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Expiration Rules for CAASPP and ELPAC

Once a student first logs on to an assessment, test, performance task, computer adaptive test, or ELPAC domain, a calendar-day countdown begins. Planning around weekends, holidays, absences, and the local testing window helps prevent an unfinished test from expiring.

The rule that causes the most confusion

Day 1 is the calendar date on which the student first enters that test component. Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, spring break, and other noninstructional days all count.

A student may test through the end of the business day on the expiration date. However, the usable deadline is always the earlier of the component's expiration date or the end of the applicable LEA or statewide testing window.

Availability by assessment

15 calendar days

  • Smarter Balanced ELA performance task (PT)
  • Smarter Balanced mathematics performance task (PT)

20 calendar days

  • Summative ELPAC Speaking domain
  • Summative ELPAC Writing domain

30 calendar days

  • Initial ELPAC: each applicable domain
  • Initial Alternate ELPAC

45 calendar days

  • Smarter Balanced ELA and mathematics CATs
  • California Science Test (CAST)
  • California Alternate Assessments (CAAs) for ELA, mathematics, and each attempted CAA for Science embedded PT
  • California Spanish Assessment (CSA)
  • Summative ELPAC Listening and Reading domains

Available through the testing window

Summative Alternate ELPAC test opportunities expire at the end of the applicable testing window rather than after a fixed 15-, 20-, 30-, or 45-day period.

How to calculate the deadline

Expiration date = first logon date + availability period - 1 day

Example: A 15-day PT first opened on March 1 has March 15 as Day 15. March 16 is too late unless an approved reopening has occurred and the testing window remains open.

Real-world scheduling examples

The dates below are hypothetical. They demonstrate the counting rules; they are not an LEA testing calendar.

Student and schedule Calculated deadline Result Why
Maya: ELA PT
Starts Monday, March 1. Returns March 12 after several absences and submits.		 Monday, March 15 Satisfies March 12 is Day 12, within the 15-day period.
Andre: mathematics PT
Starts Monday, March 1. The class plans to finish Tuesday, March 16.		 Monday, March 15 Does not satisfy March 16 is Day 16. The test has already expired.
Sofia: PT across spring break
Starts Monday, March 22. School is closed March 27 through April 4. She submits Monday, April 5.		 Monday, April 5 Satisfies, but risky Spring-break days count. April 5 is Day 15 and therefore the final available day.
Jamal: Summative ELPAC Speaking
First enters Speaking on Monday, March 1 and finishes Friday, March 19.		 Saturday, March 20 Satisfies He finishes on Day 19, within the 20-day Speaking period.
Elena: Initial ELPAC Reading
Starts Monday, March 1 and is scheduled to resume Wednesday, March 31.		 Tuesday, March 30 Does not satisfy March 31 is Day 31. The 30-day opportunity has expired.
Noah: CAST
Starts Monday, March 1 and submits Wednesday, April 14.		 Wednesday, April 14 Satisfies, final day April 14 is Day 45. Testing is permitted through the end of the business day.
Priya: ELA CAT with an earlier LEA deadline
Starts March 1. The 45-day date is April 14, but her LEA testing window closes April 9. She is scheduled for April 12.		 Friday, April 9 Does not satisfy The LEA window ends before Day 45 and becomes the controlling deadline.
Luis: different ELPAC domain start dates
Listening begins March 1; Speaking begins March 15; Writing has not yet been opened.		 Listening: April 14
Speaking: April 3
Writing: no countdown yet		 Separate clocks Each domain's countdown begins with its own first logon. Starting one domain does not start every domain.
Aaliyah: Summative ELPAC Writing near window close
Starts May 20. Twenty days would extend into June, but the testing window closes May 31. She returns June 1.		 Monday, May 31 Does not satisfy The testing window closes first. A test cannot remain available beyond that window.

Initial ELPAC has two different 30-day concepts

The 30-day test-opportunity expiration begins when the student first logs on to an applicable domain. It should not be confused with California's separate timeline for completing initial identification testing and notifying the parent or guardian after first enrollment in a California public school. Local scheduling must satisfy both requirements.

If a test expires

  1. Notify the site coordinator or LEA CAASPP/ELPAC coordinator promptly.
  2. The coordinator determines whether a Security and Test Administration Incident Reporting System (STAIRS) case and an applicable Appeal should be submitted.
  3. Allow time for review, processing, and completion before the testing window ends.
  4. Do not promise that the test will be reopened. Approval and available time depend on the circumstances and current program rules.

No test can be reopened after the applicable testing window has closed.

Official resources

This article is a scheduling aid, not a substitute for the current test-administration manuals, Directions for Administration, or official expiration guidance. Confirm the dates of the applicable LEA and statewide testing windows before scheduling. Reviewed August 4, 2026.