Index of archived SBAC e-mail updates
SBAC CDE News
- New SBAC Staff Announced
- SBAC Names Kapinus Lead English Language Arts Specialist
- Updated Master Work Plan and Procurement Schedule.
- Technology Readiness Data Collection Window Extended
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.
- New SBAC Staff Announced—Shelbi Cole, PhD, joined SBAC as the director of mathematics, bringing experience in mathematics curriculum and assessment development from her work with the Connecticut State Department of Education. She also served as the co-chair of the Performance Tasks Work Group and was closely involved in the development of the Mathematics Content Specifications. Magda Chia was named director of support for under-represented students. Magda is completing her PhD in education, equity, and cultural diversity at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Her research focuses on validity and fairness in assessments across diverse student populations. She will play a critical role in ensuring the assessment system serves the needs of all students, including students with disabilities and English language learners. For more details visit the SBAC Web site
- SBAC Names Kapinus Lead English Language Arts Specialist—Barbara Kapinus, Ph.D. was appointed as the Director of English Language Arts and Literacy for SBAC. Kapinus recently retired from the National Education Association (NEA), where she served as a senior policy analyst and facilitated teacher feedback on the Common Core State Standards
. As the English language arts and literacy (ELA/literacy) director, Kapinus will work to ensure that Smarter Balanced assessments effectively measure the depth and breadth of the Common Core State Standards in ELA/literacy. She will oversee the ELA/literacy assessment item and performance task writing and review, as well as support the production and the development of assessment and professional learning materials for the Smarter Balanced assessment system. For more details visit the SBAC Web site News page
- Updated Master Work Plan and Procurement Schedule—Updated versions of the SBAC Master Work Plan and Procurement schedule
are now posted on the SBAC Web site.
- 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.
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 states that have amended the Common Core State Standards assess students on these additional content standards?
A: States adopting the Common Core State Standards may choose to amend the standards with up to 15 percent additional content. While SBAC’s primary responsibility is to develop an assessment system aligned with the final version of the standards released in June 2010, the ability to assess these additional standards is an important concern for states. The SBAC IT Systems Architecture specifies the use of open-source technology and standard protocols whenever possible, with the goal of proving flexibility for states—including the expected ability to incorporate state-developed items that assess these additional content standards into the assessment. As key technology components are developed—including the item bank, test engine, test delivery, and reporting systems—SBAC will rely on input from member states, SBAC work groups, and the Architecture Review Board to ensure that the assessment system meets state needs.
