LP3 Testing Tips
Pacific Coast Academy
CAASPP Practice Test
One of the main questions we receive about any assessment we provide is...
How can I prepare my child to take this test?
A great tool to support you and your child are Practice Tests. You can choose to practice the Computer Adaptive Test (CAT), the Performance Task, the CAST Science Test, the CAA, and even the ELPAC!
The Practice Test is great at helping students feel more comfortable with the state test. Think about it this way; when you are about to give an important presentation at work, need to interview for a new position, or just want to get better at something new; practicing is the best way to be prepared. When you feel prepared, you feel more confident and comfortable with the task at hand.
My suggestion is always to use the Practice Test as an opportunity to get comfortable with the Testing Interface, not necessarily go through and answer all the questions. The CAASPP Testing Interface offers a variety of Universal Tools and Designated Supports for your child to try out. We'll learn more about those in our next newsletter!
If you would like to score your child, you can by using the Scoring Guides. You will need to score in the moment, meaning the student should not hit NEXT until you have had a chance to score the answer.
Your HST would be happy to walk you through the CAASPP Testing Interface at your LP Meeting, too!
60-Day Test Prep Challenge is Coming!
November 13th through March 8th
IXL is a great tool for getting students used to the language and some of the question types they may see on the CAASPP. While it is not exactly like the Testing Interface, using IXL to practice content while using the CAASPP Practice Portal to practice using tools is one way to round out your child's test prep.
The Testing Department has created grade and subject-specific test prep calendars using grade-level content in IXL. When meeting for LP 3, please discuss if this would be a good option to prepare your 3rd-8th or 11th graders for the CAASPP in the Spring.
Each day, check off the skills completed for a chance to win!
All participants will earn a special prize!
SmART Annotated Response Tool
In September, HSTs were provided with your child's Writing Extended Response Score, which shows the genre and the scores for Purpose, Evidence/Elaboration, and Conventions for any student who took the Reading Performance Task last Spring. Please reach out to your HST to discuss how to use this data with the SmART Annotated Response Tool. Using this tool, and grade-level examples would be great for a discussion with your HST, as we move closer to the spring!
If you have a student in a non-testing grade, this tool can help you plan for the future by seeing what the rubrics and prompt-types your child may get assigned on the SBAC.