By Dr. Mathew d'Alessio, CSU Northridge Professor

I'll be blunt: The CAST data are basically useless to classroom teachers. Formative feedback allows you to target specific gaps in your instruction, but the CAST does not provide enough information to serve that purpose. I urge teachers to see the CAST differently: The CAST signals to administrators and school boards that science is important.

What is tested is what gets taught. That's why we are thrilled that science now appears on the statewide dashboard as co-equal to ELA and Math. We've used the CAST to send messages since its early history when CDE initially proposed a single life science exam as the only high school test. We successfully advocated for a test that spans all standards. That move pushes districts to enroll students in more science across all disciplines. It also sends the message that Science and Engineering Practices and Crosscutting Concepts develop over the entire grade band, pushing teachers to emphasize them. After all, two-thirds of the CAST addresses these dimensions.

Unfortunately, this test is too short to give feedback about specific elements of NGSS instruction. Test writers need multiple items to reliably score a particular skill or construct, ideally ten or more. With up to 60 performance expectations in each grade band and fewer than 50 total items on the CAST, you can see the challenge.

New interim assessments fill the gap. They provide valuable information to teachers because they deliver timely, granular data that tells teachers where they need to focus. And because they use the same format and interface as the CAST, they prepare our students for the statewide exam. The interim assessments are the tests we really need to inform and improve our 3-D instruction.

If you care about NGSS shifts, view the CAST questions as your destination. Shift your classroom instruction and measure your progress using the interim assessments. Let your administrators crow about your CAST scores, but don't expect the results to reveal transformational insights into your NGSS instruction.

About the Author

Dr. d’Alessio sees science from the perspective of both a researcher and an educator. He was a research scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey, is currently a Professor at CSUN where he teaches science to university students and future teachers, was a high school Earth Science teacher in an urban public school, ran a sustainability education program in local elementary schools, and spent a year as a stay-at-home dad. He drew upon this complete picture of science from 'top to bottom' as one of the lead writers of the 2016 Science Framework for California Public Schools. In 2018, he received CSUN's university-wide Distinguished Teaching award.

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