CDE Announcements Archive

April

Testing Assessment Changes Effective July 1, 2024 (sent April 24, 2024)

2023–24 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), Title II: Adult Education Family Literacy Act (AEFLA)

Dear Adult Education Administrator,

Effective July 1, 2024, the following National Reporting System (NRS) approved assessments will be authorized for California WIOA, Title II agencies.

Program Assessment series
For English as a Second Language (ESL)*, use only these Reading STEPS and Listening STEPS
For Adult Basic Education (ABE) and Adult Secondary Education (ASE), use only these Reading GOALS and Math GOALS 2
*English as a Second Language (ESL) is also known as English Language Acquisition (ELA).

  • Moving forward in Program Year 2024–25, these will be the assessments approved to report student pre/post-test learning gains for California Payment Points attainment.
  • The TOPSpro® Enterprise (TE) Proxy Wizard will continue to bring forward tests administered May 1, 2024, or later, but only tests administered from the series in the chart above will be authorized.

Background:

In March of 2023, the new CASAS ESL Reading and Listening STEPS Assessments received a seven-year approval for NRS reporting from the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE). During the past year, California agencies have either transitioned to the new series or have developed extensive communication and professional development plans to transition to the new ESL series beginning in July of 2024.

The California Department of Education, in consultation with state field leadership teams, has decided to move forward with the transition to the new CASAS assessments, as planned for July 1, 2024, for the following reasons:

  • New assessments are aligned to the College and Career Readiness Standards and the English Language Proficiency Standards.
  • New test items are culturally relevant and responsive.
  • Enhanced TE reports and functionality improve data sharing capabilities with teachers and students and simplify lesson planning.

If you have any questions regarding this subject, please contact your Adult Education Office Regional Consultant directly, or the Adult Education Office at 916-322-2175, or by email at adulteducation@cde.ca.gov.

Sincerely,

Carolyn Zachry, Ed.D.
Education Administrator and State Director
Adult Education Office
California Department of Education
916-322-2175
adulteducation@cde.ca.gov