Educators 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….
Educators 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,…
Three 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…
New Smarter Balanced Desmos Calculators Are Free and Accessible to Students
Smarter Balanced prides itself on innovation and accessibility. All students should have the ability to show what they know and can do on the highest quality assessment system in the nation. Smarter Balanced and Desmos are proud to provide calculators that are free to students and include cutting-edge accessibility features. Students who are visually impaired or blind…
WA Student Writes About the Value of Smarter Balanced
Elizabeth Min, who just finished her junior year at Decatur High School in Federal Way, Wash., recently wrote an opinion piece about the value of Smarter Balanced in Federal Way Mirror newspaper. Wrote Min: “Taking tests can be challenging, but the results give students like me important information to get the most out of our time…
Idaho District Leader Praises Use of Interim Assessments
In his review of the 2016-17 school year, Gary Pfleuger, superintendent of Boundary County School District 101 in Idaho, mentions his district’s use of Smarter Balanced interim assessments, and how the periodic tests helped students perform better on the year-end test. Wrote Pfleuger in the Bonners Ferry News: “District wide, the ISAT proficiency rates have…
Ready WA Video Highlights State’s Bridge to College Program
Ready Washington released a video on the state’s Bridge to College transition courses, which help to prepare students for success in college-level math and English language arts courses and avoid costly remedial classes. Ready Washington highlighted a group of seniors at Mariner High School in Everett. The seniors told Ready Washington that the courses they took this school year helped them…
WA Teacher: We View Smarter Balanced as a Teaching Tool
Alisa Louie, an English Language Learner Specialist, Interventionist and Teacher Coach at Evergreen Heights Elementary in Auburn, WA, wrote a guest blog on Ready Washington’s Medium channel about assessments and Smarter Balanced. She made two important points that are often overlooked regarding testing and Smarter Balanced. Wrote Louie, “At my school, we view the Smarter Balanced assessments as…
Six Big Ideas for Getting “Smarter Balanced Ready”
In 2015, the first year Smarter Balanced tests were given in Washington state, staff from Vancouver Public Schools wanted to help parents better understand the new tests their students would be taking. During parent-teacher nights, the teachers gave online practice tests to parents. They found that not only did parents enjoy the experience, but they…
Teacher Twitter Chat on Smarter Balanced Assessments
A group of teacher leaders in Washington state participated in an informative Sunday night Twitter chat about Smarter Balanced assessments. Using the hashtag #WATeachLead, the teachers, who are a part of the CORElaborate WA program, shared their thoughts on state testing and asked questions to the Smarter Balanced Twitter handle. The entire Twitter chat is also captured via Storify (it’s…