Index of archived SBAC e-mail updates
SBAC CDE News
The California Department of Education (CDE) Smarter Balanced update is a biweekly e-mail that reports on current and upcoming Smarter Balanced development activities. To join the CDE Smarter Balanced electronic mailing list, send a blank e-mail to: subscribe-sbac@mlist.cde.ca.gov.
In this issue:
- Deb Sigman Elected as Co-Chair of the Smarter Balanced Executive Committee
- Spring 2013 Scientific Pilot Test—Extension of Test Window and Registration Deadline
- Spring 2013 Scientific Pilot Test—Student Data Submission Assistance from the CDE
- Technology Specifications Revisions and Reminders
- Revised Initial Achievement Level Descriptors Available for Second Review
Deb Sigman Elected as Co-Chair of the Smarter Balanced Executive Committee
Smarter Balanced governing states elected Deb Sigman, Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction for the CDE, to be the new Smarter Balanced Executive Committee Co-Chair. The term of the co-chair position runs through September 30, 2013. Congratulations, Deb!
The Executive Committee, which oversees the development of the assessment system and management of funding, is comprised of two co-chairs, four representatives from four separate Governing States, one representative from the lead procurement state (Washington), and two representatives from higher education. Visit the Smarter Balanced Web site
for more information about the Smarter Balanced Executive Committee.
Spring 2013 Pilot Test—Participation Status for California Schools and Registration Deadlines
Thank you, California schools! More than 1,100 California schools have confirmed their upcoming participation in the Smarter Balanced scientific pilot test, and more than 1,700 schools have registered to participate in the volunteer sample. Participation in the pilot test will allow schools to experience the basic functionality of the Smarter Balanced test administration system, and data from schools that participate in the scientific pilot test will be collected to inform item and test development.
The deadline for schools to register for the scientific pilot test has been extended to February 28, 2013. Schools that have been selected for the scientific pilot can confirm their participation by contacting Data Recognition Corporation by phone at 800-847-3193 or by e-mail at smarterbalancedrecruitment@datarecognitioncorp.com.
Schools that wish to participate in the volunteer pilot test can register by completing the online survey
.
Extension of Scientific Pilot Test Window
To help accommodate schools that cannot test during their assigned test window, Smarter Balanced has added two weeks to the scientific pilot test window. The scientific pilot test will open February 20, 2013, and run through May 24, 2013. Participating schools that have questions about administering the scientific pilot test should contact the American Institutes for Research help desk by phone at 866-815-7246 or by e-email at smarterbalancedhelpdesk@air.org.
Spring 2013 Scientific Pilot Test—Student Data Submission Assistance from the CDE
To assist local educational agencies in the pilot effort, the CDE will provide the required student registration data to Smarter Balanced on behalf of schools participating in the scientific pilot test. For any school that did not upload its student data file by February 13, 2013, the CDE will provide the required student registration data to Smarter Balanced for upload to the Test Information Distribution Engine (TIDE), the system used to manage student information and user accounts for the pilot test. The data will be drawn from the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS).
Any questions about this service should be directed to the CDE Statewide Assessment Transition Office by phone at 916-445-8517 or by e-mail at sbac@cde.ca.gov.
Technology Specifications Revisions and Reminders
The Smarter Balanced Technology Strategy Framework and System Requirements Specifications document
has been revised as follows:
- The recommended hard drive for new purchases has been revised to 80 GB hard drive or at least 1 GB of hard drive space available.
- The recommended operating system for new purchases for Windows-based tablets has been revised to Windows 8+ (excluding Windows RT).
Please note that the System Requirements Specifications continue to require:
- A minimum screen display size of 10 inches
- An external keyboard for tablet devices
- Headphones or earphones
Revised Initial Achievement Level Descriptors Available for Second Public Review
Smarter Balanced has released revised initial achievement level descriptors (ALDs) for a second public review. Smarter Balanced welcomes feedback on the content, coherence, clarity, and rigor of the ALDs through February 20, 2013. Feedback must be submitted through the online survey provided by Smarter Balanced. The revised ALDs, feedback survey, and feedback survey results for the first draft can be found at the Smarter Balance Web Site
. Smarter Balanced governing states are expected to vote on the initial ALDs in Spring 2013.
More Information
Additional information about Smarter Balanced is available on the CDE Smarter Balanced Web page and on the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium’s Web site
.
General questions about the Smarter Balanced assessments should be directed to the CDE Statewide Assessment Transition Office by phone at 916-445-8517 or by e-mail at sbac@cde.ca.gov.
