Policy 6162.5 - Student Assessment

Student Assessment

1. The results of the state achievement tests required and administered as part of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, or any predecessor assessments, pursuant to Education Code 60640-60649
    
2. The results of any end-of-course examinations taken
    
3. The results of any vocational education certification examinations taken

Rule 6162.5

Last Revised 06/19/2015 (technical revision)

Standardized Testing and Reporting Program

The Superintendent or designee shall administer the following assessments in the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program:

1. The California Standards Tests (CSTs) in English language arts, mathematics, science, and history-social science to students in grades 2-11. In addition, students in grade 11 may voluntarily take an augmented CST as part of the Early Assessment Program to determine their readiness for college-level work in English and/or mathematics.
2. The Standards-Based Test in Spanish (STS) to Spanish-speaking English language learners in grades 2-11 who either:
   1. Receive instruction in Spanish, regardless of how long they have been in the United States
   2. Have been enrolled in a California public school for less than 12 months This test shall be required in addition to the CST administered in English.
3. The California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA) for students with severe cognitive disabilities who are unable to take the CSTs even with accommodations or modifications, or the California Modified Assessment (CMA) for students who are not severely cognitively disabled, when determined appropriate by the student's individualized education program (IEP) team. Any special education student who is an English learner may be tested with the STS in accordance with item #2 above, unless the IEP specifically exempts him/her from such testing.

Students in special education programs with individualized education plans or students with current Section 504 plans delineating testing variations, including accommodations and modifications, that may be used when taking the STAR assessments shall offered the use of said variations. The CDE has prepared a matrix displaying the allowable test variations for all statewide assessments.

Testing Period

The STAR tests, with the exception of the writing assessment, shall be administered to students during a testing window of 21 instructional days that includes 10 instructional days before and after completion of 85 percent of the instructional days of the school, track, or program.

The STAR writing assessment shall be administered only on the day(s) specified annually by the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

The Superintendent or designee shall arrange for at least two make-up days for the testing of students who were absent during the testing period All make-up testing shall occur within five instructional days of the last date that the district administered the tests, but not later than the 21 instructional day window established above.

Exemptions

A parent/guardian may submit to the school a written request to excuse his/her child from any or all parts of any test. District employees may discuss the STAR program with parents/guardians and may inform them of the availability of exemptions under Education Code 60615. However, the district and its employees shall not solicit or encourage any written exemption request on behalf of any student or group of students.

Testing Variations

The designated achievement test, standards-based achievement tests, and DPLT shall be administered in accordance with the manuals or other instructions provided by the test contractor, unless a testing variation, accommodation, or modification is specifically allowed pursuant to 5 CCR 853.5. The CDE has prepared a matrix displaying the allowable test variations for all statewide assessments. Students with disabilities shall be permitted to take the assessments with any of the testing variations listed in 5 CCR 853.5, provided the variations are specified in their IEP or Section 504 plan. These variations may include, but are not limited to, accommodations in the presentation or setting of the test administration or in how a student is allowed to respond, and/or modifications in accordance with 5 CCR 853.5.

All students may be provided with the following variations:

1. Simplified or clarified test directions
2. Write-in test booklets (e.g., underlining, working math problems), provided that in grades 2-3 any marks other than those in response circles must be erased to ensure that the tests can be scored
3. As much time as needed within a single sitting to complete a test or test part

In addition, all students shall be provided with the following testing variations if such variations are regularly used in the classroom:

1. Special adaptive furniture
2. Special lighting, special acoustics, or visual magnifying or audio amplification equipment
3. An individual carrel or study enclosure
4. Individual testing in a separate testing room provided that a district employee who has signed the STAR Test Security Affidavit directly supervises the student
5. Colored overlay, masks, or other means to maintain visual attention to the test or test questions
6. Manually Coded English or American Sign Language to communicate directions for test administration

Identified English learners shall be provided with the following testing variations if such variations are regularly used in the classroom or for assessment:

1. Flexible setting: testing in a separate room with other English learners provided that a district employee who has signed the Test Security Affidavit directly supervises the student.
2. Flexible schedule: additional supervised breaks following each section within a test part provided that the test section is completed within a testing day. A test section is identified by a "STOP" at the end of it.
3. Translated directions: hearing the test directions printed in the test administration manual translated into their primary language. English learners shall have the opportunity to ask clarifying questions about any test directions presented orally in their primary language.
4. Glossaries: access to translation glossaries/word lists for the standards-based achievement tests in mathematics, science, and history/social science (English to primary language). The translation glossaries/word lists are to include only the English words or phrases with the corresponding primary language words or phrases. The glossaries/word lists shall not include definitions or formulas.

District and Test Site Coordinators

Each year the Superintendent or designee shall designate a district coordinator who shall serve as the district representative and liaison with the California Department of Education for all matters relating to the STAR program. The Superintendent or designee also shall designate a coordinator at each test site. The district coordinator shall establish guidelines to help ensure that the test contractor is provided complete student information, as specified in 5 CCR 861 and 870, for purposes of the Academic Performance Index.

After receiving summary reports and files from the test contractor, the district STAR coordinator shall review the files and reports for completeness and accuracy, and shall notify the test contractor and the CDE of any errors, discrepancies, or incomplete information.

Report of Test Results

The Superintendent or designee shall report the results of each student’s test in writing to the student’s parents/guardians within 20 working days of receiving results from the test publisher. If the test results are received from the publisher after the last day of instruction in the school year, each student’s results shall be mailed to his/her parents/guardians. The report shall include a clear explanation of the purpose of the test, the student’s score and its intended use by the district.

Individual test results shall not be released without the written consent of the adult student or the minor student's parents/guardians to any person other than a parent/guardian; a teacher, counselor or administrator directly involved with the student; or to a postsecondary educational institution for the purposes of credit, placement, or admission.

Districtwide, school-level and grade-level results shall be reported to the Board of Education at a regularly scheduled meeting. The Board shall not receive individual students’ scores or the relative position of any individual student. Apportionment Information Report Annually, the Superintendent or designee shall complete an apportionment information report with the following information for the designated achievement test and the standards-based achievement tests by grade level for each of grades 2 to 11, inclusive:

1. The number of pupils enrolled in each school and in the school district on the first day of testing as indicated by the number of answer documents submitted to the test contractor for scoring.
2. The number of pupils in each school and in the school district tested with the alternate assessment.
3. The number of pupils in each school and in the school district exempted from testing at the request of their parents or guardians pursuant to Education Code section 60615.
4. The number of pupils who were administered any portion of the designated achievement test and standards-based achievement tests.
5. The number of pupils with demographic information only who were not tested for any reason other than a parent/guardian exemption.

Annually, the Superintendent or designee shall complete an apportionment information report for the designated primary language test with the following information by grade level for each of grades 2 to 11, inclusive:

1. The number of English language learners who were administered each designated primary language test pursuant to Education Code section 60640(f).
2. The number of English language learners who were administered each designated primary language test pursuant to Education Code section 60640(g).

Individual Record of Accomplishment

The Superintendent or designee shall ensure that each student, by the end of grade 12, has an individual record of accomplishment that includes the following:

1. The results of the achievement test administered under the Standardized Testing and Reporting program pursuant to Education Code 60640-60647.
2. The results of any end-of-course examinations taken.
3. The results of any vocational education certification examinations taken.