The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium

Introductory Information for Parents, Educators and Community Members

Michael HockDirector of Educational Assessment,

Vermont Agency of Education

Why do we need new tests?

• Each state bears the burden of test development; no economies of scale

Each state pays for its own assessments

• Students in many states leave high school unprepared for college or career; Limited comparability of results across states

Based on state standards

• Inadequate measures of complex skills and deep understanding. Heavy use of multiple choice

• Tests cannot be used to inform instruction or affect program decisions

Results delivered long after tests are given

• Difficult to interpret meaning of scores; concerns about access and fairness;

Accommodations for special education and ELL students vary

• Costly, time consuming, and challenging to maintain securityMost administered on paper

What will be different about the new tests?

USED Grant Requirements Align to Career and College Readiness Standards in mathematics and English language arts/literacy

Rigorously assess progress toward “college and career readiness”

Use common cut scores across the Consortium Provide achievement and growth information Use assessments that are valid, reliable, and fair for all

students (Note: Alternate assessments still needed for small percentage of student)

Use multiple measures of student performance Use online technologies Be operational in the 2014-15 school year

How will SBAC be different from NECAP?Smarter Balanced NECAP

Common Core State Standards Tri-State Grade Expectations

On Track to be Career and College Ready Prepared for Next Grade Level Learning

Web-Based Pencil and Paper

Computer Adaptive Fixed Form/Common Item Set

Summative, Interim and Formative Summative

Multiple Choice, Short Answer, Tech Enhanced, Performance Task

Multiple Choice, Short Answer, Constructed response

12 Weeks/Spring 3 Weeks/ Fall

Some Scores Available Immediately; Remainder in About 1 Month About 3 Months

Content Standards

Achievement Descriptors

Test Format

Item Delivery

Assessment Types

Item Types

Testing Window

Results Turnaround

What’s the difference between summative, interim and formative assessments?

Summative Assessments are administered at the end of a specific unit or period of learning, generally near the end of a school year. They are designed to “sum up” how much the student has learned over that period of time, and to determine if the student’s achievement is sufficient to meet standards or pre-defined learning expectations.

Interim Assessments are similar to summative assessments in terms of content but are designed to be administered more frequently in order to determine if students are on track to meet end of grade/unit standards, or to provide additional support or mid-course correction if needed.

Formative Assessments are embedded in the day to day, minute to minute interactions between teachers and students. They are used to gauge the pacing of instruction and to determine if students are ready to move on to new material or if they need additional instruction. Formative assessments are often based on strategic questioning strategies, probes, short quizzes or performance events.

What’s the new assessment consortium all about? Is it really smarter and more

balanced?The purpose of the Consortium is to… Develop a comprehensive and innovative assessment

system for grades 3-8 and high school in English language arts and mathematics aligned to the Common Core State Standards, so that...

...students leave high school prepared for postsecondary success in college or a career through increased student learning and improved teaching

[The assessments shall be operational across Consortium states in the 2014-15 school year]

26 member states and territories representing 39% of K-12 students

21 Governing States, 4 Advisory States, 1 Affiliate Member

Washington state is fiscal agent

WestEd provides project management services

Who is Smarter Balanced?

Secretary Vilaseca has been an active participant in policy level work with his counterparts from the other Smarter Balanced governing states.

Michael Hock is one of eight elected representatives to the Smarter Balanced Executive Committee

Challis Breithaupt is Vermont’s state lead Peter Drescher is Vermont’s technological readiness coordinator Mary Ann Minardo is Vermont’s teacher involvement coordinator Marty Gephart, Gail Taylor and Michael Hock have each co-

chaired an SBAC workgroup UVM College of Education Dean Faynese Miller is Vermont’s

high ed lead. UVM literacy expert Sue Biggam participated in creating the SBAC Achievement Level Descriptors. Vermont college faculty has been well represented on the higher council

To date, 21 Vermont educators have participated in one or more Smarter Balanced review committee

What is Vermont’s role in the consortium?

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Common Core State Standards

specify K-12

expectations for college and

career readiness

All students leave

high school college

and career ready

Teachers and schools have

information and tools they need to improve teaching

and learning

Interim assessments Flexible, open, used for

actionable feedback

Summative assessments Benchmarked to CCSS;

Combine Computer Adaptive and Performance

Tasks

Teacher resources for formative assessment

practicesto improve instruction

What’s so “balanced” about Smarter Balanced?

What would a "smarter balanced" school year look like?

*Time windows may be adjusted based on results from the research agenda and final implementation decisions.

Re-take option

Optional Interim assessment system—

Summative assessment for accountability

Last 12 weeks of year*

DIGITAL CLEARINGHOUSE 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.

Scope, sequence, number, and timing of interim assessments locally determined

PERFORMANCETASKS

• Reading• Writing• Math

END OF YEARADAPTIVE ASSESSMENT

* Time windows may be adjusted based on results from the research agenda and final implementation decisions.

English Language Arts and Mathematics, Grades 3 – 8 and High School

Computer AdaptiveAssessment andPerformance Tasks

BEGINNING OF YEAR

END OF YEAR

INTERIM ASSESSMENT

Computer AdaptiveAssessment andPerformance Tasks

INTERIM ASSESSMENT

What's so special about Computer Adaptive Testing (aka CAT)?

• Provides accurate measurements of student growth over timeIncreased precision

• Item difficulty based on student responsesTailored for Each

Student

• Larger item banks mean that not all students receive the same questionsIncreased Security

• Fewer questions compared to fixed form testsShorter Test Length

• Turnaround time is significantly reducedFaster Results

• GMAT, GRE, COMPASS (ACT), Measures of Academic Progress (MAP)Mature Technology

Is the estimate as accurate as

we can make it?

How does a CAT work?

What is a summative assessment?

Summative Assessment (Computer Adaptive)

Assesses the full range of Common Core in English language arts and mathematics for students in grades 3–8 and 11 (interim assessments can be used in grades 9 and 10)

Measures current student achievement and growth across time, showing progress toward college and career readiness

Can be given once or twice a year (mandatory testing window within the last 12 weeks of the instructional year)

Includes a variety of question types: selected response, short constructed response, extended constructed response, technology enhanced, and performance tasks

What role will performance tasks play?

Extended projects demonstrate real-world writing and analytical skills

May include online research, group projects, presentations

Require 1-2 class periods to complete

Included in both interim and summative assessments

Applicable in all grades being assessed

Evaluated by teachers using consistent scoring rubrics

Performance Tasks

The use of performance

measures has been found

to increase the intellectual

challenge in classrooms

and to support higher-

quality teaching.

- Linda Darling-Hammond and Frank Adamson, Stanford University

“

”

How long are the summative tests?

Test Grades CAT Perf. Task Only Total In-Class

Activity Total

English Language Arts/Literacy

3-5 1:30 2:00 3:30 :30 4:00

6-8 1:30 2:00 3:30 :30 4:00

11 2:00 2:00 4:00 :30 4:30

Math

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

Keep in mind that the new tests will measure more than the current assessments

What is an interim assessment?

Interim Assessment (Computer Adaptive)

Optional comprehensive and content-cluster assessment to help identify specific needs of each student

Can be administered throughout the year Provides clear examples of expected performance on

Common Core standards Includes a variety of question types: selected response,

short constructed response, extended constructed response, technology enhanced, and performance tasks

Aligned to and reported on the same scale as the summative assessments

Fully accessible for instruction and professional development

What are formative assessment tools and professional resources?

Few initiatives are

backed by evidence

that they raise

achievement.

Formative assessment

is one of the few

approaches proven to

make a difference.

- Stephanie Hirsh, Learning Forward

Digital Professional Development Library

Research-based, on-demand tools and resources for teachers

Aligned to Common Core, focused on increasing student learning and enabling differentiation of instruction

Professional development materials include model units of instruction and publicly released assessment items, formative strategies

Developed by teams of educators from the member states

“

”

How will results be reported?

Data are only useful if

people are able to

access, understand and

use them… For

information to be useful,

it must be timely, readily

available, and easy to

understand.

- Data Quality Campaign

Online Reporting

Static and dynamic reports, secure and public views

Individual states retain jurisdiction over access and appearance of online reports

Dashboard gives parents, students, practitioners, and policymakers access to assessment information

Graphical display of learning progression status (interim assessment)

Feedback and evaluation mechanism provides surveys, open feedback, and vetting of materials

“

”

“Students can demonstrate progress toward college and career readiness in English Language arts and literacy.”

“Students can demonstrate college and career readiness in English language arts and literacy.”

“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 and inquiry to investigate topics, and to analyze, integrate, and present information.”

Overall Claim for Grades 3-8

Overall Claim for Grade 11

Claim #1 - Reading

Claim #2 - Writing

Claim #3 - Speaking and Listening

Claim #4 - Research/Inquiry

What are the English Language Arts reporting areas (aka “claims”)?

“Students can demonstrate progress toward college and career readiness in mathematics.”

“Students can demonstrate college and career readiness in mathematics.”

“Students can explain and apply mathematical concepts and interpret and carry out mathematical procedures with precision and fluency.”

“Students can solve a range of complex well-posed problems in pure and applied mathematics, making productive use of knowledge and problem solving strategies.”

“Students can clearly and precisely construct viable arguments to support their own reasoning and to critique the reasoning of others.”

“Students can analyze complex, real-world scenarios and can construct and use mathematical models to interpret and solve problems.”

Overall Claim for Grades 3-8

Overall Claim for Grade 11

Claim #1 - Concepts & Procedures

Claim #2 - Problem Solving

Claim #3 - Communicating Reasoning

Claim #4 - Modeling and Data Analysis

What are the mathematics reporting areas (aka “claims”)?

What supports will be available for special populations?

Common-

Core Tests

to Have Built-in

Accommodations

- June 8, 2011

“

”

Access by Design

Accurate measures of progress for students with disabilities and English Language Learners

Accessibility and Accommodations Work Group engaged throughout development

Outreach and collaboration with relevant associations

Universal Design Embedded Digital Accessibility

Features

22

How will digital technologies improve assessment for special populations?

Computer-delivered assessments provide an array of new opportunities to improve the assessment experience for students with special assessment needs, including students with disabilities and ELLs:

An expanded notion of Universal Design Emphasis on embedded digital accessibility tools that

decrease the need for locally provided accommodations Integration of assessment delivery system with assistive

technologies Vastly improved student engagement

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PRECISE – Unlike fixed form tests, CAT is precise at all ability levels, not just at the proficient cut score

EFFICIENT – Takes less items than fixed form tests to reach a valid and reliable estimate of ability, reducing testing time by as much as 50%; results are available almost immediately.

RESPONSIVE & HUMANE – CAT algorithm produces an individual item set for each student, adapting after each student response; item set comprised of items the student CAN and CAN’T answer in equal proportion

Secure and Adaptable – CAT eliminates most test security concerns of fixed form tests allowing for longer test windows and small group or individualized administrations

Does CAT have any special advantages for special students?

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But what about students who don’t have much experience with computer

testing?Students will have several opportunities to practice prior to the “official” testing:

Sample items (currently available on Smarter website) Practice tests (available in spring 2013) Interim assessment Pre-assessment tutorials

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http://sampleitems.smarterbalanced.org/itempreview/sbac/ELA.htm

Showcases the variety of item types:• Selected response• Constructed response• Technology enhanced• Performance tasks

Sample Items? Can we see some of those?

Where can I learn more about Smarter Balanced?

On the web @ www.SmarterBalanced.org

Sign up for the Smarter Balanced e-newsletter

Follow the consortium on Twitter @SmarterBalanced

On the VT AOE web @ http://education.vermont.gov/new/html/sbac.html

E-Mail Michael @ Michael.Hock@state.vt.us

QuestionsWhat else would you like to know?