Smarter Balanced Assessment
Consortium Model
Assessing the Common Core
State Standards
Greg Gallagher
ND Department of Public Instruction
College & Career Ready Goal
 College ready:
Prepared to succeed in entry-level credit-bearing
general education college courses without
remediation

Career ready:
Possess sufficient foundational knowledge and
skills and general learning strategies necessary to
begin studies in a career path
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CCSS Foundational Principles
1. Rigor: College and Career Readiness
2. Coherence, Clarity, Focus
3. Evidence-Based Selection
4. International Benchmarks
5. Local Flexibility, Teacher Judgment
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Smarter Balanced
Assessment Consortium
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• Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) financed through
Race To The Top funding.
• Race To the Top grant ends October 2014
• SBAC will transition management to UCLA Graduate School of
Education & Information Studies (non-profit status)
• Each state completes an MOU with UCLA
• States membership fees fund management of assessment design,
item development, and open source technology.
• States contract with certified 3rd party test vendors to administer
the SBAC-related services.
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Assessment Theory of Action
• Assessments use challenging tasks that evaluate the CCSS.
• Teachers involved in the development and scoring of assessments.
• State-led assessment system with inclusive governance structure.
• Assessments structured to improve teaching and learning.
• Assessment, reporting, and accountability systems provide useful
information on multiple measures.
• Design and implementation strategies adhere to established professional
standards.
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Assessment Planning Schedule
October 2013
Last administration of the current NDSA system
Fall 2013 – Fall 2014
Inventory of Technology Readiness in North Dakota
Spring 2014
Voluntary Field Testing of Online Smarter Balanced Assessment
Fall 2014
Determine % schools prepared to take assessment online vs.
paper
Spring 2015
First administration of common core state assessment (test
window in last 12 weeks of school year)
Summer 2015
Accountability metrics for student, school, district, and state
performance
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The Smarter Balanced Assessment System
ELA/Literacy and Mathematics, Grades 3-8 and High School
School Year
Last 12 weeks of the year*
DIGITAL LIBRARY of formative tools, processes and exemplars; released items and tasks; model
curriculum units; educator training; professional development tools and resources; scorer training modules;
and teacher collaboration tools.
Optional Interim
Assessment
Computer Adaptive
Assessment and
Performance Tasks
Optional Interim
Assessment
Computer Adaptive
Assessment and
Performance Tasks
Summative Assessment for
Accountability
Performance
Tasks
• ELA/literacy
• Mathematics
Scope, sequence, number and timing of interim assessments
locally determined
Computer
Adaptive
Assessment
• ELA/literacy
• Mathematics
Re-take option available
*Time windows may be adjusted based on results from the research agenda and final implementation decisions.
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Claims for the English Language
Arts/Literacy Assessment
•
Claim #1 – Reading
“Students can read closely and analytically to comprehend a
range of increasingly complex literary and informational
texts.”
• Claim #2 – Writing
“Students can produce effective and well-grounded writing
for a range of purposes and audiences.”
• Claim #3 – Speaking and Listening
“Students can employ effective speaking and listening skills
for a range of purposes and audiences.”
• Claim #4 – Research/Inquiry
“Students can engage in research and inquiry to investigate
topics, and to analyze, integrate, and present information.”
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Claims for Mathematics Assessment
•
Claim #1 – Concepts & Procedures
“Students can explain and apply mathematical concepts and
interpret and carry out mathematical procedures with precision
and fluency.”
•
Claim #2 – Problem Solving
“Students can solve a range of complex well-posed problems in
pure and applied mathematics, making productive use of
knowledge and problem solving strategies.”
•
Claim #3 – Communicating Reasoning
“Students can clearly and precisely construct viable arguments to
support their own reasoning and to critique the reasoning of
others.”
•
Claim #4 – Modeling and Data Analysis
“Students can analyze complex, real-world scenarios and can
construct and use mathematical models to interpret and solve
problems.”
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Scores Reported for Individual Students
English Language Arts
Mathematics
Example of
Weights
#
Claims
1 Reading
% (TBD)
1
Concepts & Procedures
% (TBD)
2 Writing
% (TBD)
2&4
Problem Solving &
Modeling/Data Analysis
% (TBD)
Communicating
Reasoning
% (TBD)
Total Composite
100%
#
3
Claims
Speaking/
Listening
4 Research
Total Composite
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% (TBD)
% (TBD)
100%
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Example
of Weights
12
Sample Consortium Procurement Status
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SBAC Adaptive Form
• Variety of item types
– selected-response
– constructed-response
– technology-enhanced items
• Computer scoring; human, rubric-guided scoring
• Controlled retake option
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Performance Tasks
• Computer delivered; 90-120 minutes per content area
• Evaluates content difficult to assess through more
traditional items
• Real-world scenarios and complex tasks
– student-initiated planning
– management of information and ideas
– interaction with other materials
– extended response (i.e., oral presentation, exhibit,
product development, extended written piece)
• Human, rubric-guided scoring; computer scoring
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Use of Technology
• Adaptive form testing
• Technology-enhanced test items
• Teachers access online resources and instructional
tools
• Interactive electronic reports targeted to a range of
audiences for tracking and analyzing progress
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Estimated Testing Times
Testing Time Estimates
Grade
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
NDSA
6:20
6:35
5:40
6:00
6:00
6:00
0:00
0:00
6:00
SMARTER
6:45
6:45
6:45
7:15
7:15
7:15
0:00
0:00
8:15
PARCC
8:00
9:20
9:20
9:25
9:25
9:25
9:45
9:45
9:55
* Smarter and PARCC test times include a separate testing window for Performance Tasks
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Estimated Testing Times
Test Type
Grades
CAT
Perf Task
Only
Total
In-Class
Activity
Total
3–5
1:30
2:00
3:30
:30
4:00
English Language
Arts/Literacy
6–8
1:30
2:00
3:30
:30
4:00
11
2:00
2:00
4:00
:30
4:30
Mathematics
3–5
1:30
1:00
2:30
:30
3:00
6–8
2:00
1:00
3:00
:30
3:30
11
2:00
1:30
3:30
:30
4:00
3–5
3:00
3:00
6:00
1:00
7:00
6–8
3:30
3:00
6:30
1:00
7:30
11
4:00
3:30
7:30
1:00
8:30
Combined
Times are estimates of test length for most students. Smarter Balanced assessments are designed as
untimed tests; some students may need and should be afforded more time than shown in this table.
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Achievement Levels
Cut scores established at each level
1:
2:
3:
4:
Minimal Command
Partial Command
Sufficient Command (Proficiency)
Deep Command
Grade 11 achievement levels used to determine content
readiness for college & career
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Interim Assessment:
Yardstick for Student Progress
• Local assessment option.
• Provides actionable information about student
progress throughout the year.
• Administered at locally determined intervals.
• Computer adaptive and includes performance tasks.
• Based on scale of summative assessment.
• Fully accessible for instruction and professional
development
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Digital Library
• Planned as an online, one-stop
site with a selection of
formative tools and resources
• Professional development materials, resources, and tools
aligned to the CCSS, Smarter Balanced claims, and all
components of the assessment system, including scoring
rubrics for performance tasks.
• Research-based instructional tools on-demand to help
teachers address learning challenges and differentiate
instruction
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Usability, Accessibility, and
Accommodations Guidelines
• Universal accessibility tools—such as a digital notepad and
scratch paper—available to all students.
• Designated supports—like a translated pop-up glossary—
available to students for whom a need has been identified.
• Accommodations for an IEP or 504 plan. These tools include
Braille and closed captioning, among others.
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Embedded Universal Tools
• Breaks
• Calculator (where
appropriate)
• Digital notepad
• English dictionary (ELA)
• English glossary
• Expandable passages
• Global notes (ELA)
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Highlighter
Keyboard navigation
Mark for review
Math tools
Spell check
Strikethrough
Writing tools
Zoom
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Embedded Designated Supports
For use by any student for whom the need has been indicated by educators
•
•
•
•
Color contrast
Masking
Text-to-speech
Language supports
– Translated test directions
– Translations (glossaries)
– Translations (stacked)
• Turn off universal tools
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Accommodations
Documented IEP or 504 Plan.
•
•
•
•
Embedded
American Sign Language
Braille
Closed captioning
Text-to-speech
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Non-embedded
Abacus
Alternate response options
Calculator
Multiplication table
Print on demand
Read aloud
Scribe
Speech-to-text
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Technology
Readiness
• Technology Readiness Tool (TRT)
• Used to determine preparedness of schools to
administer online assessment
• EduTech supporting TRT project
• Participation needed from all districts
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Spring 2014 Field Test
• Schools register interest before October 18th, 2013
– Select grades for testing
– Select subject(s) for testing
• Statistical sample of schools: ≈ 5,000 students for each
subject)
• Final selection of schools: late November, 2013
• Online test administration training: January 28, 2014
• Field test window: March 18 – April 30, 2014
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Practice Test
• Available online at www.smarterbalanced.org
• Grades 3–8 and 11
• Experience an abbreviated but similar
experience to the assessment in 2015
• Affords teachers,
administrators, and parents
access to items planned and
designed for the Smarter
Balanced assessment
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Student Growth Projection Reporting
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Department of Public Instruction
Assessment Contact Information
Director of Assessment
Greg Gallagher
701-328-1838; ggallagher@nd.gov
General Assessment
Robert Bauer
701-328-2224; rgbauer@nd.gov
Alternate Assessment
Gerry Teevens
701-328-2692; gteevens@nd.gov
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