Index of archived SBAC e-mail updates
SBAC CDE News
- Discussion on Best Practices for Assessing Students with Disabilities
- Higher Education Architecture Review Board (ARB) Members Named
- Technology Readiness Data Collection Window Extended
- Guidelines for Purchasing New Hardware
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.
- Discussion on Best Practices for Assessing Students with Disabilities—(An Update from SBAC Executive Director, Joe Wilhoft) The U.S. Department of Education recently held the fourth in a series of public meetings on issues related to the Race to the Top Assessment Program. Sponsored by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) and the Implementation and Support Unit (ISU), in partnership with the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), this session focused on research and best practices for assessing students with disabilities through mainstream tests. The assessments being developed by SBAC will be administered to many students who formerly participated in state-developed alternate assessments (sometimes called “two percent assessments”). This public meeting provided findings from research on the alternate assessments that provide a wealth of information about how to develop and pilot assessment items with special populations; provide appropriate accommodations for low-performing students; and incorporate the principles of Universal Design for Learning. This meeting was particularly timely, as SBAC member states are now reviewing a draft of the SBAC accessibility and accommodations policy framework, which will guide the support and tools available to students with disabilities through the assessment system.
- Higher Education Architecture Review Board (ARB) Members Named—The ARB oversees modifications to the IT Systems Architecture, and makes recommendations regarding technology standards. The ARB comprises state K-12 and higher education representatives, as well as members of the Consortium’s Technology Approach Work Group. The following new ARB members were selected as higher education representatives:
- Bonnie Edwards (CA) – Senior Information Systems Analyst, CA Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office
- Xiaobing Hou (CT) – Assistant Professor, Central Connecticut State University
- Martin Horejsi (MT) – Associate Professor of Instructional Technology, University of Montana
- Richard Halverson (WI) – Associate Professor, Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis, University of Wisconsin–Madison
- Technology Readiness Tool Data Collection Window Extended— The first data collection window for the Technology Readiness Tool has been extended to June 30, 2012 (11:59 p.m. Hawaiian time). This extension was made at the request of states and will allow districts more time to submit data following the end of the school year. After the window closes, the data will be extracted, cleaned, and incorporated into a report regarding a technology plan and support for legacy operating systems (expected to be completed August 2012). Please be aware that the tool will remain open for subsequent data edits in preparation for the second data collection window anticipated in September 2012.
- Guidelines for Purchasing New Hardware— designed to inform schools and districts on current and future technology purchasing decisions consistent with SBAC requirements. The guidelines include hardware and operating system specifications covering the vast majority of commercially available computers and tablets. The full guidelines are available online at SBAC Web site
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These specifications do not constitute the full list of technical requirements that will be necessary to administer the SBAC assessments 2014-2015. The SBAC member states will collaborate to use the Technology Readiness Survey and assessment design processes currently underway to shape the full and final list of requirements including guidance on bandwidth, test system security, and alternate input devices. Thus, it is vitally important that schools and districts continue to complete the Technology Readiness Survey. By using the Technology Readiness Tool, schools and districts will be able to submit information on key readiness indicators, including: number and type of computers and devices; ratio of devices to test-takers; local network and bandwidth infrastructure; and local staff resources
CDE SBAC Events
Technology Readiness Data Collection Rollout —
- April 16–June 30, Statewide LEAS Data Collection: The statewide data collection window is now open and will close on June 30, 2012. Visit the CDE SBAC IT Readiness Tool Web page to view materials related to the statewide Technology Readiness Tool rollout. The reporting system for the Technology Readiness Tool will include district reports and the submission status for each school where information has been submitted.
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 showcases the SBAC work and provides frequent updates on activities, milestones, and events.
- SBAC is on Twitter—Follow @SmarterBalanced to get resources and links to the latest SBAC news.
- Assembly Bill (AB) 250—The AB 250 Statewide Pupil Assessment Web page provides the latest information about the reauthorization of California's assessment system.
- SBAC is learning from policy work underway in member states. Last week, Achieve released a new report about strategies that could be useful to engage career and technical educators into Common Core implementation activities. The report highlights efforts from eight states, including California, Missouri, and Oregon. The report is available online at the Achieve Web site
SBAC Question/Answer of the Week
Q: How will teachers be involved in scoring the Smarter Balanced assessments?
A: SBAC is committed to involving teachers throughout the development and implementation of the assessment system. While many assessment components are efficiently scored with computer assistance, teachers will be involved in scoring portions of the summative assessment—including 10 percent of computer-scored, constructed-response items as back reads, and hand-scoring of items that cannot be scored by computer. These scoring activities provide an opportunity to deepen understanding of the Common Core State Standards and assessment practices. Teachers will not score assessments from their state, and those involved in scoring will be compensated through their state’s normal procedures. For the optional interim assessments, selected-response and technology-enhanced items will be machine scored. To the extent practicable, constructed-response items will also be scored through automated technologies, and items that cannot be scored by computer will be scored locally. Performance tasks will have some components that are scored by computer and others that require human scoring.
