 discreet items or a performance task consisting of 4 - 7 items in Segment 3; Segments 4 and 5 will be randomly assigned performance tasks consisting of 4 - 7 items each; and Segment 6 is a student survey of 3 - 4 questions.

Data gathered from this first year of operational administration will be analyzed and inform the potential use of a multi-stage test structure and the use of a screener as students transition from segment to segment.

Pause Rules: The 2018/19 Administrator's Manual (pages 58-60) describes in detail the pause rules for the CAST. In addition, CDE has provided a new resource that includes suggested pausing points for the CAST. This resource also outlines the types of items in each of the six test segments of the CAST. See "Suggested Pausing Points for the California Science Test."

High School Administration Guidance:

• All eligible grade 12 students must be administered the test.
• LEAs can elect to administer the test to any or all students in grade ten or eleven. For grade ten or eleven students, it is recommended that LEAs select those who are enrolled in their last science course.
• High school students will have only one opportunity to take the CAST. For example, if an LEA assigned the 2018 CAST field test to a student last year and the student attempted to take the test, they are will not be eligible to take the operational assessment.

Refer to the High School Test Administration Flowchart (PDF) for additional information.

Science Reference Tools (Grade 8 and High School):

The CAST assessments for grade eight and high school include a periodic table and a reference list of formulas that students may access during online testing as universal tools. The reference list provides all formulas that a student may need to use in responding to a test item; however, this does not imply that the student will receive a specific item type. The purposes of these reference tools are to signal that students do not need to memorize formula sheets and to ensure that students have equal access to the tools during testing. These reference tools are not meant to guide instruction.

An updated and accessible periodic table is now available for all students on the practice and training tests and will be available on the 2018–19 CAST. This periodic table can be resized and moved within the item and is accessible for students using Job Access with Speech (JAWS).

A printable CAST periodic table has been provided as a resource intended for classroom use. This printable version closely resembles the online periodic table available in the CAST and can be downloaded and printed to give students practice using the periodic table in a format similar to the online version. This PDF version of periodic table is not fully accessible as an electronic document because it is meant for printing only; however, students can use the accessible, online version of the periodic table in the CAST training and practice tests. We encourage students to practice using both types of periodic table resources throughout the year.

Files that contain a periodic table of elements and reference list of formulas that can be embossed in braille are forthcoming.

Accessibility: The CAST Test will have a range of accessibility supports including Universal Tools and Designated Supports. The universal tools will include revised reference sheets for grades 8 and high school. Please refer to this list for a summary of supports and to http://tinyurl.com/sbuaag for recommended use. Refer to the Matrix One and the CAASPP Accessibility Resources web page at https://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/ai/caasppmatrix1.asp for additional information.

Please also visit CDE's Science Assessment site for more information.

Science and Assessment Contest for K–5 Teachers!

The CDE is launching a new contest—“Science … It’s Elementary!”—for teachers of students in kindergarten through grade five. Do you know a teacher who uses the formative assessment process to guide the study of science phenomena in the classroom? If so, please pass this message along!

More information and contest materials are available at the contest website. Questions can be directed to Kasia Faughn, Sacramento County Office of Education, by email at kfaughn(at)scoe.net.

CAST Training and Practice Tests Now Available

The California Science Test (CAST), which is aligned with the California Next Generation Science Standards (CA NGSS), is the state’s assessment for measuring what students can do in science. The CAST covers information across the three science domains of life, physical, and earth and space sciences. Items are written to assess PEs associated with engineering, technology, and application of science domain will be incorporated into one of the three science domains depending on the context of the stimulus.

CAST training tests provide an opportunity to introduce students, parents, and test administrators to new item types. This is the third generation of the CAST training tests. Six separate tests (one training and one practice test each for grades five and eight and high school) are available, and they include accessibility resources to match those available on the CAST field test. The training tests include stand alone test items in addition to one performance task. Find them at http://www.caaspp.org/practice-and-training/index.html.

For more information, see CDE's information flyer.

CAST Training Test Scoring Guides

• CAST Training Items Scoring Guide—Grade Five (PDF)
• CAST Training Items Scoring Guide—Grade Five, Braille (PDF)
• CAST Training Items Scoring Guide—Grade Eight (PDF)
• CAST Training Items Scoring Guide—Grade Eight, Braille (PDF)
• CAST Training Items Scoring Guide—High School (PDF)
• CAST Training Items Scoring Guide—High School, Braille (PDF)

CAST Practice Test Scoring Guides

• CAST Practice Items Scoring Guide—Grade Five (PDF)
• CAST Practice Items Scoring Guide—Grade Eight (PDF)
• CAST Practice Items Scoring Guide—High School (PDF)
  

CDE has developed and made available numerous resources to support the administration of the CAST:

• CAST Web Page
• CAST Blueprint
• 2018–19 CAASPP Online Test Administration Manual (PDF)
• Training Test Flyer: Describes the purpose of the CAST Training Tests.
• Training Test and Scoring Guide: Provides sample CAST items for grades five and eight and high school. The scoring guide provides answers and scoring rubrics for items.
• Quick Reference Guide - How to Start a Training Test: Gives step-by-step instructions for educators, parents, and students to access the training test for the CAST.
• Science Reference Tools for Students in Grade Eight and High School: Students can access CAST reference tools during online testing. The tools, which include a calculator, periodic table and a reference sheet of formulae and scientific constants, are made available to signal that students are not expected to memorize this information. They are not required to be used during classroom instruction and are not meant to guide instruction.
• Parent Guide to Understanding the California Science Test: Provides answers to key questions, such as who takes the assessments and why, when, and how they are administered, and other questions parents and guardians might have. Also available in other languages.
• Informational Video: An eight-minute video that provides information about the California Next Generation Science Standards and the CAST field test.

There is more coming soon! CDE will be releasing new CAST Training Tests and Practice Tests in November 2018. These practice tests will include three domain-specific performance tasks including a third grade performance task.

CDE is developing a new site to replace http://www.testscoreguide.org. This new site will include a page for science with information for parents. It will be simple to start, with more information to the site added once the test is operational and additional data is available.

2018 CAST Field Test Results

On December 10, 2018, CDE released the results from the 2018 administration of the CAST field test. A link to the aggregate results is available on CDE's CAST Administration Research Files Website. Data is available at the state, county, LEA, and school levels for all students and by student groups. The results include a "preliminary indicator." Preliminary indicators offer a general indication of student content knowledge. The results include a percent of items answered correctly on machine-score items and an indicator category. They are not scale scores and are not achievement levels. The scores are also not comparable between students, schools, or LEAs, as not all students took the same test. Please review the information available from CDE on how the research file is organized and how to access the information.

It is important to remember that 2017/18 was a field test year.This means that the test was still in development when it was administered it to your students. This is normal. What is not normal is reporting these results to families because they are not precise enough to gauge performance at the student level. CDE is fulfilling a requirement by the federal government to provide results to families

Preliminary Indicator Levels

• 3: Student performance suggests a considerable understanding of the California NGSS
• 2: Student performance suggests a moderate understanding of the California NGSS
• 1: Student performance suggests a limited understanding of the California NGSS

A complete timeline of the release of the preliminary indicators, including the audience and agency responsible for distributing the information is available from CDE. LEAs are responsible for providing assessment preliminary indicators to parents/guardians.

To facilitate this communication, CDE has developed a suite of communications tools, information, and FAQs.

Access Toolkit

The preliminary indicators may be used to inform LEAs about the progress of local implementation of CA NGSS. Results should be leveraged where possible to advocate for additional investment in the implementation of the standards, including professional development.