A BALANCED APPROACH:
PREPARING FOR SMARTER BALANCED
ELA ASSESSMENTS
Ken Hermens, Oregon Department of Education
Regional ESD Workshops, Updated 2015
GETTING ACQUAINTED
What, in your experience, are the
valued learning outcomes in the
Common Core State Standards
(CCSS)?
What have you and your school site
done to transition to
the Common Core?
FOUR CORNERS
1. Common Core instructional shifts
2. Smarter Balanced in general
3. Smarter Balanced claims, targets, and
rubrics
4. Smarter Balanced performance tasks
HISTORY
o
o
o
o
State Board of Education adopts the Common
Core State Standards for ELA and Math in
October 2010
Standards reflect the expectations of college and
career readiness by the end of high school
Development led by CCSSO and NGA, included
teachers, parents, administrators, and content
experts from across the country
Smarter Balanced Assessment System adopted
by the State Board of Education in May 2013
SMARTER BALANCED MEMBERSHIP
MOVING FORWARD
2013-14
2014-15 and beyond
OAKS Reading and Writing
Smarter Balanced ELA
OAKS Math
Smarter Balanced Math
OAKS Science and Social
Sciences
OAKS Science and Social
Sciences
Extended Assessment
Extended Assessment
ELPA
ELPA
Kindergarten Assessment
Kindergarten Assessment
New Portal Address for OAKS: http://oaksportal.org
TESTING WINDOWS
Smarter Balanced Math
March 10th to June 12th**
Smarter Balanced ELA
March 10th to June 12th**
Science and Social Sciences
January 6th to May 28th
12th Grade Retest Math and
Reading
January 6th to May 28th
12th Grade Retest Writing
January 6th to March 13th
ELPA
January 6th to April 15th
Kindergarten Assessment
August 11th to October 23rd
**Testing shall not begin until at least 66% of a school’s annual
instructional days have been completed in grades 3-8, and 80% of
annual instructional days in High School
HOW DO THE CCSS DEFINE COLLEGE
AND CAREER READINESS?
The Common Core State Standards:
 Are aligned with college and career expectations
 Include rigorous content and application of
knowledge through higher order skills
 Build upon strengths and lessons of current state
standards
 Are informed by top-performing countries, so that
all students are prepared to succeed in our global
economy and society
 Are evidence- and/or research-based
HANDOUT: WHAT A COLLEGE-ANDCAREER-READY STUDENT LOOKS LIKE
Skim the handout on college and
career readiness. As you read, think
about:


the major shifts in instruction
the learning opportunities that
students will need in order to meet
these shifts
COLLEGE AND CAREER READY
They demonstrate independence
 They build strong content knowledge.
 They respond based on audience, task, purpose.
 They comprehend as well as critique.
 They value evidence.
 They use technology/digital media strategically
and capably.
 They understand other perspectives and cultures.

OREGON COMMON CORE SHIFTS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Increased reading of Informational Texts
Increased emphasis on Text Complexity
Academic Vocabulary
Text-based Answers
Increase of Writing from Sources
Literacy Instruction in all Content Areas
Oregon CCSS Toolkit
http://www.ode.state.or.us/go/CommonCore
Common Core State Standards—ELA & Literacy Resources
http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=3359
DEVELOPMENT TIMELINE
SMARTER BALANCED ASSESSMENTS
SMARTER BALANCED TEST DOCUMENTS

Test Blueprints
Number of items
 Score points (weighting)
 Depth of knowledge


Content Specifications
List of all Assessment Targets
 Identify which CCSS each Target assesses


Item Specifications
Broken out by grade level, Claim, and Target
 Contains Task Models
 Appropriate Stems

COMPONENTS OF THE SMARTER
BALANCED SUMMATIVE TEST
o
CAT Test (Computer Adaptive Test)
o
Item Types:
o
Selected Response (Multiple
Choice)
o
o
o
Technology-Enhanced/Enabled Items
Short Constructed Response
Performance Task
o
o
o
o
Two-day Event
Classroom Activity
Short Answer to provide scaffolding
Multiple Resources
http://www.smarterbalanced.org/smart
er-balanced-assessments/
SMARTER BALANCED TEST TIMES
SMARTER BALANCED ASSESSMENTS
The overall claim for grades 3-8:
“Students can demonstrate progress toward college
and career readiness in English language arts
and literacy.”
The overall claim for grade 11:
“Students can demonstrate college and career
readiness in English language arts and literacy.”
CLAIMS, TARGETS,
AND STANDARDS
3rd Grade ELA
Overall
Claim
Claim
Overall Claim: Students can
demonstrate progress toward college
and career readiness in English
language arts and literacy.
CLAIM 1: Students can read closely and analytically to
comprehend a range of increasingly complex literary and
informational texts.
Content
Category
Content Category
Reading: Literary Texts
Target
Target 1. KEY DETAILS: Use
explicit details and information
from the text to support
answers or basic inferences.
CCSS
3.RL.01 Ask and answer
questions to demonstrate
understanding of a text,
referring explicitly to the text
as the basis for the answers.
CCSS B
CCSS C
SMARTER BALANCED CLAIMS
Claim 1
Reading
Claim 2
Writing
Claim 3
Speaking &
Listening
Claim 4
Research
• Students can read closely and
analytically to comprehend a
range of increasingly complex
literary and informational texts.
• Students can produce effective
and well-grounded writing for a
range of purposes and audiences.
• Students can employ effective
speaking and listening skills for a
range of purposes and audiences.
• Students can engage in
research/inquiry to investigate
topics, and to analyze, integrate,
and present information.
SB ITEM SPECIFICATIONS
o
o
o
o
For each of the different Claims, Smarter
Balanced has developed assessment Targets
specifying the content of items that will be on the
summative assessments.
Targets are generally associated with one CCSS,
but some Targets address more than one
There are multiple models for each Target
Models are scenarios or descriptions of what an
item or activity might look like to assess any
given Target
SB TARGETS AND MODELS
Each Target has anywhere from two to six
potential models; these are identified on the Item
Specifications Tables
 The Models each indicate the assigned item type
(SR, CR, or TE) and DOK
 For each item, item writers choose ONE of the
Models and use the description provided to write
the type of item that has been identified.
 Generally, there is at least one Model for each
Target that addresses SR items and at least one
addressing CR items.

SAMPLE BLUEPRINT TABLE (GRADE 11)
TABLE ACTIVITY
Using the ELA Test Blueprints…
Familiarize yourself with the document
 Note where content categories are being
assessed: in the CAT portion, the PT portion, or
both
 Note the number and types of items for the
different claims
 What is DOK measuring?
 What is and is not measured in the PT?

TARGETS FOR CLAIM 1: READING
TARGETS FOR CLAIM 2: WRITING
TARGETS FOR CLAIM 3: LISTENING
TARGETS FOR CLAIM 4: RESEARCH
CLAIM #4—RESEARCH/INQUIRY
Why is a research claim called out
separately from reading and writing?
What is the purpose of this claim?
Discuss with your group.
SB WORD COUNTS AND LEXILE TARGETS
GRADE
WORD COUNT RANGE
(short text)
WORD COUNT RANGE
(long text)
3
200 – 487
488 – 650
4
450 – 562
563 – 750
5
450 – 562
563 – 750
6
650 – 712
713 – 950
7
650 – 712
713 – 950
8
650 – 712
713 – 950
11
800 – 825
826 – 1100
Grade
“Stretch” Lexile Band
3
420 – 820
4–5
740 – 1010
6–8
925 – 1185
9 – 10
1050 – 1335
11
1185 – 1385
SMARTER BALANCED ITEM TYPES
Selected
Response
•Assess a broad range of content.
•Scoring is objective, fast, and inexpensive to
score.
•Difficult to understand a student’s
reasoning process and to assess higherorder thinking skills.
Constructed
Response
•Require the student to generate a response
as opposed to selecting a response.
•Include both short and extended responses.
•Allow students to demonstrate their use of
complex thinking skills consistent with the
expectations for college and career
readiness.
Performance
Tasks
•Require students to demonstrate ability to
think and reason, and produce fully
developed products.
•Measure complex “assessment targets.”
•Provide evidence of college and career
readiness.
VARIATIONS ON SELECTED RESPONSE
 Multiple
Choice, single correct response
 Multiple Choice, multiple correct response
(4-8 options, 2-4 correct)
 Two-part Multiple Choice (Part A:
conclusion or inference, Part B: select
evidence)
 Hot Text, select text (“click on” number,
line, sentence, paragraph)
 Hot Text, re-order text (drag and drop)
 Matching Table
SAMPLE TWO-PART MULTIPLE CHOICE
Part A
Click on the statement that best describes what information in the first
paragraph of Pong reveals about the author’s point of view.
A.
B.
C.
D.
[The author appreciates advancements in technology.]
[The author celebrates the revolutionary nature of Pong.]
[The author prefers old style games like Pong over current video games.]
[The author questions the connection of current technology to technology of
the past.]
Part B
Click on the sentence from the text that best supports your answer in Part A.
[On any smartphone you pick up, you will find some kind of video game.]
[People have access to games so sophisticated that there are worldwide
competitions to determine the best players.] [Game design is so advanced that
the graphics look almost real.] [Long before any of this, however, people played
a low-tech game that sported paddles made of short lines on the edges of the
screen, a dotted centerline to mark opposing sides, and square dot designed to
act like a ball.] [That game was I.]
SAMPLE MATCHING TABLE
Click on the boxes to reflect which source, if either,
makes the following claims:
Argument/Claim
Source 1
Source 2
Both
Sources
Neither
Source
Roundabouts save
money




Roundabouts save
lives




Roundabouts reduce
accidents




Roundabouts are
popular with locals




Roundabouts harm
pedestrians




Roundabouts ease
traffic congestion




SAMPLE BRIEF RESPONSE READING ITEM
CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE

Brief Writes (both CAT and Performance
Assessment
Draft introductions, conclusions
 Add a topic sentence or descriptive detail
 Provide transitions, dialogue
 Revise to eliminate conventions errors

Full Writes (Performance Assessment)
 Short Text Constructed Response (CAT Test)

Identify themes, main ideas
 Analyze structures, characters
 Compare and contrast two versions

SMARTER BALANCED:
TRAINING AND PRACTICE TESTS
Training Test
Shorter Test
 Includes tutorials on item types
 Not intended to approximate content coverage
 Reflects full range of supports and tools

Practice Test
Somewhat longer than training test
 Shows more of the breadth of content
 Reflects full range of supports and tools

OREGON ACCESSIBILITY MANUAL
DETERMINING TEXT COMPLEXITY
Text complexity is determined by:
1. Quantitative measures – readability and
other scores of text complexity often best
measured by computer software.
2. Qualitative measures – levels of meaning,
structure, language conventionality and
clarity, and knowledge demands often best
measured by an attentive human reader.
3. Reader and Task considerations –
background knowledge of reader, motivation,
interests, and complexity generated by tasks
assigned often best made by educators
employing their professional judgment.
Reader and Task
DETERMINING TEXT COMPLEXITY
Step 1: Quantitative Measures
Reader and Task
Measures such as:
• Word length
• Word frequency
• Word difficulty
• Sentence length
• Text length
• Text cohesion
DETERMINING TEXT COMPLEXITY
Step 2: Qualitative Measures
Reader and Task
Measures such as:
• Levels of meaning
• Levels of purpose
• Structure
• Organization
• Language conventionality
• Language clarity
• Prior knowledge demands
DETERMINING TEXT COMPLEXITY
Step 3: Reader and Task
Reader and Task
Considerations such as:
• Motivation
• Knowledge and experience
• Purpose for reading
• Complexity of task
assigned regarding text
• Complexity of questions
asked regarding text
SMARTER BALANCED PERFORMANCE TASKS
o
o
o
Require student-initiated planning, management of
information and ideas, interaction with a variety of
other materials.
Require production of extended responses, such as
oral presentations, exhibitions, and other scorable
products, including more extended writing responses
which might be revised and edited.
Reflect a real-world task and/or scenario-based
problem; tasks are multi-stepped and allow for
reflection and revision.
SMARTER BALANCED PERFORMANCE TASKS
o
o
o
Allow for multiple approaches to developing and
organizing ideas
Measure capacities such as depth of
understanding, research skills, complex analysis,
and identification/providing of relevant evidence
Represent content that is relevant and
meaningful to students
TABLE ACTIVITY: PERFORMANCE TASKS
At your table, look at the Smarter Balanced
Performance Task packet, focusing on the one
most appropriate for your grade level
assignment.
 After, individual exploration, discuss as a group
what skills a student would need in order to
successfully complete a Performance Task.
 Select a recorder to capture the most critical
skills on chart pack.
 Report out to large group one or two skills you
identified.

SMARTER BALANCED PERFORMANCE TASKS
Part 1: Consulting Resources and Scaffolding
o Read/review/reflect upon resources related to the
central topic; sources represent a variety of
perspectives and viewpoints
o Students respond to several (usually 2 or 3)
scaffolding questions relating to the research
claim which can provide scaffolding for the
culminating essay or “full write.”
o If time, students begin planning/drafting of the
“full write” essay.
SMARTER BALANCED PERFORMANCE TASKS
Part 2: Final Essay or “Full Write”
o
o
o
Students have continued access to the source
materials through the writing process but NOT
to their responses to the research questions.
Although students are given a general topic or
theme, they develop their own thesis or topic
statement.
Essays should be multi-paragraph and draw
directly from at least two or more of the source
materials. Source attributions should be made
within the student work.
COMBINATION OF CLAIMS AND TARGETS
ASSESSED BY GRADE
Grades 3-5
Writing (Narrative, Informational/Explanatory, Opinion)
+ Research
+ Possibly Reading
Grades 6-8
Writing (Narrative, Informational/Explanatory, Argumentative)
+ Research
+ Possibly Reading
Grade 11
Writing (Informational/Explanatory, Argumentative)
+ Research
+ Possibly Reading
SMARTER BALANCED PERFORMANCE TASKS
Stimuli Used in a PT
Grade Span
Total Word Counts for PTs
# of Sources*
3
2
Grade Span
Maximum
Word Count
4–5
3
3
1000
6–8
3-4
4–5
1400
11
4-5
6–8
2400
11
3400
*each has 2-5 depending on grade level
ELA PERFORMANCE TASKS:
SMARTER BALANCED RUBRICS
Three Attributes
 Purpose/Organization
(4-point scale)
 Evidence/Elaboration
(4-point scale)
 Conventions
(2-point scale)
Individual attribute scores contribute
to the overall score on the summative
assessment.
SMARTER BALANCED RUBRICS:
PURPOSE/ORGANIZATION
Key Elements:





Strong main idea or claim, and focus is maintained
appropriate to audience and purpose
Variety of transitions used to clarify relationships
between and among ideas
Introduction and conclusion are present
Logical progression with strong connections;
“syntactic variety”
For argumentative mode, opposing arguments are
acknowledged or addressed
SMARTER BALANCED RUBRIC: EVIDENCE/ELABORATION
Key Elements:
Effective use of sources, facts and details
as support for ideas or claims
 Effective elaboration of ideas using
precise language (elaboration may
include the use of personal experiences
relevant to the main idea)
 References to sources are relevant and
specific and effectively integrated into
the essay
 Vocabulary is appropriate for the
audience and purpose
 Style enhances content

SMARTER BALANCED RUBRICS: CONVENTIONS
Key Elements:
 Correct sentence formation
 Correct capitalization
 Correct grammar/usage
 Correct spelling
Scoring is affected by:
 Variety or range of errors
 Severity of errors (Basic errors are more heavily
weighted than higher-level errors)
 Density of errors (Proportion of errors to the
amount of writing/length of the essay)
SKILLS FOR SUCCESS
Citing: Using evidence within a text to
support a claim, explain a concept, justify an
analysis)
Quoting: Knowing when to insert direct
quotations for maximum impact and effect
Attributing: Giving credit for ideas or
information taken from source materials either
formally or informally
SKILLS FOR SUCCESS
Paraphrasing: Putting information into
your own words, complete with attribution
Integrating: Inserting information from
sources seamlessly into the paper
Transitioning: Moving smoothly from
idea to idea within and between paragraphs
SKILLS FOR SUCCESS
Countering: Addressing counter claims
in Argumentative Writing to acknowledge they
exist; refute them or minimize their significance
Synthesizing: Pulling together material
from multiple sources, drawing comparisons,
noting contrasts in style, content, and point of
view.
Highlighting: Regularly engage
students in highlighting text for different
purposes (e.g., main ideas, descriptive details,
unfamiliar vocabulary, etc.)
SKILLS FOR SUCCESS
Elaborating:
Narrative: Include details, description
and dialogue
 Explanatory: Include examples,
explanations, definitions, statistics,
factual details
 Argumentative: Include a stated claim
that is maintained, integrated source
material, logical reasoning, problem
solving, counter claims.

TABLE ACTIVITY: SKILLS FOR SUCCESS
 Each
table will be given a card with a
critical skill or skills listed.
 Brainstorm as a group lessons or
activities you could structure to address
the skills on your table’s card to facilitate
student success.
 Capture your ideas/strategies on chart
pack.
 Report out to large group.
STUDENT PERSPECTIVES
“Typing was hard but I thought it [test] was more different and cool.
Writing is good because I can write down my thoughts. I have good
explanations that I want someone to hear.” –Jacklyn, 5th Grade
“Practice typing because there’s a lot of typing, and practice
essays…how to do them…how to write them.” –Van, 4th Grade
“Practice typing.” –Darbi, 5th Grade
“…Good to teach us [students] how to go more in-depth with essay,
paragraph, and sentence structure.” –Ella, 6th Grade
“Tell them they need to prepare for not just clicking an answer but
wording it [responses] in a way that makes sense…work on typing
and work on how to answer in words.” –Sicily, 6th Grade
STRATEGIES FOR CLASSROOM PRACTICE
Close
Reading
Take the Practice Test
http://www.smarterbalanced.org/practice-test/
Practice
Performance Tasks
Create “cousin items” (e.g.,
Matching Tables)
http://www.smarterbalanced.org/smarterbalanced-assessments/
CLOSE READING
1.
Number the stanzas or paragraphs
(helpful when calling attention to specific
information)
2.
Chunk the text (Draw lines to separate
logical divisions in the text, e.g. ¶ 1-3, 4-6, 7-9.
Do it for them at first, later have them do it
themselves)
3.
Underline and circle…with a purpose
(Identify what you want them to do: underline
the claims or main idea, circle unfamiliar
vocabulary, circle examples of figurative
language.
CLOSE READING
Margin Notes
3.
Left margin: Summarize what the
author is saying in 10 words or less.
4.
Right margin: Dig deeper into the
text; use “power verbs” to describe what
the author is doing (describing _______,
illustrating_________, arguing_________,
comparing__________). Be complete!
LINKS TO RESOURCES
Smarter Balanced Assessments
http://www.smarterbalanced.org/
Text Complexity
http://www.ccsso.org/Navigating_Text_Complexity.html
http://achievethecore.org/page/642/text-complexitycollection
Room for Debate: New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate
Close Reading
http://iteachicoachiblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/fivesimple-close-reading-strategies.html