What you should know about the CSAPA

There are a few students with Individualized Education Programs, or IEPs, who will not be able to take the general Colorado Student Assessment Program, or CSAP, because of the nature or intensity of their disability. Even if accommodations to the testing administration are provided, the content assessed and materials used in the CSAP are at a significantly different instructional level than these students may be working on day to day.

Although unable to take the general state assessment, these students may still be working on the underlying skills necessary to access and achieve the standards. Students who will not be able to participate in the general CSAP will need to have a different way to show their abilities and what they can do to accurately assess their skills in relationship to the Access Skills and Expanded Benchmarks of the standards.

The CSAPA differs from the CSAP in the way that students demonstrate their learning. Rather than a paper and pencil test, the CSAPA is a performance-based assessment. That is, students are observed in their abilities to participate in literacy-related activities, such as attending to a story and answering comprehension questions, reading with a teacher or peer, going to the library and creating a story. They are also able to show their abilities in math and science related activities and skills.

Each activity contains a number of performance indicators that have been validated as emerging literacy, math, and science skills. Since each student taking this assessment will require individualized supports to aid their learning, educators will need to adapt materials and presentation when needed. Additionally, it will be important to document adaptations on the IEP to ensure that students receive appropriate instruction in their use.

The assessment measures how independent the student is at performing each indicator in the activity. A student will be observed as they participate in each task to judge whether they can demonstrate the indicators without teacher assistance or whether they need additional cues or prompts. Teachers will also indicate their perception of the student’s overall performance for each activity.

Since the number of students who will qualify to take the CSAPA is limited (only about 1% of all students), determination of which assessment is most appropriate for the student must be made by the IEP team after giving consideration and or opportunity, when appropriate, for students to participate in the general CSAP.

Decisions must also be based on the child’s individual needs rather than the category of his or her disability, expected performance or where they receive educational services. In addition, teams should consider which content area the specific grade-level CSAP will be assessing and the curriculum content the student is currently learning.

Remember, the CSAPA assesses emerging literacy, math and science skills. Eligibility checklists and criteria have been developed to help IEP teams make the appropriate determinations as to whether or not the student qualifies to take the CSAPA. It is important to remember that the eligibility checklist is just one factor to take into consideration when making this decision.