Index of archived SBAC e-mail updates
SBAC CDE News
- Achievement Level Descriptors Contract Kick-Off
- Building a Plan for Higher Education
- Accessibility and Accommodations Factsheet Available
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.
- Achievement Level Descriptors Contract Kick-off—On August 1, SBAC leaders met with the Contract-12 vendor, CTB/McGraw-Hill, to discuss the process and schedule for developing the preliminary achievement level descriptors (ALDs) for grades 3–8 and 11 in ELA and mathematics. Attendees included co-chairs from the Validation and Psychometrics Work Group, the SBAC’s content leads for K-12 ELA and mathematics, and the SBAC lead for higher education. The development process will allow for multiple rounds of review by K-12 educators, representatives from higher education, work group members, and Governing States. In addition, over the next six months, CTB/McGraw-Hill will disseminate nomination forms for ALD development team members, conduct a drafting workshop, facilitate the review sessions, and reconcile feedback following reviews. The ALDs that emerge from this work will be used to guide decision-making about the item pool for the summative assessment and standard setting following field testing.
- Building a Plan for Higher Education—This plan provides guidance on the role that state systems of higher education will play to build toward recognition of the SBAC as evidence that students are ready for entry-level, credit-bearing courses and should be exempted from remediation in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics. For details, download the Building a Plan for Higher Education document
(PDF). - Accessibility and Accommodations Factsheet Available—This one-page handout explains how the SBAC system will address the needs of students with disabilities and English language learners. The Accessibility and Accommodations Factsheet
is available at online.
CDE Opportunity to Provide Feedback
- Reauthorization of the California Pupil Assessment System—
As part of the process in developing recommendations to the Legislature for the reauthorization of the California pupil assessment system, State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SSPI) Tom Torlakson, is seeking your help. All Californians have a unique opportunity to provide thoughts on and suggestions for what they think should be included in this system. Several opportunities exist for you to provide feedback. You may:- Complete a brief survey:
- You may access the English version of the survey
online. - You may access the Spanish version of the survey online.
- You may access the English version of the survey
- Send comments by e-mail to reauthorization@cde.ca.gov.
- Attend the Statewide Assessment Reauthorization Work Group meetings, which are open to the public.
- Complete a brief survey:
- To access the schedule of Work Group meetings and learn more about the statewide assessment reauthorization process, please visit the AB 250 Statewide Pupil Assessment Web page.
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.
- Smarter News, the SBAC's monthly eNewsletter —Smarter Balanced provides monthly updates on the development of the Smarter Balanced assessment system and activities in member states.
- SBAC is on Twitter—Follow @SmarterBalanced to get resources and links to the latest SBAC news.
- National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) Presentation—This recorded webinar was shared by the NAESP and presented an overview of the SBAC system design, timeline, and progress as of June 2012. To view this webinar and other webinars detailing the SBAC work to-date, visit the SBAC Webinars Web page
.
SBAC Question/Answer of the Week
Q: How will the performance standard be set for defining college- and career-readiness?
A: Higher education leads will work with college and university faculty to play a very active role in this process, with higher education representatives playing a primary role in establishing college- and career-ready standards for the 11th grade assessment. In addition to expert judgment from K-12 teachers and higher education faculty, SBAC will draw upon multiple sources of empirical data to guide the setting of performance standards, including: international and national benchmarks such as Program for International Student Assessment, Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, National Assessment of Education Progress, SAT Reasoning Test and American College Test.
