SBAC/CDE Top News
- New SBAC Website/Logo launched
- National SBAC Work Group/Contractor Collaboration Conference
- IT Systems Architecture
The SBAC/CDE 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.
SBAC Announcements
- New SBAC logo and website launched. On Tuesday, February 14, 2012, SBAC launched a new external website at Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) (Outside Source). The site will help showcase the innovative work of SBAC and provide more frequent updates on activities, milestones, and events. Visitors will be able to explore an interactive timeline of activities by school year, download new fact sheets and resources, and sign up for a monthly e-newsletter. In addition, new templates and materials will be available on the collaboration site that include:
- Customized information and resources targeted toward teachers and educators, higher education faculty and administrators and parents and students
- Integration with social media channels, including Twitter and Facebook
- National SBAC Work Group/Contractor Collaboration Conference. The event held in San Antonio, Texas from February 9–11, brought together state leads and national SBAC work groups to meet with contractors and collaborate on key issues facing SBAC. The conference provided California and other state members extensive opportunities for cross–work group collaboration. Attending the conference were the SBAC CDE national work group leads representing California including Item Development, Technology Approach, Assessment Design: Performance Tasks, Assessment Design: Test Design, Formative Processes and Tools/Professional Development Support and Accessibility & Accommodations along with the California State lead, Deb Sigman, Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction. In addition, CDE currently has approximately 35 subject-area experts representing various CDE Divisions reviewing and commenting on all SBAC documents.
- IT Systems Architecture. Developed collaboratively with SBAC member states and technical experts, the IT systems architecture will serve as development guidelines for future SBAC contracts, including contracts to develop the item authoring, item banking, test design, test administration, scoring and reporting systems, as well as the digital library of formative tools and resources for teachers. The SBAC Architectural Review Board (ARB) oversees development of the IT systems architecture and makes recommendations regarding technology standards to the SBAC Executive Committee throughout the development of the assessment system. Rodney Okamoto, Data Processing Manager III for the CDE Technology Division and the California lead on the national SBAC Technology Work Group also sits on the ARB. The 14-member ARB is comprised of state K-12 and higher education representatives, as well as members of the SBAC’s Technology Approach Work Group. The SBAC IT Systems Architecture Reports and Resources include:
- Assessment SystemArchitectureand Technology Phase 1 Report (PDF; Outside Source)
- Enterprise Architecture Governance Plan Phase 1 Report (PDF; Outside Source)
- Assessment System Architecture and Technology Phase 1 Report – WorkshopDeliverables (PDF; Outside Source)
- January 23 webinar sponsored by Assess4ed (Outside Source)
SBAC/CDE Upcoming Events
February 17, 2012 CDE SBAC Bi-monthly Update to Education Coalition (EDCO) Representatives. EDCO is a group made up of advocacy groups including the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association the Association of California School Administrators, the California Association of School Business Officials, the California Federation of Teachers, the California School Boards Association, the California School Employees Association, the California Teachers Association, California’s Parent-Teacher Association and the California Service Employees International Union. One to three representatives from each organization were nominated by their organizations to participate in regularly scheduled monthly WebEx meetings to receive SBAC updates, to provide feedback, and to discuss transition needs for the new set of state assessments scheduled for the 2014–15 school year.
SBAC/CDE Resources
- Link to the Technology Readiness Tool webinar recording—The State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) hosted a webinar on January 30 to provide additional information about the IT readiness effort and answer questions. To access a recording of the webinar, please go to the Cisco Webex page (Outside Source).
- Report on engaging higher education in new assessments available—A new report from the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems identifies the conditions that can help build consensus between state K-12 and postsecondary systems. It also makes recommendations for meaningful involvement by higher education in the implementation of the Common Core State Standards and assessments, which will inform our efforts to engage the postsecondary field. The report is available at the NCHEMS page (Outside Source).
- The electronic SBAC CDE mailing list and archived Updates are found on the SBAC CDE Web page. Please feel free to share this information with those who are interested in the SBAC CDE work.
SBAC Question/Answer of the Week (From SBAC All States Update)
Q: When will SMARTER Balanced assessments be implemented in schools?
A: In the SBAC application to the U.S. Department of Education, SBAC committed to a timeline that would deliver the assessments to states by the 2014-15 school year. As SBAC began work, specific steps were taken to ensure that this goal is met. SBAC summative assessment Master Work Plan outlines the development of each component of the assessment system. Visit the SBAC Summative Assessment Master Work Plan Web page (Outside Source) to download the work plan. SBAC updates the work plan regularly to reflect changes in the status of contracts and decisions made by Governing States. However, the SBAC overall timeline remains the same, and SBAC is on track with the goal of providing a fully functioning assessment system to schools for the 2014–15 school year.
Over the next two years, SBAC will conduct a pilot test (spring 2013) and a broader field test (spring 2014) to prepare for the launch of the assessment system. Details about participation in these tests will be forthcoming. To keep up-to-date on opportunities to participate in SBAC pilot and field testing follow us on the CDE SBAC Web page.
