Study Guide
Program and Test Information
The Core Academic Skills Assessment (CASA) is a customized assessment designed to measure a candidate's knowledge and skills in reading, writing, and mathematics in relation to the REPA Indiana Educator Standards.
About the Test
CASA is criterion referenced and standards based. A criterion-referenced test is designed to measure a candidate's knowledge and skills in relation to an established standard of performance (a criterion), rather than in relation to the performance of other candidates.
CASA is internet-based. The subtests include multiple-choice questions, and the CASA—Writing subtest also includes a constructed-response assignment. The available testing time varies by subtest. There is a
The Test Development Process
Creating a program is a complex process. The major steps in the development process for CASA and the retired CORE Developmental and Content Area Licensure assessments are outlined below.
| Task | Description |
|---|---|
| Develop Test Items | Test items were developed to assess the content defined by the assessment blueprints/frameworks. Content specialists, item development specialists, content and bias reviewers, and psychometricians were involved in developing test items for the Indiana CORE Assessments for Educator Licensure program. |
| Review and Validate Test Content | Committees of Indiana educators and educator preparation program faculty were convened to review and revise the test items as needed. Items were reviewed by a Fairness Review Committee and a Content Advisory Committee. The Fairness Review Committee reviewed test items for potential bias and inclusion of diversity. The Content Advisory Committee reviewed and revised items, if needed, to ensure that they are accurate, appropriate, free from bias, and job-related. Items approved by the review committees were validated by Indiana teachers and teacher educators. |
| Pilot Test Items | Reviewed and validated test items were pilot tested to determine if they had acceptable statistical and qualitative characteristics to include on operational test forms. |
| Set Passing Scores | A committee of Indiana educators and educator preparation program faculty were convened for each test to make recommendations that were used to establish the passing score for each test. The final passing scores was determined by the Indiana State Board of Education. |