Assessment Resources

 CAST Testing Information

The California Science Test (CAST) is an online assessment based on the California Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). All local educational agencies (LEAs) with eligible students in grades five and eight and in high school will administer the CAST operational test. The CAST operational test uses the current California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) test delivery system and will be administered online only.

Who takes the CAST operational test? The CAST is administered in grades five and eight and once to each student while that student is in high school. All students must take the CAST by the end of grade twelve but have the option of testing in grade ten or grade eleven. Only eligible students may participate in the administration of the CAST. Students assigned to take an alternate assessment should take the California Alternate Assessment for Science.

Transitioning to new science education and assessment system requires patience and determination.

• Getting it right takes time. Educators and students are still in the process of adjusting teaching and learning through the California Next Generation Science Standards (CA NGSS). Together, we are making real progress in developing a system that will educate the future workforce in this fast-changing environment of science and technology.
• Science assessment results will be included in the California School Dashboard when the appropriate time is determined by the California Department of Education and the California State Board of Education.
• As we implement the CA NGSS and the California Science Test (CAST), California is providing a wide range of tools to help educators, students, and parents/guardians understand the CA NGSS and the CAST.

The CA NGSS are the next important step in helping all students gain skills for college and careers.

• The CA NGSS call for students to ask questions, solve problems, and learn through hands-on investigation and discovery, all of which is more in line with what we know about how students learn best.
• The CA NGSS emphasize analytical thinking, reasoning, and applying knowledge to a variety of situations.

The CAST measures the breadth and depth of these new standards.

• The new standards integrate science content, practices, and concepts to help students understand how science works in the natural world. The new CAST has been developed to reflect fidelity to these standards. Developing the CAST required the formulation of questions that span different scientific disciplines.
• The three-dimensional assessment questions on the CAST reflect the innovative approach to teaching science called for by the CA NGSS. The CAST includes content found within the grade bands—not just in the tested grades. This design encourages science instruction across all grades.

The CAST includes tools to help all students demonstrate what they know and can do.

• The CAST features embedded accessibility resources, such as American Sign Language videos, refreshable braille, and glossary translations in the top nine languages used in California schools.

California’s science teachers, along with science and assessment experts, have been deeply involved in developing the CAST, which will complement teacher instruction.

• Science teachers and science assessment experts will continue to play an important role in the item writing process of the CAST by providing input to ensure quality assessment questions.
• While the CAST incorporates more interactive item types and simulations, the day-to-day experiments, in-class assignments, and assessments designed by individual teachers will continue to play the most central part in fully gauging what students know and can do.

For Schools

• California School Dashboard
• Calfornia Model Five-by-Five Placement Reports & Data
  • See how your district's schools are performing, by state indicator.

Assessment Resources

• Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium
  • Visit the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium page for the latest assessment news and resources.
• CAASPP  contains California’s Smarter Balanced Assessment practice and training tests.
• NGSS Assessments Online from the Concord Consortium 
  • Click the "Try out the NGSS assessment items" button to see the items
• Stanford NGSS Assessment Project (SNAP):  This site has up to date information about NGSS Assessments and professional development. 
• NGSS Science Assessment (NGSA): Next Generation Science Assessment (NGSA) is a set of projects that are designing formative assessments for classroom use aligned with the NGSS
• Classroom Assessment Tasks- Achieve, November 2014
• Developing Assessments for the Next Generation Science Standards, NRC Committee Report, June 2014
• Task Annotation Project in Science: The Task Annotation Project in Science (TAPS) was launched to provide an answer to the questions “what does it look like to ask students to demonstrate progress toward three-dimensional standards?” and “what are the most important features of high-quality science tasks?” This suite of resources includes annotated examples of assessment tasks for elementary, middle, and high school as well as a series of short resources that highlight the major takeaways across the whole project. 
• Science Assessment Criteria: This document describes the most important features of statewide summative assessments designed for three-dimensional standards based on A Framework for K-12 Science Education, such as the NGSS.
• Science Assessment Task Screening Tools: These two tools are intended to assist educators in evaluating science assessment tasks to determine whether they are designed for three-dimensional science standards based on the Framework for K–12 Science Education, such as the Next Generation Science Standards.
• How to Develop 3D Formative Assessments for the Science Classroom:  
• Achieve Evidence Statements by Grade Level
  • Evidence of Learning Statements (Elementary School): Published by Achieve, NGSS Evidence Statements provide educators with additional detail on what students should know and be able to do. 
  • Evidence of Learning Statements (Middle School): Published by Achieve, NGSS Evidence Statements provide educators with additional detail on what students should know and be able to do. 
  • Evidence of Learning Statements (High School): Published by Achieve, NGSS Evidence Statements provide educators with additional detail on what students should know and be able to do.