Lauren Shelley

Background
Our country is currently shifting its thinking about the standards for education each
state withholds. There has been a massive movement towards the common core which
was originated to align all states to have the same set of standards. previously states
were expected to develop and manage the education standards independently. Now
forty five states have adopted the common core set of standards. This mutual
agreement has shifted the structure and goals of our schools nation wide. Due to this
shift, our districts and states have needed to supplement testing standards according to
the No Child Left Behind Act. Many of the states that have adopted common core are
piloting a new assessment that is taken completely online.
The beginning of the SBAC era.
The project began its field test with 22 states and hundreds of schools. There have
been two school years in which the field testing has been implemented. In both years
the assessments have been given in the last 12 weeks of school. The second year of
field testing began in classrooms March 25th and will end on June 6th of this year. The
Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium is one of two multi-state consortia adopted
and funded by the US department of Education. It was recognized due to the alignment
the assessment has with the common core. The project is funded through a grant given
by the US department of education and consists of educators, researchers,
policymakers, and community groups. The project works collectively toward one goal to
support students to reach a level of college readiness. The project is currently funded by
a four year grant but is expected to be adopted after the initial testing by the member
states and will not seek to be funded by the US department of education after the grant.
Lauren Shelley
While only the field testing portion of the assessment if underway currently, the overall
plan is to implement this assessment during the 2014-2015 school year. Below is a
timeline of the projected development of the SBAC
The field testing this school is a guide for creators of the assessment to ensure equity
and fairness within the assessments across 3rd-12th grade. According to the website
www.smarterbalanced.org the purpose of the Consortium is; The Smarter Balanced
Assessment Consortium (Smarter Balanced) is a state-led consortium working to
develop next-generation assessments that accurately measure student progress toward
college- and career-readiness. Smarter Balanced is one of two multistate consortia
awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Education in 2010 to develop an
assessment system aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) by the 2014-
15 school year.
The specifics of the SBAC
Lauren Shelley
The assessment is structured to be taken through any variation of computer that
includes; headphones, a screen, mouse, operating system and internet connection. The
test was designed to be computer-adaptive testing. In other words, a student is given a
challenge question when they answer correctly or is given more appropriately leveled
questions when answered incorrectly. This is a feature that should assist students in
receiving an equal opportunity based on their abilities and not on a set strand of
questions.
The creators of the balanced assessment collected data from the Technology
Readiness Tool that inventoried the technology that was accessible in school districs
around the country. Based on their data they assume the majority of the districts
participating in the assessment will have access to the minimum technology
requirements to complete the assessments. The issue I percieve arising is that the
majority does not mean all. If the common core and the SBAC share the goal to align
the requirements and expectations for education, then it needs to be accessible to ALL.
Not just the majority. For the first three years of testing to assist schoold with
transitioning to the assessment online they are also offering a paper and pencil option.
However this does not follow the same adaptive format in which the online assessment
offers. The other advantages of the online assessment is that teachers, administrators
and parents can receive test scores within weeks instead of months. The test results
can be formatted and organized in several different ways to best suit the needs and
findings that the districts choose to focus on.
The main difference between the SBAC and current assessments is the connection 21st
century skills and evaluation of real life problems and situations. The SBAC includes a
Lauren Shelley
portion called the performance task. They are a set of questions and activities that are
connected to one specific theme/scenario. These activities are meant to measure
capacities such as depth of understanding, research skills, and complex analysis. The
questions are in open type format which was unlike STAR testing or the other states
equivalent. Students will need to use a keyboard and mouse to manipulate their
responses. Because this assessment uses this type of technology, our students will
now be expected to navigate the computer naturally and independently.
As I mentioned before, the field testing is the only aspect of the assessment being given
as of right now. After June 6th the creators of the assessment will evaluate the results
and responses from the various schools. During the last 12 weeks of the 2014-2015
school year we expect to have the true SBAC being used by all participating.
A discussion of the SBAC
In my personal opinion there are many advantages to the SBAC project. First and
foremost is the push and recognition of the use of technology in education. This
assessment alone will make great strides in the area of technology and we are only
beginning to see the tip of the iceberg of the influence to come. The second most
significant feature is that it is an assessment that will create an environment of equality
across our country. Along with the common core, the SBAC will help our students to be
assessed for skills to that help them be collaborative, communicative and creative for
the real world. As our economy changes, so does our education. While as educators
we realize the importance of assessment and accountability, the No Child Left Behind
has been a way to clump the students into categories. The assessments of the past
Lauren Shelley
were not always accurate displays of the knowledge that our students possess and the
type of work we are doing inside the classrooms.
As I mentioned before there could be the disadvantage of not all districts having the
same opportunity do to the lack of access to the technology requirements. however, the
project is still offering a variation using pencil and paper which does help to close the
divide. There will need to be more funding and grants in the future to help all districts
have the same access to the SBAC computer testing however.
Overall, I think the project as a whole will help our education systems to move in the
right direction for the 21st century learners we are trying to mold our students into. I will
be interested to see the progress that the assessments make after the completion of the
field testing. I believe by the continued reflection and corrections made to the
assessment we can rely on it as a equal and formable option for reflecting on the
abilities of our students.