Index of archived SBAC e-mail updates
SBAC CDE News
- Architecture Review Board Members Announced
- Pilot Test Item Research and Development Contract Awarded
- Technology Readiness Data Collection Pilot Update
The SBAC CDE weekly update is an email sent each week to inform California educators and parents of new developments and upcoming events. Please feel free to share information in the update with those who are interested in the SBAC CDE’s work.
SBAC Announcements
- Architecture Review Board Members Announced — SBAC has selected the members of the Architecture Review Board (ARB) for the Systems Architecture Initiative. ARB members were nominated by Smarter Balanced Governing States, selected by the Technical Assistance Working Group (TAWG), and formally approved by the Executive Committee. Two members have been chosen to represent California. Rodney Okamoto, Data Processing Manager III, Technology Services Division from the California Department of Education was voted to sit on the board as a TAWG representative. John Fleischman, Assistant Superintendent of Technology Services, Sacramento County Office of Education, has been selected to the ARB to represent California local educational agencies. The other national members include:
- Karl Buchanan, Wasatch District IT Director, Wasatch School District, Utah
- Glenn Gorton, IT Client Services Director, Michigan Department of Education
- Josh Klein, Chief Information Officer, Oregon Department of Education
- Brenda Williams, Division Lead, Superintendent’s Office, Office of Technology, West Virginia Department of Education
- David Wu, Assistant Superintendent, Hawaii Department of Education
- Jason Young, Data Manager—Longitudinal Data Systems, Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
- Phil Emer, Director of Technology Planning and Policy, North Carolina State University
- Pilot Test Item Research and Development Contract Awarded—SBAC has awarded CTB/McGraw-Hill the contract for RFP-14 Pilot Item/Task/Stimulus Research, Development, and Reviews. CTB/McGraw-Hill will work with the Item Development and Performance Tasks Work Groups to research and develop items for the pilot test, and will be working in partnership with American Institutes for Research, Data Recognition Corporation, Council for Aid to Education, College Board, and Human Resources Research Organization.
- Technology Readiness Data Collection Pilot Update—To ensure that district and school staff time is used effectively, SBAC and CDE have implemented a phased rollout of the Technology Readiness Tool. This tool helps states identify how ready their schools are to support a system of online assessments. To make the first data collection window effort as easy as possible, CDE is working with over 38 pilot districts in each of the eleven California service regions to test the system to provide CDE feedback and suggestions for improving the local educational agencies’ (LEAs) experience with the tool. The pilot districts will test the system from March 20, 2012 through April 9, 2012. The statewide data collection window will open April 16, 2012 and end June 14, 2012.
SBAC CDE Upcoming Events
Technology Readiness Data Collection Rollout— The following timeline outlines the CDE Technology Readiness Data Collection Rollout for California LEAs.
- March 20–April 9, Pilot Districts Test Data Collection: To facilitate the success of the data collection window, CDE is working with these pilot districts to test the system to provide feedback and suggestions for improving the experience with the tool.
- April 9–16, CDE will consider the issues and challenges encountered during the pilot period, solidify the state-specific frequently asked questions (FAQs), and help enhance the SBAC FAQs to improve the experience with all of the LEAs. CDE will host a statewide Technology Readiness Webinar that will offer different modules to help the field navigate through the Technology Readiness tool.
- April 16–June 14, Begin Statewide LEAS Data Collection: Use both the lessons learned from the pilot districts and the enhanced FAQs to support California’s statewide rollout.
Prior to April 16, CDE will host a statewide Technology Readiness Webinar (we need to state what the purpose of this is) that will be archived and available on the CDE Web site SBAC page. As additional information on the Technology Readiness Tool is made available, CDE will provide the latest information in the SBAC CDE weekly updates and on the CDE Web site as noted above.
SBAC CDE Resources
- Join the SBAC CDE electronic mailing list by sending a blank e-mail to subscribe-sbac@mlist.cde.ca.gov.
- To receive Common Core State Standards CDE Updates via e-mail notification, subscribe to the from CDE listserv by sending a blank message to join-commoncore@mlist.cde.ca.gov.
- SBAC CDE Web site—The Smarter Balanced CDE Web site includes access to archived SBAC CDE Updates, resources, and presentations.
- SBAC External Web site—The Smarter Balanced external Web site (Outside Source) showcases the SBAC work and provides frequent updates on activities, milestones, and events.
- A survey of more than 10,000 teachers conducted by Scholastic and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation sheds new light on how teachers view key issues in education. Among the interesting findings: Nearly 4 in 5 teachers are aware of the Common Core State Standards. Teachers also report that they need tools and supports to effectively implement the standards, such as professional development, curriculum resources, and formative assessments. The full report is available at the Scholastic Primary Sources Web page (Outside Source).
- A list of the parameters collected by the SBAC Information Technology (IT) Readiness Tool for the spring 2012 data collection can be found on the CDE SBAC IT Readiness Tool Parameters Web page.
- The IT architecture and requirements are now available online at the SBAC Technology Web page (Outside Source; refer to section titled "IT Systems Architecture Reports and Resources").
SBAC Questions/Answers of the Week
Q: How can educators get involved in the development and review of items/tasks?
A: In March 2012, SBAC awarded RFP-14 Pilot Item/Task/Stimulus Research, Development, and Reviews to CTB/McGraw-Hill. Through this contract, SBAC will research the performance of innovative items and tasks through cognitive labs and limited field trials; develop the first 10,000 items and tasks (out of the total 47,000) for pilot testing in spring 2013; and analyze the results. The contractor will hire and train educators from SBAC states to write and review items and tasks for content, bias, and sensitivity based on the guidelines being developed through RFP-04 Item Specifications. Details about how teachers can apply for item/task writing and item/task review positions will be available shortly. Information about how schools can volunteer to participate in the pilot testing in spring 2013 will be available this summer. SBAC will field test its full array of its 47,000 items and tasks in spring 2014. Teacher recruitment for writing those items/tasks and for participation in the field testing will occur in the 2013-14 school year.
Q: How will scores on the summative assessment be comparable if some students take it at the beginning of the 12-week administration window, while others are tested at the end?
A: The summative assessment will be administered during the last 12 weeks of the school year. This administration window is designed to allow states and school districts flexibility to ensure that all students have access to the technology resources required to administer the assessment. However, depending on the school year calendar and technology capacity at the local level, it also means that some students could take the summative assessment weeks earlier than others. SBAC will continue to evaluate the impact of the summative assessment administration window on student scores during the Pilot Test (early 2013) and the Field Test (early 2014) to determine if adjustments in scoring or administration are necessary.
