SMARTER BALANCED ASSESSMENTS Presented by: Nicole Joyner, Stephanie - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

SMARTER BALANCED ASSESSMENTS Presented by: Nicole Joyner, Stephanie Hearne, and Cedric Latreille Academic Town Hall Meeting April 16, 2013

2 Session Overview • Introductions • Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) Overview • The Next Generation of Assessments • Computer-Based Testing • SBAC Pilot Testing in WCCUSD • Practice Test Demonstration • SBAC Pilot Testing in WCCUSD Feedback from Staff and Students • Questions and Contacts

3 Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium Overview In 2010, the U.S. Department of Education awarded $330 million to two groups of states to develop a valid, reliable, and fair system of next-generation assessments: 1) The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) and 2) The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC).

4 Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium Overview (Cont.) The State of California is a member and a governing state of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, which means that we have the authority to cast decision-making votes on test design and policy.

5 Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium Overview (Cont.) By 2014, the SBAC will develop a system of next-generation assessments for English language arts/literacy and mathematics for grades 3-8 and 11 aligned to Common Core State Standards. The assessment system will include: • A computer adaptive summative assessment administered during the last 12 weeks of the school year. • Optional computer adaptive interim assessments administered at locally determined intervals. • Formative tools and resources that help teachers differentiate instruction and meet the unique needs of each student. • An online reporting system that provides access information about student progress toward college and career readiness.

6 Next Generation of Assessments Assessments will be more rigorous and measure student progress toward “college and career readiness” by going beyond multiple choice (selected response), and will include: • short constructed responses • technology enhanced items • performance tasks They will have common, comparable scores across different states and provide achievement and growth information to help make better educational decisions. They will assess all students except those with “significant cognitive disabilities.” They will be operational in the 2014-15 school year.

7 Next Generation of Assessments (Cont.) Assessments administered online will make use of computer adaptive technology: • More precise and efficient than fixed- form testing • Adjust to a student’s ability • Provide more accurate measurement of student achievement Assessment results will be available in weeks, not months. Faster results mean that teachers can use the information throughout the school year to differentiate instruction and better meet the unique needs of their students.

8 Smarter Balance Pilot Testing The purpose of the Smarter Balance Pilot Testing is to: • Gather data about the implementation of the Online Testing System, the functioning of the items, and test administration procedures. • Identify and inform areas of improvement prior to the 2014 field test and 2015 operational administrations. The benefits for Districts and Schools are to: • Afford participating districts and schools an opportunity to interact with the Online Testing System containing new item types that will be part of future Smarter Balanced assessments. • Empower states to help inform decisions about the assessments that will go “live” in the 2014– 2015 school year. • Provide a preview into the next generation of online tests.

9 Pilot Assessment Design Content areas include English Language Arts (Reading and Writing) and Mathematics for students in grades 3 – 11. The pilot test is not timed. Selected grades and content areas may take one of the three following assessment types: Type 1: This type consists of only the computer- administered items which include selected response, technology-enhanced, and short constructed-response items . Type 2: This type consists of the computer-administered items plus one individual performance task (PT.) A PT requires students to answer a set of questions in response to a prompt or set of prompts. Type 3: Will not be administered during spring pilot. Type 4: Computer-administered test items plus one PT with a classroom activity . Testing time varies between 105-250 minutes depending on content area and grade level – however, most testing sessions will be administered in 3-hour blocks to allow for training and login activities.

10 WCCUSD Participation Only WCCUSD students who are enrolled in the following selected schools and grades may participate in the Smarter Balanced Pilot Test : School Testing Window # of Grade Levels / Content Areas / # of Students Computers Test Type 197 34 Downer Grade 5, Math (Type 4) 3/14-3/27 and Grade 6, ELA (Type 2) 4/8-4/11 115 34 King Grade 5, Math (Type 2) 3/14-3/27 and Grade 6, ELA (Type 1) 5/6-5/10 112 32 3/14-3/27 Mira Vista Grade 6, Math (Type 1) Grade 7, ELA (Type 2) 150 34 Tara Hills Grade 5, Math (Type 2) 3/14-3/27 and Grade 6, ELA (Type 2) 4/8-4/11 428 50 3/14-3/27 Kennedy Grade 10, ELA (Type 2) Grade 11, ELA (Type 4) 687 70 Pinole Valley Grade 10, ELA (Type 1) 3/14-3/27 and Grade 11, ELA (Type 1) 4/8-4/11

11 Practice Test Demonstration

12 Pilot Testing Feedback Successes Challenges Staff Staff • Test Administrators interface was very user • Many teachers felt the test was too long - specifically friendly the ELA test. Some reading passages were a bit confusing • Do not have to process test booklets, answer documents, pencils, etc. • Administrative resources should be in one place (too many manuals to sift and read through) • Built in accommodations are a plus • Would need to spend time teaching students keyboarding skills Students • Elementary students generally enjoyed • Diagnostic menu option should not be displayed on taking the test and enjoyed using the the student login screen computer Students • Students liked the highlighting function • High school students found the test difficult and too long. • Liked typing instead of writing the essays • Videos didn’t work properly; could not listen to or go back to specific segments

13 Pilot Testing Feedback (Cont.) Excerpts from Student Letters: Grade 6 “ My experience from the smarter balance test was great. I liked how we can type our answers out. It also helped to type faster. I just loved how it gives my brain something to think about. I didn’t like that when there is a question that involves sound, you can’t hear and you also miss out on recess. But if that’s what it takes to get good grades, I’m in”. “ The experience of taking the test online was fun but a bit difficult for me. The difficult thing was having to hear the passage. Some words I couldn’t hear. The fun part was the very last question when we had to type the essay letter. It helped me improve with my typing skills. This was interesting because this was my first time seeing a test on a computer (besides a job application online). Anyway, I hope that the future 6 th graders will like taking this test”. “The Smarter Balance test on the computer was actually pretty fun because I got to type instead of writing. It really made it easier to write longer and more specific answers. Although I didn’t like the videos. If testing on the computers is going to be used in the future, I suggest they should fix the videos”.

14 Questions and Contacts WCCUSD Assessment Department Phone: (510) 307-4515 Email: assessment@wccusd.net CDE’s SBAC website - http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sa/smarterbalanced.asp SBAC website - http://www.smarterbalanced.org/