For the 2022 spring administration of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) for English language arts (ELA), Mathematics, and Science (CAST), students will be able to take their assigned tests remotely. Our priority is to keep our students and educators safe by following state, county, and local health and safety requirements associated with the current pandemic.

This letter provides information about what students testing remotely need. Students will take the test from the safety of their homes. The test administrator or examiner will connect with each child by computer. To make sure that each student receives the most accurate score, we are providing the following guidelines for student testing:

1. You may assist your child with setting up the technology used to enter the test session.

2. To keep the test fair for all students, we ask that you do not talk about the test questions or any materials for the test with anyone before, during, or after the test.

3. No one may record the test or use a camera or another device to take pictures of the test questions or your child taking the test. This helps to keep the questions confidential.

4. We need to know that your child is completing the test without any help. To verify compliance, a web camera and microphone will be used to observe your child while taking the test. The camera is only used to observe your child and the surroundings during the test and will not record the session.

5. Please follow all instructions given by the test administrator or examiner to place the camera where your child and the child's immediate surroundings can be observed.

If your child cannot use the computer's camera, microphone, speaker, or headphone during remote testing, you may contact your homeroom teacher for another way to administer the test to your child—for example, in-person test administration—when it can be done safely following state, county, and local health and safety requirements.

Thank you for making sure your child is ready to test. With your help, we can ensure that your child and all California students are provided with the best opportunity to succeed and show what they know.

*Proctoring will begin in March!

If you do not have a School Provided Chromebook, you will have to install a secure browser on your device before testing!

If you have a Chromebook that the school did not provide, please request a loaner Chromebook from your homeroom teacher. You can not test on a Chromebook that the school does not manage.

Installing the Secure Browser for Windows

This procedure installs the Secure Browser on all supported versions of Windows.

1. Previously installed versions of the Secure Browser must be manually uninstalled before installing the current version.
2. Click the Download Browser link above. A dialog window opens.
3. Do one of the following (this step may vary depending on the browser you are using):
   • If presented with a choice to Run or Save the file, click Run. This opens the Secure Browser Setup wizard.
   • If presented only with the option to Save, save the file to a convenient location. After saving the file, double-click the installation file CASecureBrowserX.X-64bit.msi to open the setup wizard.
4. Follow the instructions in the setup wizard. When prompted for setup type, click Install.
5. Click Finish to exit the setup wizard. The following items are installed:
   • The Secure Browser to the default location C:\Program Files\CASecureBrowser
   • A shortcut CASecureBrowser to the desktop.
6. Ensure all background jobs, such as virus scans or software updates, are scheduled outside of test windows. For example, if your testing takes place between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., schedule background jobs outside of these hours.
7. Optional: Apply proxy settings, if needed.
8. Run the browser by double-clicking the CASecureBrowser shortcut on the desktop. The Secure Browser opens, displaying the student login screen. The browser fills the entire screen and hides the task bar.
9. To exit the browser, click X in the upper-right corner of the screen.

Setting up Microsoft's Take a Test app for Windows 10

These procedures set up Microsoft's Take a Test app on machines running Windows 10.

The Take a Test app enforces a locked-down, secure testing environment identical to CAI’s Secure Browser. Users of the Take a Test app do not need to install the CAI Secure Browser on the testing machine. For more information about configuring the Take a Test app, see https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/education/windows/take-tests-in-windows-10.

Creating a Dedicated Test Account for Non-permissive Mode Users

Non-permissive mode users should create a dedicated test account for the Take a Test app. Permissive mode features will not available when using this method. To access permissive mode features, please see Creating Desktop Shortcuts for Permissive Mode Users.

If you plan to use the Take a Test app on a dedicated test account on a Windows 10 device, do not disable fast user switching, as it causes the machine to enter an infinite loop when rebooted.

Note: Assessments administered through the Take a Test app will detect some forbidden apps are running in the background even if users don’t start these apps, which causes the Take a Test app to log a user out of their account. (For more information, see https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4338725/k-12-assessment-unexpected-reports-apps-running-background-windows-10) Because of this, CAI has disabled the forbidden app check when using the Take a Test app through a dedicated test account.

To create a dedicated test account:

1. Sign into the device with an administrator account.
2. Go to Settings > Accounts > Access work or school > Set up an account for taking tests.
3. Select an existing account to use as the dedicated testing account.
• Note: If you don't have an account on the device, you can create a new account. To do this, go to Settings > Accounts > Family & Other Users > Add someone else to this PC > I don’t have this person’s sign-in information > Add a user without a Microsoft account.
4. In the Enter the test's web address field, enter https://ca.tds.cambiumast.com/student/
5. Click Save.

The student can now sign in to the dedicated account to take the specified test.

Creating Desktop Shortcuts for Permissive Mode Users

Permissive mode users should create a desktop shortcut for the Take a Test app.

To create a desktop shortcut for Take a Test:

1. Log in to Windows as the user taking a test.
2. Right-click on the desktop and select New > Shortcut. The Create Shortcut dialog box appears.
3. In the Type the location of the item field, enter ms-edu-secureassessment:https://ca.tds.cambiumast.com/student/
4. Click Next.
5. In the next dialog box, type a name for the shortcut.
6. Click Finish.

The shortcut appears on the desktop. To run the Take a Test app, double-click the shortcut. To exit the Take a Test app, press Ctrl+Alt+Del.

Installing the Secure Profile for Mac

Mac workstations running macOS 10.13-10.15 require a two-step setup process. First, download the Secure Profile from the link above, install it, and restart your computer. The Secure Profile can also be installed on multiple devices all at once using any commercially available mobile device management (MDM) application you already use to manage your devices.

The Secure Profile is a configuration profile that can be used to configure Mac workstations for online testing. It can be downloaded from the link above and must be installed, along with the Secure Browser, before testing begins. The Secure Profile was last updated for Spring 2021. If you previously installed an older version of the Secure Profile, you must download and install the version from the link above.

After you’ve installed the Secure Profile, download the Secure Browser from the link above and install it using the instructions below.

Mac workstations running macOS 11.4 and higher do not require the Secure Profile. A feature in macOS 11.4 and higher called Assessment Mode automatically configures computers for testing and requires no further setup. For more information about Assessment Mode, including a list of features it disables, see https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204775.

Installing the Secure Browser for Mac

This procedure installs the Secure Browser on desktop and laptop computers running macOS. The steps in this procedure may vary depending on your web browser.

If you are running the Secure Browser on Apple silicon devices, you must first install Rosetta 2. Rosetta 2 may already be installed on your Apple silicon device if you needed it to run another Intel-based application. If it not already installed, a prompt to install it will appear the first time you launch the Secure Browser. Rosetta 2 can also be deployed to multiple devices at once through scripting or mobile device management (MDM). For more information about Rosetta 2, including instructions to install it, please see https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211861.

1. Remove any previous versions of the Secure Browser by dragging its folder to the Trash.
2. Click the Download Browser link above. A dialog window opens. If prompted for a download location, select the desktop.
3. Open Downloads from the Dock, and double-click CASecureBrowserX.X.dmg to display its contents.
4. Drag the CASecureBrowser icon to the folder. This installs the Secure Browser into Applications.
5. Double-click the CASecureBrowser icon on the desktop to launch the Secure Browser. (You must launch the Secure Browser to complete the installation.) The Secure Browser opens displaying the student login screen. The browser fills the entire screen and hides the dock.
6. To exit the browser, click X in the upper-right corner of the screen.
7. Ensure all background jobs, such as virus scans or software updates, are scheduled outside of test windows. For example, if your testing takes place between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., schedule background jobs outside of these hours.

Installing the Secure Browser for Linux

This procedure installs the Secure Browser on desktop computers running one of the supported Linux distributions. These instructions may vary for your individual Linux distribution.

1. Uninstall any previous versions of the Secure Browser by deleting the directory containing it.
2. Obtain the root or super-user password for the computer on which you are installing the Secure Browser.
3. Click the Download Browser link above. A dialog window opens. If prompted for a download location, select the desktop.
4. Open the terminal and do the following:
   1. Enter cd ~/Desktop
   2. Enter tar xfjv CASecureBrowserX.X-64bit.tar.bz2
   3. Enter cd ~/Desktop/CASecureBrowser
   4. Enter su [UserName] to switch to a super-user or root user. When prompted, enter the super-user or root user password you obtained in step 2.
   5. Enter ./install-icon.sh to run the ./install-icon.sh file as an executable. When prompted, enter the super-user or root user password obtained in step 2.
   6. Enter su [UserName] to switch back to the standard user. When prompted, enter the standard user password.
   7. Enter ./install-icon.sh to install icons for the standard user.
5. The script installs all dependent libraries and supported voice packs, and creates a CASecureBrowser icon on the desktop. In Fedora, the icon is installed in the Charm.
6. Ensure all backgrounds jobs, such as virus scans or software updates, are scheduled outside of test windows. For example, if your testing takes place between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., schedule background jobs outside of these hours.
7. If text-to-speech testing is performed on this computer, reboot it.
8. From the desktop, double-click the CASecureBrowser icon to launch the browser. An Untrusted App Launcher error message appears.
9. Click Trust and Launch. The student login screen appears. The browser fills the entire screen and hides any panels or launchers.
10. To exit the browser, click X in the upper-right corner of the screen.

Why are Summative tests important?

• Summative assessments are critical, now more than ever, to providing administrators and teachers with the high-quality student and school achievement data to track potential learning loss in order to inform teaching and learning.
• Statewide summative assessments are an essential component of an equitable, valid, and balanced assessment system, especially amid the disruption caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. They help provide actionable data for improvements and targeting supports to students most in need.
• Statewide summative assessments shed light on the progress of students who are disproportionately impacted by school closures, including those who are English learners, minorities, and low income, and students with disabilities.
• Statewide summative assessments are required under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act to help provide a uniform measure of student achievement.

Has my child learned this material well enough to be tested on it?

• This assessment will allow teachers and administrators to get a sense of where students are at the end of the 2021–22 school year.

Is this an open-book test?

• This is not an open-book test. Your child should not have any unauthorized material out during testing.
  

How does my child contact the teacher while testing?

• Your child will have access to a "raise your hand" tool in the testing browser. They will also have the ability to send a message via chat (by typing a comment into the chatbox) to their teacher. If your child has lost connection with the testing service, they should contact the teacher by email, phone, or some other prearranged means.
  

Who can I call if my child has trouble logging on to the test or if my child has technical problems during testing?

• Please let the teacher proctoring the exam know.

Can students use their own devices at home?

• Students may use personal devices with the exception of personal Chromebooks. Devices must have a working camera, a microphone, and a set of headphones or a speaker.'
  

What happens if I walk into the room while my student is testing?

• This is not an issue. You may walk into the room when your child is testing, but you should not interrupt your child or look at the test questions being asked.
  

What happens if I observe someone in my house helping my child take the test?

• If you observe someone helping your child with test-taking, you should stop the assistance, ask your child to pause the test, and notify the teacher immediately.
  

Can a parent/guardian act as a test administrator or examiner in place of the teacher?

• No. State regulations declare that parents and guardians cannot be involved with testing.
  

Is my child allowed to use the bathroom while testing?

• Yes. Your child is allowed a bathroom break. Your child should notify the teacher before leaving the computer for any reason.
  

Can my child eat while testing?

• Yes. Your child may eat while testing as long as it does not interfere with the child's concentration.
  

Can my child listen to music while testing?

• No. We ask that your child not have any other technology present during testing. This includes listening to music.
  

Can I view my child's answers to particular questions? Or at least which questions they missed?

• No. Test questions are not released to ensure test security. Specific information about questions missed or incorrect answers will not be provided.
  

Do the practice tests match the summative assessment in length, difficulty, or functionality? What about the training tests?

• The practice tests match the summative assessments in length. They can be used to help assess some of the standards and your child's understanding of certain concepts.
• The training tests are designed to assist your child in becoming familiar with the available tools and how to take the assessment. They provide functions similar to the summative assessments, but they do not match the actual assessments in length or difficulty.

All students have access to various accessibility tools they might need when taking the test, like a calculator on some math problems, a glossary when taking the reading part of the test, or a highlighter that they can use to highlight important parts of a long paragraph (please note: students with disabilities may have additional supports/accommodations). All of the accessibility resources help students gain fair access to the test and do not affect the students’ scores in any way.

Visit: https://ca.startingsmarter.org/

You are an important part of your student’s education. Some things you can do to help your student are:

• Discuss the test with your student. Make sure they are not afraid or anxious.

• Tell your student that you and their teacher have high expectations and that you are both there to help them every step of the way.

• Have your student take a practice test.

The link below accesses both the practice and training tests portal. The practice tests provide students with grade-specific testing experiences that are similar in structure and format to the summative assessments. The training tests provide students with the opportunity to quickly become familiar with the software and interface features. The training tests are organized by grade bands (e.g., 3–5).

Please click on the Student Interface Practice & Training Tests, and it will log you in as a guest. The practice tests provide students with grade-specific testing experiences with content. The Training Tests provide students with the opportunity to become familiar with the testing tools.

Practice tests can be found at http://www.caaspp.org/practice-and-training/index.html

We are committed to your student's academic success and devoted to ensuring that each student has the support they need to succeed. If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me! I am here to support you.

Regards,

Mrs. Sabrina Ciolino

Principal

Peak Prep Pleasant Valley

Mobile: 415-320-1401
Email: sabrina.ciolino@peak-prep.org
Website: peak-prep.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peakprep/
Address: 2150 Pickwick Drive #304 Camarillo, CA 93010

Email: info@peak-prep.org
Website: www.peak-prep.org
Location: 2150 Pickwick Drive #304 Camarillo, CA 93010
Phone: 855-900-7325
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peakprep/
Twitter: @peakpreppv