CSAP

CSAP is a standards-based assessment designed to provide information of student performance to schools, districts, educators, parents and the community. CSAP is used to determine the level at which Colorado students meet the Colorado Model Content Standards in the content areas that are assessed. The results can also be used to contribute to a body of evidence for students needing an Individualized Literacy Plan and assist teachers with targeting instruction towards the instructional needs of students. CSAP is developed collaboratively by the Colorado Department of Education, the Colorado teaching community and CTB/McGraw-Hill.


Content Standards and Assessment Frameworks
-- Essential Resources for CSAP you need to have

Colorado Model Content Standards
What: The content standards represent the fundamental knowledge and skills Coloradans expect that students should possess at various intervals as they move through their educational careers. These documents were developed with the help of thousands of Coloradans over the course of two years. The content standards form the basis for the standards-based education movement in Colorado.
Use: Teachers should use these to determine the broad knowledge and skills that they should be teaching to and that all students should be acquiring.

Suggested Grade Level Expectations
The expectations are derived from the Colorado Model Content Standards. They help define what could be expected of students at each grade level as opposed to grade ranges such as K-4 (which is how the content standards are structured). They were not as extensively reviewed as the Colorado Model Content Standards, and they were not developed to inform test construction.
Use: Teachers should use these to determine the specific knowledge and skills that may be appropriate for each grade level.

Assessment Frameworks
What: The assessment frameworks are derived from the Colorado Model Content Standards. They serve as a guide for test construction, i.e., they define the knowledge and skills that will be assessed by the different grade level CSAPs. Thus, although all standards are taught, the frameworks specify the standards and benchmarks that can be assessed through a large-scale assessment such as the CSAP.
Use: Teachers should review these to determine the skills and knowledge that could be assessed on the CSAP test for each grade level.

Item Maps
What: The item maps are tables that identify and link characteristics of the CSAP assessment items. For each item, the item map indicates its difficulty, type (multiple-choice or constructed-response), total points possible, whether it’s a released item, and its associated scale score, standard, subcontent area, and skill area.
Use: Teachers should review these to identify the skills and concepts that are assessed on a given CSAP in a given year.

Released Items
What: Every year, approximately 25% of the items on each CSAP are released to the general public. Released items include both multiple-
choice and constructed-response items.
Use: Teachers should review these to get an idea for the type of questions students are asked, the difficulty level of questions, the required reading level of the test, and the format of test questions. Teachers may also administer the items to their students for practice.

Editing Tasks
What: A special kind of released item.
Use: Teachers should review these to get an idea of the types of editing tasks students are required to do. Teachers may also administer these tasks to their students for practice.

Guide to Test Interpretation
What: This document provides an overview of how to interpret and use CSAP results, a copy of the performance level descriptions, Colorado Content Model Standards, and sample CSAP reports.
Use: Teachers should use this to get a thorough overview of the CSAP and how to use the results.


CSAP Administration Information

CSAP Accomodations


Suggestions or Comments?

updated April 6, 2006