Index of archived SBAC e-mail updates
SBAC CDE News
- Two Newly-formed Advisory Committees Announced
- Digital Library with Formative Assessment Practices and Professional Learning Resources for Educators--Request for Proposals Released
- ASCD Launches Common Core Resources Website
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.
- Two Newly-formed Advisory Committees Announced — The SBAC Advisory Committees include one for English language learners and one for students with disabilities. Composed of national experts in student assessment, accommodations strategies, language acquisition, and disabilities, these panels provide feedback to SBAC staff, work groups, and contractors to ensure that the assessments provide valid, reliable, and fair measures of student achievement and growth toward college and career readiness. A full list of the advisory committee members
and additional information on the committees
is available on the Smarter Balanced Web site.
- Digital Library with Formative Assessment Practices and Professional Learning Resources for Educators--Request for Proposals (RFP) Released — Proposals are due October 15, 2012, to develop and implement 1) a Digital Library technology application; 2) SBAC–developed classroom instruction and professional learning resources and an inventory of currently available resources; and 3) the recruitment of 2,700+ educators across SBAC member states for State Networks of Educators to participate in the development of the technology, the resources, and the training process. The RFP
is available on the Smarter Balanced Web site.
- ASCD (formerly the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) Launches Common Core Resources Website — EduCore
, a new website developed by ASCD, provides easy access to evidence-based tools and resources to help middle and high school educators implement the Common Core State Standards. The site includes videos and instructional resources from the Literacy Design Collaborative and the Shell Centre for Mathematical Education. Registered users can save their searches, organize tools, and annotate resources. In the future, ASCD intends to expand the number of mathematics formative assessment lessons and sample literacy modules.
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
.
Common Assessment Resources
- New Resources and Webinars on Standards and Assessments — Student Achievement Partners released ready-to-use professional development modules
to assist educators in the implementation of the Common Core State Standards. These modules contain resources for educators, including research, discussion topics, activities, web and video tools, and more.
- Consortia Provide Preview of Common Assessments
by Catherine Gewertz — As teachers begin shaping lessons for the common standards, many are wondering how to prepare their students for tests that won’t be ready for at least two years. But sample items being drafted for those exams offer early ideas of what lies ahead. Two large groups of states are using federal Race to the Top money to create new suites of exams for the Common Core State Standards. Those consortia have recently begun work with private vendors to develop items — questions and tasks — for the tests. But each group has produced a range of sample test items to help those vendors get an idea of what the states want, and experts say they offer valuable insight into the tests that are expected to emerge in 2014-15.
SBAC Question/Answer of the Week
Q: Will Smarter Balanced assessments be translated into other languages?
A: As part of the Race to the Top Assessment Program application, SBAC made a commitment to translate the mathematics interim and summative assessments into five languages — including Spanish and sign language. SBAC is developing a translations framework to guide this work. It is important to note, however, that translation is just one way to help ensure that the assessments accurately measure the knowledge and skills of English language learners. SBAC is focused on including construct-relevant language in our math items, which minimizes the appearance of construct-irrelevant language use. All assessment items and performance tasks will go through a bias and sensitivity review. In addition, the assessments will include accessibility and accommodations options that will help English language learners while taking the assessment.