CERS Update for LEA Coordinators
CAASPP email update, November 7, 2023.
Dear LEA CAASPP Coordinator or LEA ELPAC Coordinator:
As the 2023–24 school year is underway, the CDE is sending the following updates and reminders that LEA coordinators may want to share regarding the California Educator Reporting System (CERS).
Providing Educators with Access to CERS
CERS offers LEA staff the earliest access to the latest CAASPP and ELPAC assessment data, as well as historical assessment data. We encourage you to grant teachers access to CERS by assigning them an appropriate role in the Test Operations Management System (TOMS) and uploading student groups for teachers into CERS.
If you have any questions about creating TOMS accounts for teachers in your LEA to provide access to CERS, please contact your LEA's assigned Success Agent. LEA Success Agents can be located on the California Outreach web page.
When preparing teachers to use CERS, consider using the CERS Sandbox as a training tool. The CERS Sandbox is a publicly available website that can be used to get familiar with the features and functions of CERS in a non-secure training environment.
Interim Assessment Information in CERS
In addition to CAASPP and ELPAC summative assessment results, CERS provides administrators and educators with the data needed to dig deeper into interim assessment results! Interim assessments are one component of California's comprehensive system of assessments which provides teachers and administrators with data they can use to support teaching and learning.
CERS features for English language arts/literacy (ELA) and mathematics interim assessments include:
- Options for viewing results by student or by item, and item details including the ability to see each student's responses
- Item rubrics and exemplars, as well as information about the item claim, target, depth of knowledge, difficulty, and common core state standard
- Key/distractor analysis which allows educators to evaluate whether there may have been common areas of misunderstanding among students who chose incorrect answers (i.e., distractors) in selected-response items
On October 24, 2023, the CAST and ELPAC Interim Assessments joined the Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments for ELA and mathematics as optional state-provided interim assessments. The new CAST and ELPAC Interim Assessments will have the viewing feature of items and student responses available in CERS in early 2024. In the meantime, the following results features are available in CERS for the CAST and ELPAC Interim Assessments:
- Individual and aggregate scores
- Achievement/performance levels
- Custom aggregate reports
- Key/distractor analysis for selected-response items
Additional information about the new CAST and ELPAC Interim Assessments can be found in the October 24, 2023 email to Coordinators.
Registration Opening Soon for More CERS Trainings!
To support LEAs in the use of CERS, the CDE will be offering the following CERS trainings this winter and spring:
- CERS–Beyond the Basics for Teachers
This online training will cover more advanced CERS features for educators who have students rostered to them in CERS. Topics will include customizing groups in CERS, using advanced filters, and reviewing the information available when viewing interim assessment results. - CERS–Beyond the Basics for Coordinators and Administrators
This training will cover more advanced CERS features LEA staff who manage access to CERS, roster students to teachers in CERS, and/or train staff about CERS. Topics will include making custom reports, completing advanced rostering, and tips for providing local CERS training. - Accessing Summative Results in CERS
This training is offered in two separate modules to assist LEA staff in preparing to access 2023–24 assessment results in CERS. Each module will include a live demonstration of how to access specific summative assessment results, view and interpret individual score reports, and understand data features.- Module 1: Summative ELPAC, Summative Alternate ELPAC, and the California Spanish Assessment.
- Module 2: ELA and mathematics, the CAST, and the California Alternate Assessments (CAAs) for ELA, mathematics, and science
Session dates, times, and other registration information for these trainings will be announced next month via email and in the Assessment Spotlight.
Session Recording and Materials Available for Introductory-Level Trainings
Missed the introductory-level CERS trainings that were offered earlier this year? The 2023–24 Introduction to CERS training session recordings and materials are available in the CAASPP.org and ELPAC.org web pages after selecting the Training tab and the Asynchronous Training Opportunities drop-down menu. Materials available for the session for coordinators and the session for teachers include presentation slides, a notetaking guide, and a video recording of each session type.
Your LEA's assigned Success Agent is available for any questions you may have about CERS. LEA Success Agent contact information can be located on the California Outreach web page.
Sincerely,
California Outreach Team