NYU Steinhardt School of Education
Policy Breakfast
February 22, 2013
Assessment of
Common Core State Standards
Next Generation Assessments: The U.S. Department of Education
has funded two consortia of states with development grants for
new assessments aligned to the Common Core State Standards
• Rigorous assessment of progress toward “college and career readiness”
• Common cut scores across all Consortium states
• Provide both achievement and growth information
• Valid, reliable, and fair for all students, except those with significant
cognitive disabilities
• Administer online
• Use multiple measures
• Operational in 2014-15 school year
Source: Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 68 / Friday, April 9, 2010 pp. 18171-85
Partnership for Assessment of Readiness
for College and Careers (PARCC)
• 19 governing states and 3 participating states that collectively educate
about 24 million students
• Build a pathway to college and career readiness by end of high school
• ELA and math tests in grades 3 to 8 and high school assessing CCSS
• Assessment blueprint aligned to Model Content Frameworks
• Computer delivery; use technology to increase student access and
engagement
• Develop and adopt a common set of performance standards; scoring
rubrics will be comparable across all states
• Build capacity in states through leadership teams, teacher cadres
• Field testing begins – spring 2013; full scale field testing in spring 2014
• Full operational administration – spring 2015; achievement levels including
college ready performance will be set after first administration
Goals of the PARCC System
1. Create high-quality assessments
2. Build a pathway to college and career
readiness for all students
3. Support educators in the classroom
4. Develop 21st century, technology-based
assessments
5. Advance accountability at all levels
6. Build an assessment that is sustainable and
affordable
PARCC: Claims Driving ELA Design
Students are on-track or ready for college and careers
Students read and comprehend a
range of sufficiently complex
texts independently
Reading
Literature
Reading
Informationa
l Text
Vocabulary
Interpretatio
n and Use
Students write
effectively when
using and/or analyzing
sources.
Written
Expressio
n
Conventions
and
Knowledge
of Language
Students
build and
present
knowledge
through
research and
the
integration,
comparison,
and synthesis
of ideas.
PARCC: Claims Driving Math Design
Students are on-track or ready for college and careers
Students solve
problems involving the
major content* for
their grade level with
connections to
practices
Students solve
problems involving the
additional and
supporting content*
for their grade level
with connections to
practices
Students solve real
world problems
engaging particularly in
the modeling practice
*See PARCC Model Content Frameworks for details
Students express
mathematical
reasoning by
constructing
mathematical
arguments and
critiques
Student demonstrate
fluency in areas set forth
in the Standards for
Content in grades 3-6
5 Components of the PARCC Assessment System
#1 Diagnostic assessment – (optional) computer based items to pinpoint
strengths and weaknesses for that grade’s standards; bank of PBAs with
samples scored; online PD for teachers; flexible timing of administration
#2 Mid-year assessment – (optional) primarily rich PBA tasks designed to
inform curriculum, instruction and PD; preview those in #3; flexible
administration
#3 Performance based assessment –focus on hard-to-measure standards;
short, medium and extended tasks including computer-enhanced
simulations; administered as close to end of year as possible; mix of
human and computer scoring; results expected within 2 weeks of
completion; results combined with EOY to determine summative score
#4 End of year comprehensive assessment – in combination with PBA,
assess all grade level standards; online during last few weeks of school
year; range of innovative item types entirely computer scored; scale score
within one week of administration
#5 Speaking/Listening assessment – required but not used for summative;
scored by teachers using standardized rubric
ELA Item Prototypes
Grade 6: Narrative writing
Part A Question: What does the word “regal”
mean as it is used in the passage?
a. generous
b. threatening
c. kingly*
Grade 10: Prose constructed response
Use what you have learned from reading "“
Daedalus
and Icarus"”by Ovid and “
"To a Friend Whose Work
Has Come to Triumph"”by Anne Sexton to write an
essay that provides an analysis of how Sexton
transforms “
Daedalus and Icarus.”
d. Uninterested
Part B Question: Which of the phrases from
the passage best helps the reader understand
the meaning of “regal?”
As a starting point, you may want to consider
what is emphasized, absent, or different in the
two texts, but feel free to develop your own focus
for analysis.
a. “wagging their tails as they awoke”
b. “the wolves, who were shy”
c. “their sounds and movements expressed
goodwill”
d. “with his head high and his chest out”*
http://parcconline.org/samples/item-task-prototypes
Develop your essay by providing textual evidence
from both texts. Be sure to follow the conventions
of standard English.
Word document is used for the response.
Math Sample Items
Grade 3: Mathematics Fluency
Click on all of the equations that are true:
o 8 x 9 = 81
o 54 ÷ 9 = 24 ÷ 6
o 7 x 5 = 25
o8x3=4x6
o 49 ÷ 7 = 56 ÷ 8
High School (Seeing Structure in an Equation)
It is given that:
24 10x  x 2  p  (x  5) 2
Find the value of P .
When you are finished, enter your answer below. P =

http://parcconline.org/samples/item-task-prototypes
Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium
(SBAC)
• 21 governing states and 3 advisory states that collectively educate
about 40% of the nation’s students
• Build a pathway to college and career readiness by end of high school
• ELA and math tests in grades 3 to 8 and grade 11 assessing CCSS
• Standardized and customized reporting on an interactive platform for
accountability including growth
• Build capacity in states through multi-state collaborative with CCSSO; train
educators to write and review items; state teacher cadres
• Design curriculum materials aligned to learning progressions using content
experts collaborating with professional organizations, universities
and non-profits for the Digital Library
• Pilot testing in sample of schools – spring 2013; full scale field testing in
March 2014
• Preliminary standards setting – August 2014; Fully operational summative
assessment – 2015
Goals of the SBAC System
1. Strategically balance summative, interim and formative
assessments through an integrated system of standards,
curriculum, assessment, instruction and teacher
development
2. Align to the Common Core State Standards and researchbased learning progressions
3. Students leave high school prepared for postsecondary
success in college and career through increased student
learning and improved teaching
4. Leverage technology using adaptive testing, technology
enhanced items, teacher online access to resources and
instructional tools
SBAC: Content Claims for ELA/Literacy
Students are on-track or ready for college and careers
Students can read
closely and analytically
to comprehend a range
of increasingly
complex literary and
informational texts
Students can produce
effective and wellgrounded writing for a
range of purposes and
audiences
Students can engage in
research and inquiry to
investigate topics, and to
analyze, integrate and
present information
Students can employ
effective speaking and
listening skills for a
range of purposes and
audiences
Claims for grades 3-8 are
delineated into four
content achievement
level descriptors and
claims for HS are
delineated into four
policy achievement level
descriptors.
SBAC: Content Claims for Math
Students are on-track or ready for college and careers
Students can explain
and apply
mathematical concepts
and carry out
mathematical
procedures with
precision and fluency
Students can solve a
range of complex, wellposed problems in pure
and applied mathematics,
making productive use of
knowledge and problemsolving strategies
Students can analyze
complex, real-world
scenarios and can construct
and use mathematical
models to interpret and
solve problems
Students can clearly
and precisely construct
viable arguments to
support their own
reasoning and to
critique the reasoning
of others
Claims for grades 3-8
are delineated into four
content achievement
level descriptors and
claims for HS are
delineated into four
policy achievement
level descriptors.
Components of the SBAC Assessment System
• Summative assessments – taken during final 12 weeks of the SY; two
major components: performance tasks and comprehensive
end-of-year computer adaptive test
• Performance tasks – delivered on computer; evaluate difficult to
assess standards; organized around real-world scenarios and
complex tasks; could include production of an extended
response; results within two weeks after test is completed
• Computer adaptive assessment – 40-65 questions in each content
area; selected-response, constructed response, and
technology-enhanced items; most will be immediately
scored; includes a retake option as determined locally
• Optional interim assessments – computer adaptive mirroring those
on the summative including performance tasks; open item
bank; provide teachers with instructionally useful
information; resources
• Formative exemplars – 3 modules for each grade in each content
area; address learning progressions and include formative
tasks, scoring rubrics and student work samples
ELA Sample Items
Grades 3-5:
Read the sentences from the passage. Then answer the question.
“My grandma pulled the ball out, unwrapped it, and held it out for us to see. The ball was
scarred almost beyond recognition. It had dog bite marks, dirt scuffs, and fraying seams.
Right in the middle was a big signature in black ink that I had somehow overlooked. It was
smudged now and faded, but it still clearly said ‘Babe Ruth.’ I began to shake inside.”
Click on two phrases from the paragraph that help you understand the meaning of scarred.
High school:
Read this sentence from the passage.
“Besides being beautiful to contemplate, space diamonds teach us important lessons about
natural processes going on in the universe, and suggest new ways that diamonds can be
created here on Earth.”
Explain how information learned from space diamonds can help scientists make diamonds on
Earth. Use evidence from the passage to support your answer.
Type your answer in the space provided.
http://sampleitems.smarterbalanced.org/itempreview/sbac/ELA.htm
Math Sample Items
Grades 3-5: Problem-solving fractions
Five friends ordered 3 large sandwiches.
James ate 3/4 of a sandwich.
Kate ate 1/4 of a sandwich.
Ramon ate 3/4 of a sandwich.
Sienna ate 2/4 of a sandwich.
How much sandwich is left for Oscar? Answer is a grid-in.
Grades 6-8: Expressions and Equations 1
Look at each expression. Is it equivalent
to 36x + 24y?
Select Yes or No for expressions A – C.
A.
6(6x + 4y)
yes
B. 30(6x – 6y)
yes
C. 12(x + 2y + 2x) yes
http://sampleitems.smarterbalanced.org/itempreview/sbac/index.htm#
no
no
no
Common Work of PARCC and SBAC
• Collaboration with higher education
• Teacher engagement
• Library of resources for educators
• Evidence-centered design
• Universal design
• Attention to accessibility, sensitivity and bias
• Technology needs and assessment
• Comparability of results
They are not in competition with one another; they are working
together to create a 21st century assessment system that provides
greater educational value and better measures the knowledge
and skills needed for success in college and careers.