Appendix C: California Alternate Assessment (CAA) Worksheet)
CAA Guidance for IEP Teams
The new CAA for Science test was first piloted in the 2016 – 17 school year and is completing a second pilot year in 2017 – 18. All students enrolled in grades five and eight will be administered the pilot test. All grade twelve students are to take the pilot test; if the student is in grades ten or eleven has finished their last science class, and the LEA elects to administer the assessment at those grade levels, those students may also be assessed. Regardless of the grade level in which the test is taken, students will only take the test once in high school. This new assessment is aligned with the CA NGSS. The Next Generation Science Standards were developed by the States in conjunction with the National Research Council (NRC), the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and other critical partners. The CAA for Science represents a new format of assessment for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. Included with the assessment is a science lesson, which the teacher can deliver when it best fits their instructional calendar. After the lesson is taught, the teacher then conducts the actual assessment, and collects data on individual student performance.
Assessment Administration
English Language Arts and Mathematics
The CAAs for English language arts and mathematics are delivered via computer, with allowances for flexibility in administration (e.g., a student may respond to administrator-presented item stimuli rather than to the item stimuli on the computer). A trained testing examiner familiar with the student (e.g., the student’s teacher) facilitates the administration in a 1:1 setting, presenting items via computer, paper, or manipulatives, as appropriate for the student. Items are administered to the student over the course of one or more testing sessions, as needed for the student to complete a content-area assessment. The CAAs use a staged approach, meaning that each student receives items that have been determined to be an appropriate level of challenge. Embedded routing tests help determine the items a student encounters.
Science
The CAA for Science is also administered in a 1:1 setting, although the embedded lesson can be taught in a group setting. After the student has participated in instruction of the standard, the teacher then delivers the a ssessment and collects data on the student’s performance. Overall, there is flexibility built into the process, allowing the teacher to utilize materials that the student is most comfortable with, and to adjust the administration script to provide the student with a higher level of access, while not changing the standard being measured. After the CAA for Science has completed its pilot phase, this test will also move to the computerized platform for field and operational testing.
Participation Criteria
BP 2004 – State and District Assessment Programs
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Desert Mountain Special Education Local Plan Area (DMSELPA) (rev. 09/18)
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