2015: ISAAP PROCESS AND TOOL HELPS STUDENTS ACCESS NEEDS

The Individual Student Assessment Accessibility Profile (ISAAP) addresses student access needs for the Smarter Balanced assessments. The ISAAP process includes preparatory steps, a step for creating the ISAAP itself, and steps that allow educators to check that Designated Supports and Accommodations are entered correctly into the test engine.

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2019: SMARTER BALANCED TESTS RELIABLE INDICATOR OF INITIAL COLLEGE SUCCESS

Cover of the Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) March 2019 study titled "Predicting College Success: How do Different High School Assessments Measure Up?" by Michael Kurlaender and Kramer Cohen. The cover features a photo of student holding a pencil taking a test.

The Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) study “Predicting College Success: How Do Different High School Assessments Measure Up?” finds Smarter Balanced does as well as the SAT in predicting college outcomes, specifically first-year college GPA and second-year persistence rates for students enrolled in CSU and UC.

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2018: INTERIM COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENTS CUT SCORES UPDATED

Smarter Balanced updates cut scores, or achievement levels, for Interim Comprehensive Assessments (ICAs) for grades 9 and 10 to help educators detect even earlier in high school where students might need additional instructional support in mastering specific concepts.

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2018: SMARTER BALANCED TESTS MEET FEDERAL PEER REVIEW FOR GRADES 3-8 AND HS

Photo from a July 31, 2018 4:40PM Education Week article titled "Smarter Balanced Common Core Test Gets Thumbs Up from the Feds" by Stephen Sawchuk, with image featuring a multiple choice test where the student scored an A+

Smarter Balanced members South Dakota and Nevada meet federal peer review requirements in grades 3-8 and high school. This designation means Smarter Balanced is one of two tests in the nation to meet all of the statutory and regulatory United States Department of Education peer review requirements for the general assessments in English language arts/literacy…

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2016: ALIGNMENT STUDIES VALIDATE QUALITY OF SUMMATIVE TESTS

Thomas B. Fordham Institute and the Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO) conduct extensive alignment studies in grades 5 and 8 and high school, respectively, to evaluate Smarter Balanced end-of-year tests against the high-quality assessment criteria created by the Council for Chief State School Officers. The two studies affirm Smarter Balanced tests are high quality, and…

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2020: Remote Teaching and Learning Website Launched

Cover of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium "2020 Bach to School Assessment Playbook: Using the Smarter Balanced Assessment System to Improve Student Learning." The cover features the outline of a student sitting cross-legged with a computer in their lap.

Smarter Balanced formed the Distance Teaching and Learning Task Force to provide feedback and guidance to educators during the pandemic via a new Remote Teaching and Learning Website and Back to School Assessment Playbook.

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2017: Strategic Plan 2017-2022 Adopted

Cover of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium Strategic Plan 2017-2022 adopted on October 18, 2017 and updated on October 31, 2019. The cover features three images including two photos of a teacher working with her students and a photo of a student in a graduation cap and gown.

Consortium members identified opportunities for Smarter Balanced to maintain the quality of its assessment system while also looking to innovate and evolve in response to a changing education landscape. These insights informed the development of the Strategic Plan 2017-2022.

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2014: Achievement Level Setting Design and Summative Test Blueprints Approved

Achievement level setting, or standard setting, is the process for establishing one or more threshold scores on an assessment, making it possible to create categories of performance. This served as the initial achievement levels for the math and English language arts/literacy assessments that were administered in 17 states and one territory during the 2014-2015 school…

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