Smarter Balanced Assessment Basics
Vernon G. Gettone, Ph.D.Instruction and Professional Development (IPD) Staff
Table Think, Table Talk!
• At your table, pick a partner and introduce yourself.
• Tell one another something you already know about Smarter Balanced Assessment.
• Then share a question you have about the assessment.
• 24 States representing 39% of K-12 students
• 22 Governing 1 Advisory 1 Affiliate
• Washington State is fiscal agent
• WestEd provides project management services
SBAC Consortium of States
*California is a Governing State
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
* Time windows may be adjusted based on results from the research agenda and final implementation decisions.
Source: http://www.ets.org
Computer AdaptiveAssessment andPerformance Tasks
PERFORMANCETASKS
• Reading• Writing• Math
END OF YEARADAPTIVE
ASSESSMENT
English Language Arts and Mathematics, Grades 3–8 and High School
Computer AdaptiveAssessment andPerformance Tasks
BEGINNING OF YEAR
END OF YEAR
INTERIM ASSESSMENT INTERIM ASSESSMENT
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Digital Library
Smarter Balanced Digital Library
• The formative assessment component of the Smarter Balanced system of assessments
• Will contain formative assessment strategies and professional learning and instructional resources for educators
• Access will be provided to all California LEAs at no cost.
• The first stage of the Digital Library is scheduled to be available in April 2014.
Smarter Balanced Digital Library (cont.)
• All resources must meet certain quality criteria to be included in the Digital Library:– Incorporates high-quality formative assessment practices– Reflects learner differences and supports personalized learning– Demonstrates utility, engagement, and user-friendliness
• Approximately 150 California educators are helping to review and contribute proposed resources as part of the State Network of Educators (SNE).
Smarter Balanced Digital Library (cont.)
• Will contain Web-based professional learning and instructional modules on topics such as:
− the Common Core State Standards− assessment literacy− understanding the Smarter Balanced content
specifications− formative assessment process within the context of
the Smarter Balanced assessment system
Improving Teaching & Learning
Common Core State Standards specify
K-12 expectatio
ns 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
Summative: College and career
readiness assessments for
accountability
Interim: Flexible and open
assessments, used for actionable
feedback
Formative resources:Supporting
classroom-based assessments to
improve instruction
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Remembering
Understanding
Applying
Analyzing
Evaluating
Creating
Bloom’s Taxonomy Updated19
97 S
tand
ards
2010 Comm
on Core Standards
RememberingRecalling information
Recognizing, listing, describing, retrieving, naming, finding
UnderstandingExplaining ideas or concepts
Interpreting, summarizing, paraphrasing, classifying, explaining
ApplyingUsing information in another familiar situationImplementing, carrying out, using, executing
AnalyzingBreaking information into parts to explore
understandings and relationshipsComparing, organizing, deconstructing,
interrogating, finding
EvaluatingJustifying a decision or course of action
Checking, hypothesizing, critiquing, experimenting, judging
CreatingGenerating new ideas, products,
or ways of viewing thingsDesigning, constructing, planning,
producing, inventing.
Bloom’s Taxonomy Updated
COGNITIVE LEARNING
• CCSS require high-level cognitive demand– Asking students to demonstrate deeper conceptual
understanding through the application of content knowledge and skills to new situations and sustained tasks
• Applies Webb’s Depth of Knowledge (DOK) to Bloom’s Cognitive Process Dimensions– Bloom: What type of thinking is needed to complete a task?– Webb: How deeply do you have to understand the content to
successfully interact with it? How complex or abstract is the content?
Webb’s Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Levels
• DOK 1: Recall & Reproduction– Recall of a fact, term, principle, concept; perform a routine procedure,
locate details
• DOK 2: Basic Application of Skills/Concepts– Use of information, two or more steps with decision points along the
way, explain relationships
• DOK 3: Strategic Thinking– Requires reasoning or developing a plan or sequence of steps, requires
decision-making or justification
• DOK 4: Extended Thinking– An investigation or application to real world; requires time to
research, problem solve, and process multiple conditions; could require synthesis of information across multiple sources and/or disciplines
ELA DOK Levels
MATH DOK Levels
Bloom to Webb’s DOK Levels
ELA Claims
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.”
Overall Claim for Grades 3–8“Students can demonstrate progress toward college and career readiness in English language arts and literacy.”Overall Claim for Grade 11“Students can demonstrate college and career readiness in English language arts and literacy.”
Math Claims
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.”
Overall Claim for Grades 3–8“Students can demonstrate progress toward college and career readiness in mathematics.” Overall Claim for Grade 11“Students can demonstrate college and career readiness in mathematics.”
Claims 2, 3, & 4: Relevant Verbs
Problem Solving
Understand
Solve
Apply
Describe
Illustrate
Interpret
Analyze
Claim 2 Claim 3 Claim 4
Accessibility & Accommodations
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CDE website with details: www.cde.ca.gov/sp/se/cc/sbacaa.asp
Accessibility & Accommodations
22
Supports for English language learners
Full TranslationSpanish Full translationPop-Up Glossaries Dialect(s)Spanish Mexico, Puerto Rico, El Salvador
Vietnamese North and South
Arabic Standard dialect is most popular
Filipino Tagalog, Ilokano
Punjabi Standard dialect is most popular
Korean Standardized text
Russian Standard dialect is most popular
Chinese, Cantonese Simplified and traditional
Chinese, Mandarin Simplified and traditional
Ukrainian Standard dialect is most popular
Assembly Bill 484• Assembly Bill (AB) 484, chaptered into law October 2,
2013, established the Measurement of Academic Performance and Progress (MAPP). Through regulation, the name has been changed to the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP).
• CAASPP replaces the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program.
• Among the requirements set forth in AB 484 is the requirement that local educational agencies (LEAs) participate in the Smarter Balanced Field Test.
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2014 Smarter Balanced Field Test Windows
• The Smarter Balanced Field Test will be administered March 18 through June 6, 2014.
• Each school has been assigned a six-week window within this time frame and may test anytime within that assigned window.
• On November 20, 2013, Educational Testing Service (ETS) released testing window assignments for schools and notified LEA testing coordinators.
• Test window assignments are available at http://www.startest.org/FT-windows2014.html.
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Field Test Details • Students in grades 3–8, grade 11, and a small sample
of students in grades 9 and 10 will participate in the field test.
• The field test is estimated to take approximately 3.5 hours, although it is untimed.
• Students exempt from participation in the field test:– Students who take the California Alternate
Performance Assessment (CAPA).– For ELA only, English learners who have attended
school in the United States for less than 12 months– Those unable to take test on the computer
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CDE Field Test Flash
• A nine-minute video: Overview of the Smarter Balanced Field Test is now available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrG3S-TDcJo. Purpose: Provide an overview of the spring 2014 Smarter Balanced Field Test.
• Audiences for the video: Teachers, administrators, school board members, and other educators responsible for test administration.
• Resources for use with students and parents are referenced in the video.
CDE Field Test Flash
• A table that provides information about Smarter Balanced question types is now available at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sa/question-types.asp.
• The table lists various question response types (e.g., multiple choice, drag and drop, matching tables) and the technology skill students will use to respond to each question type.
• The table provides examples of specific questions on the Smarter Balanced Practice Tests and Training Tests that are associated with each question type.
• Teachers can refer to this table to focus on specific question types and technology skills as they use the Practice and Training Tests, available at http://sbac.portal.airast.org/ca/practice-test-ca/, to prepare students for the Field Test.
CDE Field Test Flash• A table that describes how students will access embedded
resources for the Smarter Balanced assessments is now available at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sa/access-embedded.asp.
• Embedded resources include such functions as strikethrough, highlighter, American Sign Language videos, and text-to-speech. Students will use various types of devices (e.g., desktops, laptops, and tablets) to take the Field Test
• This table describes how students will use a mouse, keyboard, touch screen, or trackpad to open the context menu on each type of device to access the embedded resources
CDE Field Test Flash
• If you would like to receive Flash updates via e-mail notification, subscribe to the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) listserv by sending a blank message to [email protected]
Performance Assessment
<script src='https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/growth-mindset-eed/embed?format=js' type='text/javascript'></script>
Field Test ResourcesPreparation:
• Sample Test Items and Performance Tasks
http://www.smarterbalanced.org/sample-items-and-performance-tasks/
• Practice Test
http://www.smarterbalanced.org/practice-test/
• New Training Test:
https://sbacpt.tds.airast.org/student/
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Comparison of Training Test and Practice Test Training Test Practice Test
Purpose Provide students with an opportunity to quickly become familiar with the software and interface features
Provide students with a grade specific testing experience that is similar in structure and format to the field test
Grade Levels 3 grade bands • 3–5 • 6–8• High school
Each grade• 3–8, 11
Number and Types of Items
Approximately 15 items per grade band (6 in ELA and 8–9 in math)
No performance task (PT)
Approximately 30 items in ELA and 30 items in math per grade level
Includes 1 ELA PT and 1 math PT per grade level
Universal Tools, Designated
Supports, and Accommodation
s
All included on Field Test are included
Most included Refresh scheduled for late April
ScoringResults are not scored Results are not scored, however
answer keys and scoring rubrics are available
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Five Item Types• Selected Response• Constructed Response• Extended Response• Performance Tasks• Technology-Enhanced
Benefits and Limitationsof Selected Response Items
Benefits– Answered quickly– Assess a large range of
content on one test– Inexpensive to score– Results collected quickly
Limitations– Limited ability to reveal
a student’s reasoning process
– Difficult to assess higher-order thinking skills
ELA Grade 3 Selected Response
Item
Stimulus Text:Birds Make Good Pets
There are many reasons why people keep birds as pets.Canaries sing beautiful songs. Parakeets will sit on yourshoulder. Parrots can talk to you. Birds fly outdoors. Pet birdscan be fun.
Item Stem:A student is revising this paragraph and needs to take outinformation that does not support why birds make good pets.Which of the following sentences does not support why birdsmake good pets?
Options:A. “Canaries sing beautiful songs.”B. “Parakeets will sit on your shoulder.”C. “Parrots can talk to you.”D. “Birds fly outdoors.”
Distractor Analysis:A. Incorrect: This sentence gives a reason why someone might want a bird as a pet.B. Incorrect: This sentence gives a reason why someone might want a bird as a pet.C. Incorrect: This sentence gives a reason why someone might want a bird as a pet.D. Correct: This sentence states a fact about
Math Grade 3 Selected Response ItemBelow are two rectangles that are joined together.
1a.
For numbers 1a–1d, choose Yes or No to indicate whether joining each rectangle to the existing two rectangles would total exactly 99 square feet.
Yes No
1b.
Yes No
Yes No
1c.
1d.
Yes No
ELA Grade 4 Selected Response
Item
Stimulus Text:Read the paragraph and complete the task that follows it.
As my family drove home last evening, the sun wasgoing down. We were treated to a beautiful sunset! All aroundover our heads, the entire sky was pretty. In a few minutes theamazing show was over. The sun disappeared completely, andthe brightly colored sky faded to dark gray as the night began.
Item Stem:Revise the paragraph by choosing the phrase with the best descriptive detail to replace was pretty.
Options:A. had a whole lot of bright colors mixed togetherB. shone because it was almost time for darknessC. glowed with astonishing shades of pink and goldD. looked different than it usually does during the day
Distractor Analysis:A. This option makes grammatical and semantic sense as replacement for the phrase, but it contains only basic descriptive details.B. This option makes grammatical and semantic sense as replacement for the phrase, but gives a reason for the bright colors and not a precise description thereof.C. KEY: This phrase contains descriptive details about the beauty of the sky with a precise verb, an adjective of degree, and specific colors.D. This option makes grammatical and semantic sense as replacement for the phrase, but provides a comparison to the daytime color and not a precise description.
Math Grade 4 Selected Response Item
Key and Distractor Analysis:A Did not consider criteria of “multiple of 5”B Did not consider criteria of “factor of 100”C CorrectD Multiplied 100 and 5
44050500
Which number is both a factor of 100 and a multiple of 5?
A
B
C
D
ELA Grade 5 Selected Response Item
A flock of geese flies gracefully overhead. You wish you could seethe world as they see it. You wish you could fly and be as free asthey are. You wonder where they are going in such a hurry! Well, don't envy them too much, because they may be on a verylong, tiring journey. Many geese and other birds migrate thousands of miles every year. Some travel over 7,000 miles one way! Some may travel up to 1000 miles without even a rest stop,crossing the Gulf of Mexico or the Sahara Desert. These birds must follow their food supply and they must return to certain locations to breed.
They migrate to survive!Besides birds, some other long-distance travelers are fish, seaturtles, bears, caribou, whales, and porpoises. Some of thesekinds of animals are shrinking in population. Some are in dangerof disappearing forever. Scientists want to know what is happening to them and why. As part of the answer, they want toknow where the animals go, how they get there, and how longthey stay.
Item Stem:Read this sentence in Paragraph 3.
Scientists pick individual animals and fit them with lightweight,comfortable radio transmitters.
Which set of words has the same meanings as the underlined words?
Options:A. select, equipB. claim , connectC. examine, linkD. determine , tame
A good way to learn about animals is to track them from space.Scientists pick individual animals and fit them with lightweight,comfortable radio transmitters. Signals from the transmitters arereceived by special instruments on certain satellites as they passoverhead. These satellites are operated by the National Oceanicand Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The polar orbits of thesatellites let them see nearly every part of Earth as it rotatesbelow and receive signals from thousands of migrating animals.After the satellite gets the signal from the animal's transmitter, itrelays the information to a ground station. The ground stationthen sends the information to NASA's Goddard Space FlightCenter in Maryland. Goddard then sends the information aboutthe animal to the scientists, wherever they may be.
Tracking migrating animals using satellites may help us figure outhow to make their journeys as safe as possible and help themsurvive.
Stimulus Text:Read this text and then answer the question.
Animals on the Move
Math Grade 5 Selected Response Item
Key:1a. No1b. Yes1c. Yes1d. No
ELA Grade 6 Selected Response ItemStimulus Text:Read the following passage and then answer the question.
Have you seen pictures of Uncle Sam? He is a skinny man with a long white beard and a top hat. He usually wears the colors of the American flag: red, white, and blue. He has been a symbol of the United States for about two hundred years. Some people think that there was actually a real Uncle Sam, named Samuel Wilson. He lived in Troy, New York, in the early 1800s, he ran a business that delivered meat to the United States Army. The meat was delivered in barrels stamped “U.S.” The “U.S.” stamp was to show that it belonged to the United States government. The people delivering the meat knew that it came from Sam Wilson. They joked to the soldiers that the “U.S.” on the meat barrels stood for “Uncle Sam.” The joke spread. Soon, all over the country, “Uncle Sam” became another way of saying “United States.”
Item Stem:Select the correct way to revise the highlighted sentence.
Options:A. He lived in Troy, New York, in the early 1800s. There he had ran a business that delivered meat to the United States Army.B. He lived in Troy, New York, in the early 1800s he ran a business that delivers meat to the United States Army.C. He lived in Troy, New York in the early 1800s, and he ran a business that delivered meat to the United States Army.D. In the early 1800s, Sam Wilson lived in Troy, New York, and ran a business that delivered meat to the United States Army.
Math Grade 6 Selected Response Item
ELA Grade 7 Selected Response
Item
Stimulus Text:Read the passage and complete the task that follows it.
Orangutans
When they are hungry, they can use sticks to open their favoritefruit. These great apes can make at least 13 different kinds of noises to send messages to other orangutans; they can also “talk” to each other by making signs with their hands. Orangutans can easily learn to use zippers and to open latches. From watching humans, some have even learned to wash clothes and paddle canoes!
Item Stem:This paragraph about orangutans is missing a thesis statement.Select the most appropriate thesis statement to begin the paragraph.
Options:A. I am going to tell you about orangutans and their skills.B. Orangutans are very intelligent animals.C. Orangutans are the monkeys most like humans.D. Orangutans like to do many interesting things.
Math Grade 7 Selected Response Item
ELA Grade 8 Selected Response
Item
Stimulus Text:Below is a text about Native Americans. Read the text and answer the question that follows.
Native Americans
Archaeologists suggest that people arrived in several groups ortribes to America, from at least 15,000 years ago. The first Americans came from Asia and followed herds of grazing animals across a land bridge formed during the Ice Age. When the Earth began to warm, this land bridge disappeared and became the Bering Strait. The people journeyed on foot slowly southward into North America through a harsh landscape. They were excellent hunters and speared huge animals such as woolly mammoths and long-horned bison.
Item Stem:Which statement from the text shows how Native Americans survived in North America?
Options:A. “people arrived in several groups”B. “the Earth began to warm”C. “The people journeyed on foot slowly”D. “They were excellent hunters”
Math Grade 8 Selected Response Item
Purpose of Constructed Response Items
• Constructed Response Items – Address assessment targets and claims that
are of greater complexity – Require more analytical thinking and reasoning
Administration ofConstructed Response Items
• Administered during the computer-adaptive component
• Scored using artificial intelligence
• Most constructed response items take between 1 and 5 minutes to complete
• Some more complex items may take up to 10 minutes to complete
ELA Grade 3 Constructed
Response Item
Stimulus Text:Read the paragraph and complete the task that follows it.
Children should choose their own bedtime. There are thingsto do, and most have homework. Some people need more sleep, but children like talking to friends. The time to go to bed should be children’s decision when they are tired they go to bed earlier. There are activities to go to, so children learn to be responsible.
Item Prompt:Rewrite the paragraph by organizing it correctly and adding ideas that support the opinion that is given.
3
I think children should be allowed to choose their own bedtime. Children need a way to learn how to be responsible. Picking a bedtime is a good way to become more responsible. Children should think about the activities they have to do and how much homework they have when deciding what time to go to bed. Thinking about these things when deciding on a bedtime shows responsibility. Also, some people need more sleep than others, so this is something children can think about when they choose a bedtime. Making good choices helps children to be more responsible.
2Children should be allowed to pick a bedtime depending on how much homework and how many activities they have to do. Kids have a lot to do, but they have to learn how to be responsible for themselves. When kids choose their own bedtime, they can decide based on how much sleep they need.
1I think children should pick a bedtime depending on how much homework they have. When the kids have no homework, they should be able to stay up as late as they want. That way they can talk to their friends and enjoyactivities.
0 I usually go to bed at 9:00, after I watch my favorite shows.
Sample Responses:
Math Grade 3 Constructed Response Item
Ms. Clancy uses a backpack on a hiking trip. She took about 2 kg of food out of her backpack to make it lighter. The scale below shows how much the backpack weighed after she took out the food.
How much did the backpack weigh, in kg, before she took the food out? kg
ELA Grade 4 Constructed
Response Item
How the Leaves Came DownI'll tell you how the leaves came down.The great Tree to his children said,"You're getting sleepy, Yellow and Brown,Yes, very sleepy, little Red;It is quite time you went to bed.""Ah!" begged each silly, pouting leaf,"Let us a little longer stay;Dear Father Tree, behold our grief,'Tis such a very pleasant dayWe do not want to go away."So, just for one more merry dayTo the great Tree the leaflets clung,Frolicked and danced and had their way,Upon the autumn breezes swung,Whispering all their sports among,"Perhaps the great Tree will forgetAnd let us stay until the springIf we all beg and coax and fret."But the great Tree did no such thing;He smiled to hear their whispering.
The Little CaptiveOne day Bessie’s mother said to her that she must openthe cage, and let the bird fly away. “No, no mother!” saidBessie, “don’t say so. I take such comfort in him, I can’t let himgo.” But the next moment she remembered how unhappy itmade her to disobey her mother; and, taking down the cage, she opened the door.To her great surprise, her little captive did not care totake the freedom offered him. After a while he seemed tounderstand that he was expected to come out of the cage; andwhat do you think was the first thing that the little bird did?Why, he lighted right on Bessie’s shoulder, as if he hated toleave her.Bessie was pleased enough to see him so tame. Shetook him in her hand, and, carrying him to the window, heldhim out until he soared away into the air. But he did not forgethis adopted home; for the next day, while Bessie was at dinner,she heard a flutter of wings, and again the bird perched uponher shoulder. After pecking some crumbs from the table-cloth,away he flew again out of the window.But, my dear little friends, you will be surprised when Itell you that day after day, for two or three weeks, that littlerobin made a visit to Bessie’s house.
Stimulus Text:Below is part of a poem about leaves and a story about a robin. Read the two texts and think about how they are similar and then answer the question that follows.
Item Prompt:Compare how the actions of the leaves are similar to the actions of the little robin. Use details from both texts to explain similarities.
Math Grade 4 Constructed Response Item
Spencer uses his hand to measure different lengths. He knows that the length of his hand is 6 inches, as shown below.
The table below shows the total number of hand lengths that Spencer used to measure each object.
Measuring Objects
Object Number of Hand Lengths
Number of Inches
Number of Feet
Computer Monitor 4
Picture Frame 6Classroom Door 16
Complete the table above. Click in a box and then type the correct number of inches or feet for each number of Spencer’s hand lengths.
Use Spencer’s measurement to identify each object below that has a length that is greater than 1 yard.
Computer Monitor Picture Frame Classroom Door
ELA Grade 5 Constructed
Response Item
Stimulus Text:The Peaches
A farmer bought five peaches. He gave one to his wife and oneto each of his four sons. The next day, he asked his sons whatthey had done with their peaches. The oldest son told him thathe planted the seed of the peach in the ground to grow a peachtree. The second son told his father that he sold his peach so hecould buy more. The youngest son told his father that he ate hispeach and half of his mother’s, too. The third son told his fatherthat he gave his peach to a sick neighbor. The father told hissons that one of them used his peach in the best way.
Item Prompt:Rewrite the story by adding dialogue, descriptive details, and aconclusion without changing the events or characters.
Math Grade 5 Constructed Response ItemClassify each shape according to its sides and angles. All shapes must be placed in at least one box.• If a shape isn’t a square, rectangle, rhombus, or parallelogram, then place it in the box labeled “Other.”• If a shape meets the properties of more than one category, it must be placed into the boxes of all the types of shapes it can be classified as.
ELA Grade 6 Constructed
Response Item
Stimulus Text:The following excerpt comes from Gary Soto’s novel Summer on Wheels.
Bentley sat at the kitchen table running an ice cube back and forth across the knot on his forehead. The knot was like a speed bump. The ice cube glided across smooth skin before it jumped up and over the knot. Bentley whimpered like the puppy he was. He had flown over the handlebars and not only hurt his head, but also scraped his elbows and chin. And the air left his lungs when he belly flopped. It took a full minute before he could get enough air back into his system to complain, “Golly, that smarted.”
Item Prompt:The highlighted sentence from Summer on Wheels includes a literary device.• What does the literary device used mean?• Why did the author most likely select the literary device for this description?
Write a 2–3 sentence answer responding to these questions.
Interpret figurative language use (e.g., personification, metaphor), literary devices, or connotative meanings of words and phrases used in context and their impact on reader interpretation.
Math Grade 6 Constructed Response Item
ELA Grade 7 Constructed Response Item
Stimulus Text:In the following passage from Jamaica Kincaid’s novel Annie John, the narrator describes her first morning at a new school, as she watches the other students.
from Annie Johnby Jamaica Kincaid
When I looked at them, they made up a sea. They were walking in and out among the beds of flowers, all across the fields, all across the courtyard, in and out of classrooms. Except for me, no one seemed a stranger to anything or anyone. Hearing the way they greeted each other, I couldn’t be sure that they hadn’t all come out of the same woman’s belly, and at the same time, too. Looking at them, I was suddenly glad that because I had wanted to avoid an argument with my mother I had eaten all my breakfast, for now I surely would have fainted if I had been in any more weakened a condition.
Item Prompt:Summarize in your own words the way Annie John feels during her first morning at school. Support your answer with details from the passage.
Math Grade 7 Constructed
Response Item
ELA Grade 8 Constructed Response Item
Stimulus Text:Italy
By Charlotte Mary Yonge
I am going to tell you next about the most famous nation in the world. Going westward from Greece another peninsula stretches down into the Mediterranean. The Apennine Mountains run like a limb stretching out of the Alps to the south eastward, and on them seems formed that land, shaped somewhat like a leg, which is called Italy.
Round the streams that flowed down from these hills, valleys of fertile soil formed themselves, and a great many different tribes and people took up their abode there, before there was any history to explain their coming. Putting together what can be proved about them, it is plain, however, that most of them came of that old stock from which the Greeks descended, and they spoke a language which had the same root as modern English and as the Greek. From one of these nations the best known form of this, as it was polished in later times, was called Latin, from the tribe who spoke it.
Item Prompt:The author uses the phrase “polished in later time” to describe the Latin language. Use information from the text to explain what this phrase reveals about the history of Italy presented in] the text.
Math Grade 8 Constructed
Response Item
Technology-Enhanced Items
• Specialized interaction
• May have digital media for stimulus
• Same requirements as selected and constructed response items
• Students manipulate information
• Defined responses
Technology-Enhanced Items
• Digital Media– Video– Animation– Sound
• Response Types– Selected Response– Constructed Response
Example: Listen to President Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural address and then write an essay analyzing metaphors used regarding foreign policy.
Example:View video and write a summary explaining steps in a process.
Key Components of a Technology-Enhanced Item
The notes for a summary need to be arranged correctly in the order in which the events occurred in the passage. Click on each sentence and move it to arrange the sentence into correct chronological order.
Summary of Events:Maria laughs with the old women.The guest and family eat dinner.Maria’s mother asks the guests for a story.Maria’s guests arrive.Maria becomes sad.The guests take turn telling stories.
INTERACTION SPACE
RememberWhen you can no more hold me
by the hand,Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you plann’d:
Only remember me; you understandIt will be late to counsel then or pray.Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve.
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige* of the thoughts that once I hadBetter by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.
The notes for a summary need to be arranged correctly in the order in which the events occurred in the passage. Click on each sentence and move it to arrange the sentence into correct chronological order.
Summary of Events:Maria laughs with the old women.The guest and family eat dinner.Maria’s mother asks the guests for a story.Maria’s guests arrive.Maria becomes sad.The guests take turn telling stories.
Below is a poem, a sonnet, in which the speaker discusses her feelings about a relationship. Read the poem and answer the question that follows.
RememberWhen you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you plann’d:Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve.For if the darkness and corruption leaveA vestige* of the thoughts that once I had
Better by far you should forget and smileThan that you should remember and be sad.
*vestige: a mark, trace, or visible evidence of something that is no longer present or evident.
In the sonnet “Remember,” which two lines reveals a change in the speaker’s message to her subject?
Technology-Enhanced Item Types
Common English Language Arts Technology-Enhanced item types
Classify each word below based on whether it is a verb or a noun. Verbs Nouns
Doll Run Dog Swim Eat
– Dropdowns– Classification– Reorder text– Select and order– Select text
Math Grade 3 Technology Enhanced ItemShade of the rectangle below. Use the line tool to divide the rectangle by creating horizontal and vertical lines.
Sample Top Score Response:
46
Math Grade 4 Technology Enhanced ItemDraw a line of symmetry through the figure below. Click on an intersection of grid lines to make the first point on the line. To make the second point, move the pointer and click on a different intersection of gridlines. The line will automatically be drawn between the two points. If you make a mistake, click on the Clear button.
Sample Top Score Response:
Math Grade 5 Technology Enhanced
Item
ELA Grade 6 Technology Enhanced ItemStimulus Text:
Sojourner TruthThe following passage is about the African-American activist Sojourner Truth, who lived in the 1800s.
Perhaps it was her dignity, or her sincerity, or that mighty voice, but when Sojourner Truth spoke people listened. Across her chest she wore a banner that said, PROCLAIM LIBERTY THROUGHOUT ALL THE LAND UNTO ALL THE INHABITANTS THEREOF. Those words from the Bible are written on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.
Sojourner Truth soon became famous. Harriet Beecher Stowe, a well-known writer, was her friend, and Abraham Lincoln invited her to the White House. She spoke out against injustice, wherever she found it. She worked for women’s rights, black rights, prison reform, and temperance. Once, a man tried to make fun of her, saying, “I don’t care any more for your talk than I do for the bite of a flea.”
Sojourner Truth chuckled as she replied, “Maybe not, but the Lord willing, just like the flea, I’ll keep you scratching.” Nineteenth-century women did keep people scratching. They were working in factories, speaking in public, writing for newspapers, and fighting for causes they believed in.
Item Stem:Read the statement below, and then answer the question that follows it.
“Joy Hakim, the author of this passage, admires Sojourner Truth for her ability to change peoples’ ideas.”
How can you tell that the above statement is true? Click on a sentence in the passage that could be used as evidence to support this statement.
ELA Grade 6 Technology Enhanced
Item
Math Grade 6 Technology Enhanced Item
Math Grade 7 Technology Enhanced
Item
ELA Grade 8 Technology
Enhanced Item
Stimulus Text:Below is a poem, a sonnet, in which the speaker discusses her feelings about a relationship. Read the poem and answer the question that follows.
Rememberby Christina Rossetti
Remember me when I am gone away,Gone far away into the silent land;When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you plann'd:Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige* of the thoughts that once I had,Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.
*vestige: a mark, trace, or visible evidence of something that is no longer present or evident.
Item Stem:In the sonnet “Remember,” which two lines reveals a change in the speaker’s message to the one she loves?
Math Grade 8 Technology Enhanced
Item
ELA Performance Tasks
ELA Grade 3 Performance Task
Task Overview (105 total minutes):Title: Visiting the Dentist
Part 1 (35 minutes): Ultimately tasked with writing an informational essay telling how tomaintain good dental health, students will be introduced to the topic through watching ashort video and reading two articles, taking notes on these sources. They will then respond to three constructed-response questions addressing the research skills of analyzing and evaluating information.
Part 2 (70 minutes): Finally, students will work individually to compose a full-lengthinformational essay telling how to maintain good dental health, referring to details from the video or the texts. Students may also refer to their notes or back to the video or passages as needed. Pre-writing, drafting and revising will be involved.
Scorable ProductsStudent responses to the constructed-response questions at the end of part 1 and the essay completed in part 2 will be scored.
ELA Grade 4 Performance TaskTask Overview (105 total minutes):Title: Civil War Quilts
Part 1 (35 minutes)Ultimately tasked with writing an informative essay on Civil Warquilts, students will read articles and view a video and several photographs, taking noteson these sources. They will then respond to three constructed-response questionsaddressing the research skills of analyzing and evaluating information.
Part 2 (70 minutes)Students will work individually on drafting, composing, and revisingan informative essay about Civil War quilts. Students may use their notes to help plan their essay. Pre-writing, drafting, and revising will be involved.
Scorable ProductsStudent responses
ELA Grade 5 Performance TaskTask Overview:Title: Pollution on Land and in Space
Part 1 (35 minutes)Before writing an essay comparing the problem of pollution on Earth to the problem ofpollution in space, students will be introduced to the topic through watching a short video, reading two informative texts, and answering research questions on the topic. Students may take notes on what they view and read. Students should also have access to the video and texts throughout the performance task. After watching and reading, students will then respond individually to selected-response items and constructed-response items.
Part 2 (70 minutes)Finally, students will work individually to compose a full-length informational essaycomparing the problem of pollution on Earth to the problem of pollution in space, referring to details from the video or the texts. Students may also refer to their notes or back to the video or passages as needed. Drafting and revising will be involved.
Scorable ProductsStudent responses to the selected-response and constructed-response questions in part 1 and the essay in part 2 will be scored.
ELA Grade 6 Performance TaskTask Overview (105 total minutes) Title: Young Wonders
Part 1 (35 minutes) Students plan and research for their speeches. They research a word meaning and apply the definition to a concept. They watch and analyze a video clip and read an interview about the altruistic acts of two young people. They analyze three websites to identify which would be most useful for researching another young wonder. They research a third young person that helps others and take notes on the information about that person.
Part 2 (70 minutes) Students write an outline about the young wonder they researched to plan their speeches. They create or select a visual or audio representation of the young wonder they researched. They give a speech about the young wonder using the visual or audio representation to support the speech and explaining how the representation is relevant to the young wonder.
Scorable ProductsStudent responses to the constructed-response questions and the essay will be scored.
ELA Grade 7 Performance TaskTask Overview (105 total minutes) Title: Narrating History
Part 1 (35 minutes)Ultimately tasked with writing an historical narrative, students will read an article and two stories and view a video, taking notes on these sources. They will then respond to three constructed-response questions addressing the research skills of analyzing and evaluating information.
Part 2 (70 minutes)Students will work individually to compose full-length historical narratives, referring to their notes as needed. Pre-writing, drafting, and revising will be involved.
Scorable ProductsStudent responses to the constructed-response questions and the narrative will be scored.
ELA Grade 8 Performance TaskTask Overview (105 total minutes) Title: Positive Digital Footprint
Part 1 (35 minutes)Students will watch a video introducing the idea of positive digital footprints and explaining why they are important in today’s world. They will also read an article about using social networking tools, such as Facebook, to build a positive digital footprint and excerpts from a blog as an example of how one student has created a positive footprint. They will then respond to three constructed-response questions addressing the research skills of analyzing and evaluating information.
Part 2 (70 minutes)Students will work individually to compose full-length informational essays on the benefits of creating a positive digital footprint and the different ways to accomplish this. Pre-writing, drafting, and revising will be involved.
Scorable Products: Student responses to the constructed-response questions and the essay will be scored.
Math Performance Tasks
Math Grade 3 Performance TaskTask Overview: Modeling & Data AnalysisStudents collect and analyze data in order to determine total cost of school-wide tool kits in comparison to budgets.
Students are asked to gather and organize data, graph the data, and use the data to solve real-world scenarios. Students will use this information from graphs to justify a conclusion.
Teacher SurveyDirections: For each tool kit, circle the top five tools, based on usefulness for the class, that you believe should be in each teacher’s tool kit.
Please return your survey to ______________ by __________.
Math Tool Kit Science Tool
ClockPlace Value Blocks
CalculatorPattern Blocks
Fraction SetCoins
Tangrams
ThermometersBeakers
Safety GogglesTape Measure
MagnetsMagnifying Lens
Compass
Math Grade 4 Performance TaskExample 1Task Overview: Measurement and DataThe student assumes the role of a grocery store manager opening a new store. In a group and individually, the student completes tasks that lead up to the opening of the store. The student uses content from the domains of measurement and data, numbers and operations in base ten, and operations and algebraic thinking to accomplish these tasks.
Example 2Task Overview: Modeling & Data AnalysisStudents are asked to develop various features of a robot given specific guidelines that must be followed.
Math Grade 5 Performance TaskExample 1Task Overview: Numbers and Operations in Base TenThe student uses concepts of number and operations in base ten and fractions to accomplish tasks required of a committee member as part of planning an end of the year festival. The work is supported by calculations and explanations of reasoning.
Example 2Task Overview: Measurement and DataStudents must perform various calculations in order to find the lowest cost for a specified amount of volume using fixed storage space dimensions.
The student uses problem-solving strategies to organize the area of rectangles within a given amount of space. The student uses numeric operations to find the volume of rectangular prisms, the monthly cost, and the average cost per unit. The student justifies why the original mathematical model is insufficient and makes improvements given the original data. Finally, the student uses problem-solving strategies based upon the new data he/she created to answer various mathematical concepts.
Math Grade 6 Performance TaskExample 1Task Overview: Rations and Proportional RelationshipsStudents must calculate various ratios and proportions when constructing a beaded bracelet and necklace. Additionally, students must perform calculations to determine the cost of the items and the possible amount of profit, given certain criteria.
Example 2Task Overview: Expressions and EquationsStudents must work through various calculations in order to find the best deal, area, perimeter, and volume of each garden.
Math Grade 7 Performance TaskExample 1Task Overview: GeometryThe student will use the content for the domains of geometry, ratios and proportional relationships, and measurement and data to explore methods for remodeling a bedroom. The student will use the content for the domains of geometry, ratios and proportional relationships, and measurement and data to make a scale drawing.
Example 2Task Overview: Expressions and EquationsA school must choose among three plans for a fundraiser to buy new books for the library. The student will evaluate a variety of information, claims, and projections to help choose a plan for the fundraiser.
Example 3Task Overview: Statistics and ProbabilityThe student is introduced to 2010 census data regarding the amount of time workers take to get to their jobs. The student or a group of students gather(s) data from the community regarding this topic. The student will create data displays (histogram and box plot) and use these displays to answer questions. The student converts the data to percentages in order to compare community times versus national times. The student will use this information to answer a series of questions. The student will use content knowledge of statistics and probability, as well as ratios and proportional relationships to complete these tasks.
Math Grade 8 Performance Task
Task OverviewThe student must use information derived from research to estimate the costs to adopt and maintain a pet. This work will be supported by the use of calculations, graphical representation of data, and generalizations using algebra.
Pre-work: In groups or as a whole class, students brainstorm what items are needed to maintain a pet over time.
Day 1: With partners, students decide which type of pet they want to adopt. Students use a set of provided “Web sites” to look up the costs of necessary items for the chosen pet.
Day 2: Students individually estimate the cost of adopting and maintaining their chosen pet for 1 year. Students explain why their estimate is reasonable. As part of the explanation, the student must make and refer to a line graph showing the monthly increase in money spent over the year.
Math Grade 8 Performance TaskTask OverviewDuring the task, the student assumes the role of a member of the finance committee of a town council who is given the responsibility of determining the best plan for constructing a water tank or tower for the town. The student completes tasks in which he or she investigates the costs associated with building the water tank or tower in different locations, as well as the costs associated with the different designs, and then combines this information with some survey data to make a recommendation to the council. This investigation is done in class using spreadsheets and a calculator.
Table Think, Table Talk!
• How do you anticipate these decisions being made in your school and district?
• How might the practitioner voice get included in the decision-making?
• What are the implications for your work?
Clarify a Plan of Action
• What do my students need to know and be able to do to demonstrate this standards?
• What do I, the teacher, need to do to develop my students’ knowledge and skills to ensure my students can demonstrate their skills?
For Further Information
California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress CAASPP Office
CDE Smarter Balanced Field Test Web Pagehttp://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sa/smarterfieldtest.asp
Smarter Balanced Technology Readiness Tool (TRT)http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sa/sbac-itr-index.asp
California Technical Assistance Centerhttp://californiatac.org/
1-800-955-2954
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