Edmonds School District
Spring 2014
3/18/14
Description of the Smarter Balanced
Assessment
SBA is an online test with two main segments:
 Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) *
o Multiple Choice
o Short Answer
o Can be given in 1 or 2 days, depending on students’ age/needs
 Performance Task (PT) with:
o A 30-minute Classroom Activity (a non-scored activity that sets
the context for the Performance Task)
o A Performance Task (Math -- one section; ELA -- two sections)
o All parts can be completed in 1 to 3 days, depending on
subject, and students’ age and/or needs
It does not matter if students take the CAT before or after the PT.
* The Field Test will not use the adaptive capability - students will receive a fixed set
of test questions – students will not all see the same items.
New Terminology
Term
Description
CAT
Computer Adaptive Test. A test where the computer selects the next question based on
how the student responded to the prior question. The FIELD TEST will not have this
capability, but it will be in place by Spring 2015. We will use “CAT” or “NonPerformance Task” to refer to the first part of the SBA test.
BOTSS
Building Online Testing Support Specialist. Extra staff member hired for each school
to support and trouble-shoot online testing.
Performance
Task (PT)
This part of the SBA includes a Classroom Activity (not online/not scored) which
prepares students for the actual Performance Task. It is followed (usually on a
separate day) by a 1-part (for Math) or 2-part (for ELA) assessment.
SBAC
Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium - refers to the group of states participating.
(SBA by itself refers to the test.)
Secure
Browser
A specific internet browser that links directly to the SBA test and prevents students
from accessing other applications or surfing the net during testing. Do not load the
browser yourself on district computers; tech staff will do this.
TA Interface
Test Administration Interface. The software application the proctor uses to give
students permission to start testing and to track student progress through the test.
TIDE
Test Information Distribution Engine. The administrative portion of the SBA system
where students are added, accommodations coded, testing groups set up, and more.
Purpose of the Smarter Balanced
Assessment Field Test
 To provide an opportunity for students to interact with the
new, innovative test items on the Smarter Balanced
Assessment (SBA), which will be operational in Spring 2015.
 For SBAC to gather data on about 22,000 items in order to
create a valid and reliable test for 2015.
 For OSPI to gather information about implementing this
online testing system for the 2015 operational
administration.
 To help us, as a district, prepare for the operational SBA.
The Smarter Balanced Assessment
Field Test
 No scores will be generated from the Field Test.
 Remember that this is a “Field Test.” It’s a learning
experience with essentially no negative consequences if
problems are encountered.
 However, we should approach the test seriously so the results
will be valid, since the results will be used to evaluate test
items for use in the operational test and to set cut scores for
meeting standard on the operational test.
 We must provide the same level of security as with an
operational test, since any of these items may be used in the
future operational versions of the test.
SBA Messages to Students
o It is important for students who are taking
the SBA field test to understand why it is
important for them to try their best.
o Your principal and BTC have a handout
with the messages to be given to students.
o Work together to develop a communications
plan that will ensure that all SBA students
receive and understand this message.
Student Training Materials
Purpose:
 Universal Tools Training Module – explanation of the tools
that are available
 Training Test – to learn to navigate and use the tools
 Practice Test -- to emulate the size of a CAT
 Practice Performance Tasks – to emulate Section 1 of an
actual PT
Students will
login as
“Guests” so
will not
require a user
ID or
password.
Student Training Materials
 The Let’s Talk Universal Tools (14 minutes) Training Module is
required as preparation for taking students through the Training
Test.
 The Training Test is required of all students prior to taking the
SBA Field Test.
The Let’s Talk Universal Tools training module is a narrated walk-through
of all the Universal Tools available for SBA.
It can be presented to your classroom as a whole, after which students can
log into the Training Test and practice those tools.
Let’s Talk Universal Tools is located on the SBAC
portal at: http://sbac.portal.airast.org/fieldtest/resources.
Then go to the Training Modules section of that page
to select this module.
Practice and Training Tests
Practice and Training Tests are available to allow students and staff
members to become familiar with the format and functionality of
the SBA test prior to testing.
Each grade level has:
• Training Test for ELA – by grade band (about 6 – 8 items)
• Training Test for Math – by grade band (about 6 – 8 items)
• Practice Test – ELA (about 25 items)
• Practice Test -- Math (about 25 items)
• Practice ELA Performance Task (about 3-4 questions)
• Practice Math Performance Task (about 3-4 questions)
Proctors should go through the
Training Tests themselves prior to
taking students through them and prior
to administering the test.
Teachers should use the Practice Tests
as an instructional tool.
Practice and Training Tests
Access from PC/Laptop
From a web browser using Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer 10, or
Safari, you can access the link to the Practice and Training Tests as
follows:
• SBAC Portal http://sbac.portal.airast.org
• Student Interface Practice and Training Tests (Green box)
From the SBAC Portal,
on the next screen scroll
to the bottom of the page
and select this icon.
The Practice and Training Tests will also be available on the SBAC Secure
Browser, once the district Tech staff have installed that on school
computers.
Practice and Training Tests
Access from a Chromebook
If administering the Training Test from a Chromebook it is through
the same “app” as will be used for the actual test.
Instead of using
the login box,
select
AirSecureTest
from the app
menu at the
bottom
Once you select the app, you will have to select state (WA) and then
the Smarter Balanced Field Test.
The Practice and Training Test option is then available to you.
A Tip About Training Tests
In the Training Test, there is an icon which, if selected, plays a short
instructional piece for the student about the type of test question (no audio).
Select this icon and
some instructions
about this type of
test question are
given
One Last Training Test Tip
In case this is not mentioned elsewhere – here is an important thing to
remember about all SBA tests.
Students MUST answer each test question in order to move to the next page
of the test.
While doing the Training test, if the student does not know an answer, they
should enter something in order to move on and to flag the item for review,
as practice for flagging items on the actual test in a similar situation.
Practice Tests
Practice Tests are recommended, and can be given any time of the year.
The Actual
Field Test
Directions for Administration
The DFA is embedded within the Online Field Test
Administration Manual (TAM) pages 42-50.
It contains a script for walking students through the login
process. USE THE SCRIPT.
Proctors will be given a printed copy of these pages.
The District will not be distributing full copies of the TAM, but
it is readily available online from the SBA Portal/Resources and
Documentation webpage:
http://sbac.portal.airast.org/field-test/resources
Directions for the Performance Task
Instructions about how to administer the
Performance Task are in the DFA.
Teachers might consider having students who
have difficulty keyboarding do their long
responses for the PTs on scratch paper and then
entering them on the computer.
The Building Test Coordinators already have the
links to the Classroom Activities that the proctors
will be using as the first step of each PT.
This information is found on the SBAC Field
Test Portal:
http://sbac.portal.airast.org/field-test
Test Materials - Scratch Paper
Scratch paper is allowed for all SBA tests.
• For ELA, this can be plain or lined paper.
• For Math grade 6 and up, graph paper is required.
For Math and ELA Performance Tasks, if students are taking the
PT in more than one session, have them put their names on their
scratch paper, collect it and securely store it at the end of each
session, and give back to students at the next PT session.
Once each test section is complete (CAT or PT), collect and
destroy the scratch paper (your school shredding bin is fine).
Test Materials –
Dictionary/Thesaurus
On the essay portion (Section 2) of the ELA
Performance Task, provide:
• English Dictionary and/or Thesaurus for all
students
• A bilingual dual language word-to-word Dictionary
for ELL Students
Classroom Setup
Similar to rules for MSP, HSPE and EOC:
 Remove or cover all information displayed
on bulletin boards, chalkboards, or charts
(e.g., wall charts that contain literary
definitions, maps, etc.) that might help
students answer questions.
 Use visual barriers or adequate spacing
between students.
 Students should be seated so there is
enough space between them to not view
each other’s computer screens.
The Test Administration Interface
The Application to be Used by Proctors
You will need to use the TA (Test Administration) Interface program,
accessed online from the SBAC Portal, to administer a test session.
Go to: http://sbac.portal.airast.org
The Test Administration Interface
The TA (Test Administration) Interface allows proctors to:
o Select which test is being administered
• This starts a session and generates a Session ID that students need as
part of their login process. Write the Session ID on the board.
o Give students permission to start the test.
o Monitor student progress.
• The system will report how many test questions have been
“delivered” to each student; ex: 24/35
o View student information from TIDE, including what
accommodations have been designated for the student.
o Pause an individual student’s test.
o Stop the test session for all students.
• Warning: If you stop the test session for all students, you
will need to start a new session and to generate a new
Session ID for students to log back in to finish the test.
The Test Administration Interface
Once you are able to access the TA Interface, PLEASE do
not attempt to use the TA Interface for practice.
Do not create any test sessions until told to do so by your
building Test Coordinator!
Access to the TA Interface
http://sbac.portal.airast.org/field-test
Access to TA
Interface for
Proctors
(Gray means
program is
not active
yet.)
Access to
Manuals and
Training
Modules
Access to the TA Interface
http://sbac.portal.airast.org/field-test
• At least one Proctor in each test room will need access to the TA
Interface.
• To access the TA Interface, proctors first need to be set up as Test
Administrators in TIDE. (Your school’s BOTSS will do setup.)
• When you have been set up as a user in TIDE, you will receive an
automated e-mail with a temporary password and a link to the
login page.
• You must then log into the system and select a new password and
a security question.
• Your User ID is your district e-mail address:
xxx@edmonds.wednet.edu
The TA Interface Program
At this time, we will view the
15-minute SBAC
TA Interface Training Module:
SBAC Portal:
http://sbac.portal.airast.org/wpcontent/uploads/presentations/tainterface
Note to Proctor Training Presenter:
To start the presentation, click on link, skip “Introduction”
and “Navigation” sections. Start with “Objectives.”
Also skip “Print on Demand” and “Thank You” sections.
Starting a Test Session
Summary -- Sequence of Steps
1. Click the appropriate check box(es) for the test(s) you are
administering in that session.
2. Click Start Session.
3. The system will give you a session ID. Write this on the board.
4. Have students log in using the session ID you wrote on the
board, along with the other info on their Test Ticket.
5. Once students log in, their names will appear on your student
list in TA Interface.
6. To approve students to start testing, click the Approvals button
on the Approvals screen.
Note: If any students log in AFTER you have gone to this screen, click
Refresh to include them on the list.
TA Interface
Important points to remember:
Do not navigate away from or log out of the TA Interface
during testing:
• It would cause all active tests to be paused.
• If you need to do other tasks requiring a web browser, please
open a new browser window.
If you must Stop a Test Session (say the building’s fire alarms
go off and you have to evacuate), you will need to:
• start a new test session, which will
• generate a new Session ID which the students will need to
log back in again.
Test Tickets for Students
The Test Ticket format looks like this.
The arrows show you the three pieces of information students
will need for log in.
Test Ticket SBA Field Test
Grade: 07
ELA
Note that for
SBA, the SSID is
School: Edmonds Middle School
expanded to
CDS: 31015-1111
Birthdate: 01/01/2000include “WA-”
ELA Group Name: Johnson
plus the school
4-digit state
Student Name: SMITH, JANE
code.
SSID:
WA-11119993274633
District: Edmonds SD
Confirmation Code:
Session ID:
Student Signature:
JANE
Confirmation code is
______________________
usually student’s first
name and will be the
______________________
same on both ELA and
Math.
Test Ticket SBA Field Test
Grade: 07
ELA
District: Edmonds SD
School: Edmonds Middle School
CDS: 31015-1111
Birthdate:
01/01/2000
ELA Group Name: Johnson
Student Name: SMITH, JANE
SSID:
WA-11119993274633
Confirmation Code:
JANE
Session ID:
___________________
Student Signature:
___________________
Possible Log-In Errors
Remember:
Session ID
is not casesensitive.
Test Tickets
Schools will receive two test tickets for each student:
one ELA ticket and one Math ticket.
Because each subject test has multiple sections (CAT/NonPerformance Task plus one or more sections for the PT), each test
ticket must be re-used for subsequent sessions of that subject test.
Since there is only one signature line on each test ticket, students
should sign the test ticket the first time they log into the system for
that subject (ELA or Math).
For subsequent test sessions within that subject, teachers need to
make sure each student receives their own test ticket.
Once students have logged in….
Follow-up screen 1: Is this You?
A copy of the login screen is displayed with their confirmation
code, school, and grade level; students are asked to verify the
info and click “Yes” if it is correct.
A “No” answer will re-direct them to the login page.
For the Field Test, a student might need to say “No” to this
question if their grade level is incorrect.
If grade level is incorrect, it
must be corrected in TIDE
before student can test.
Once they have logged in….
Follow-up screen 2: Your Tests
A list of tests the student is eligible to take (according to their
grade level) is displayed; but only those tests the proctor has
included in this test session that have not yet been completed
can be selected.
Once students have selected the test, the Proctor must approve
the students’ login requests within the TA Interface.
Student sees this while
waiting for approval.
Once they are approved….
Follow-up screen 3: Is this Your Test?
Student clicks on “Yes, Start My Test” to launch the test.
The selections shown here are standard. But if students were assigned
accommodations in TIDE, they might appear differently (such as Language:
Spanish might appear for an ELL Spanish-speaking student taking the Math
SBA).
If taking a test that requires audio
Follow-up screen 4: Do you hear the voice?
An audio check where students verify they can hear the audio
and have a chance to adjust the sound.
Last screen before test starts
Finally, the last thing students see before starting the test:
The Help Screen
These same instructions are available within each test.
Pause Test Rule (CAT only)
Students may pause tests themselves by clicking on the Pause button.
Proctors can also Pause tests via the TA Interface.
Pause that lasts less than 20
minutes
Pause that lasts more than 20 minutes
Student may return to review
all previously answered
questions.
On the CAT portion of test only, a Pause
lasting MORE than 20 minutes will return
them to the most recent page with unanswered
test questions, but they will not be allowed to
return to previous pages. Remind students to
review their work before a long break.
Student must log back into the test using the original Session ID.
Any highlighted text and notes
on the digital notepad will
NOT be saved. Students can
make notes on scratch paper.
Any highlighted text, notes on the digital
notepad, or items marked for review on the
CAT/non PT will NOT be saved.
Use Pause when students will finish testing at a later date or time.
Test Segments
Each test is divided into two or more segments.
(This is not the same as a test SESSION, which refers to what students
complete in one sitting.)
A student may not return to a segment once it is completed and submitted,
even if the segments are within the same session.
Below is from the Field Test User Guide, page 13:
Are Student Responses
Immediately Saved?
Student responses are saved each time
students answer a question.
However it is recommended that students
press the SAVE button periodically when
typing a long response, such as on the
Performance Task.
Test Timeout
After 20 minutes of inactivity a pop-up warning will appear
that the student must respond to within 30 seconds or they
will be logged out and their test will paused.
“Inactivity” means student has not selected answers or used a
navigation tool (just clicking on the page somewhere does not
count as activity).
This timeout does not apply to the Performance Task.
End of Test
The End Test button appears on the screen when the student
has selected a response to every test question on the test.
If students click on the End Test button, another screen will
appear allowing them to go back and review their answers.
If students then choose to Submit the test – they will get one
more warning screen, allowing them to return to the test
before finally ending the test.
If the student exceeds the 20 minute pause limit at any time
during the CAT test, at the end of testing they will not be able to
review the responses completed prior to the pause.
Accommodations
SBA has three categories of accommodations:
• Universal Tools – for all students
• Designated Supports – can be used for any student,
but must be approved by an adult at the school;
includes what we typically think of for ELL students
• Accommodations – for IEP/504 students
Within each category, there are two types:
 Embedded within the online system
 Non-embedded – provided outside the online system
IEP/504/ELL Accommodations embedded within the testing software
are selected for individual students by coding them in TIDE.
Accommodations
Accommodations
Embedded Universal
Tools include:
• Highlighter
• Calculator
• Notepad
• Math Tools
• Mark for Review
• Strikethrough
• Zoom
• English dictionary
• Spell Check
Embedded Designated
Supports and
Accommodations include:
• Color Contrast
• Masking
• Print Size
• Translated Glossary
• ASL
• Closed Captioning
• Text-to-Speech
• Spanish translation for
Math for ELL
Accommodations Training Module
http://sbac.portal.airast.org/field-test/resources
We highly recommend that Learning Support teachers and
Test Coordinators review this video training module that
describes Accommodations.
 Accessibility and Accommodations (35 minutes)
• Explains the differences between Universal Tools, Designated
Supports, and Accommodations – those embedded within the
software versus those outside the system.
• Briefly covers how to view accommodations that have been assigned
in TIDE (but not how to assign accommodations within the system).
Test Security
All the same security measures we use for MSP, HSPE, and
EOC apply to SBA.
 Student test tickets must be locked up when not in use.
 Verify student ID when distributing test tickets (through
personal recognition or student photo ID).
Gump, Forrest
Grade 11
Edmonds-Woodway HS
 If student moves to a different location, a STAFF member
must carry (by hand or cart) the student’s computer.
 Make sure you can account for all test tickets at all times.
Pick up all test tickets as soon as students begin testing (in the
order that students are sitting) and redistribute if students
need to log back in.
Test Security
 Proctors should not read test questions or
student responses unless necessary for
administering the test.
 If you do have access to test questions or
student responses, do not copy them or
communicate them to others, unless
necessary for administering the test.
 Staff and students: make sure all cell phones
are turned off before starting test (important
for bandwidth as well as security).
 Student backpacks, books, purses, cell
phones, IPOD’s, and MP3 players must be out
of reach of students until testing is complete.
After Testing
After the Field Test, students will be directed to an Online
Survey (generated by our district).
Proctors should give any feedback about the Field Test to
their Test Coordinator.
Proctors should shred any scratch paper, paper handouts,
or print-on-demand documents students had access to
during testing.
All Test Tickets must be collected and returned to the
District Assessment Office.
Irregularities
Report Irregularities promptly to your building Test
Coordinator as you would for MSP or HSPE/EOC.
(Document what occurred and allow students to continue testing, if
possible.)
Although no scores will be generated for the Field Test, any
irregularities that might affect the validity of students’
answers should be reported so that:
• We learn steps needed for dealing with irregularities.
• SBAC will know what student data might be invalid.
Resources - Manuals
 Online Field Test Administration Manual (TAM).
• Use this as your main resource.
• The “DFA” portion of the manual starts on page 42, with
directions and scripts for administering the SBA.
 Test Administrator User Guide.
• A main resource
 Usability, Accessibility, and Accommodations
Guidelines Manual.
• Focuses on universal tools, designated supports, and
accommodations for SBA.
These and more are available on SBAC Field Test website:
http://sbac.portal.airast.org/field-test/resources
Resources – Phone Numbers
Edmonds School District
District Technology
Help Desk = call SBA-0 (7220)
District Assessment Office
Nancy Katims = 7302
Kieran Edmundson = 7303
SBAC
SBAC Help Desk = 1-855-833-1969
BTCs and BOTSS have guidelines on when to call our own district Help
Desk and when to call the SBAC Help Desk.
If in doubt, use OUR Help Desk to be first line of defense…