Archive for 2018
Five Built-in Test Tools Students Should Know (and Use!)
Familiarizing Students with Universal Test Tools Can Yield Confidence Boost Smarter Balanced digitally-delivered assessments (interims, the summative test, and practice tests) include a wide array of embedded universal test tools. These are available to students as part of the technology platform. Students gain confidence with the testing software when they understand how to use these…
Read MoreEducators Meet for Math Rangefinding
NOTE: The Smarter Balanced Digital Library was decommissioned. Please visit Tools for Teachers, the new home for instructional resources and professional learning. Team of teachers review and confirm score ranges during summer Rangefinding Workshop Educators are involved in nearly every aspect of building Smarter Balanced assessment tools, from writing test items to setting score rubrics, to developing and vetting instructional resources.…
Read MoreEducators Meet to Review and Write Smarter Balanced Test Items
Over the course of a week in Chicago, Mathematics and ELA test items were reviewed for content alignment, bias and sensitivity, and new items were developed for field-testing Classroom teachers from eight states convened July 30-August 3 to provide a “boots on the ground” perspective of student skill levels. Core to the Smarter Balanced mission,…
Read MoreThree Tips for Getting Started with IABs
Bite-size advice on using Interim Assessment Blocks from a district that made it happen Michelle Dean, Director of Curriculum and Professional Development at Lyme Consolidated School District in Connecticut, worked with educators in her district to implement the Smarter Balanced system of assessments over the past two years. She offers these words of wisdom for…
Read MoreSmarter Balanced Meets Federal Peer Review for Grades 3-8 and High School
In September, South Dakota became the first Smarter Balanced member state to meet all federal peer review requirements for the math and ELA/literacy high school assessment. That federal peer review letter also served as notification that Smarter Balanced meets all of the statutory and regulatory United States Department of Education peer review requirements for the general assessments…
Read MoreInterim Comprehensive Assessments (ICAs) Provide Early Detection of College and Career Readiness
Educators can now use ICAs more effectively in Grades 9 & 10 with the release of new cut scores Interim Comprehensive Assessments (ICAs) — one component of the complete assessment system — allow teachers to check student progress toward college and career readiness throughout the year. With new cut scores, or achievement levels, in grades 9 and…
Read MoreUpdated Connections Playlists
NOTE: The Smarter Balanced Digital Library was decommissioned. Please visit Tools for Teachers, the new home for instructional resources and professional learning. Over 65 New Resources Added to Valuable Time-Saving Tools for Teachers Educators recently gathered in Chicago for the State Network of Educators (SNE) Summer Workshop to collaborate on Digital Library resources. The outcome? The group updated Connections…
Read MoreNevada First Smarter Balanced State to Meet Federal Peer Review
Nevada became the first Smarter Balanced member state to meet all federal peer review requirements for the Smarter Balanced grades 3-8 math and ELA/literacy assessments, the Nevada State Department of Education announced Thursday, August 2. Nevada’s peer review letter from the United States Department of Education (USED) serves as a notification that Smarter Balanced meets all of…
Read More8 Reasons to Check Out the Updated Sample Items Website
Updates to the Smarter Balanced Sample Items Website bring a fresh look and new features that make this tool even more useful for teachers and parents. Here are eight reasons why you’ll definitely want to take a look! 1. Find items by target This feature will probably be most useful to teachers, but we’ve added the ability…
Read MoreTwo More “Big Ideas” to Help Educators Get Smarter Balanced Ready
Last year, we released a new resource—Smarter Balanced Ready: Big Ideas for Implementation—to share lessons learned from educators working to implement the assessment system in their districts and schools. Over the past year, we’ve captured even more stories of educators’ best practices in implementation and organized them into two new big ideas. Big Idea #7:…
Read More