FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

As we approach the holiday season, I wanted to take a moment to thank the member states and partners who have contributed to the development of the assessment system. There are many important milestones ahead, but your hard work is helping make the assessment system a truly useful, informative tool for educators, teachers, parents, and students.

In this issue of Smarter News, you will find more information and resources about the sample items and performance tasks released in October and the Pilot Test scheduled to begin in February. There is also an update on our work to engage the business and higher education communities in an ongoing dialogue about the transition to college- and career-ready standards and assessments. Finally, we have updates from states making strides to increase awareness and deepen understanding of the Common Core and the Smarter Balanced assessments.

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INSIDE THE STATE-LED CONSORTIUM

Smarter Balanced member states are working to raise awareness about the Common Core and next-generation assessments among teachers and parents. Following the release of the sample items and performance tasks in October, many states sent announcements to schools and the media. Others posted information online. A few examples and communications best practices are highlighted below.

• The Vermont Department of Education issued a press release highlighting the new Smarter Balanced sample items and performance tasks. Vermont Education Commissioner Armando Vilaseca mentioned that the sample items will provide Vermont teachers with an early look at the rigor of the assessments and remarked, “Vermont shares the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium’s vision of how technology could be used to improve student assessment.” Additionally, Vermont has been using its Twitter handle (@VTEducation) to communicate about the assessments and the new state standards. Being visible and engaging in conversations on social media sites, like Twitter, helps keep educators updated in an interactive and digestible format.
• The Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction hosted a webinar with K-12 state lead Robin Munson and representatives from the assessment and teaching learning division to provide an overview of the sample items and performance tasks. The webinar provides background of the sample items development and walks through selected sample items.
• The California Department of Education website features a number of resources on the Smarter Balanced assessments, including a frequently updated FAQ that addresses implementation issues and California’s role in the Consortium. Regular updates are also shared via email, and past email updates are posted online. To sign up, send a blank email to subscribe-sbac@mlist.cde.ca.gov.
• The Hawaii Department of Education features a robust and informative Smarter Balanced page on its website. The department is helping Hawaii educators and officials prepare for assessment implementation by providing a detailed schedule and customized Smarter Balanced materials.

We applaud efforts by member states to inform parents, students, and teachers about the Smarter Balanced assessment system.

SUPPORTING CLASSROOM TEACHERS

Exploring the ELA/Literacy Sample Items and Tasks with Barb Kapinus, Director of English Language Arts and Literacy

The Smarter Balanced English language arts/literacy sample items and performance tasks demonstrate a number of important aspects of the Common Core State Standards, including how students must engage with increasingly complex texts and demonstrate more sophisticated analysis and writing as they progress through school.

Performance tasks challenge students to respond to real-world scenarios by researching information from multiple sources. For example, “Nuclear Power” is a high school performance task that asks students to imagine themselves as the chief of staff for a congresswoman who needs to be briefed on nuclear energy. Following a classroom discussion, students examine a series of predetermined online sources that present both sides of the nuclear debate. They must then summarize and evaluate the validity of the sources and compose a full-length argumentative report based on their research. Performance tasks like this one—which is expected to take 140 minutes to complete—offer much richer information about a student’s abilities than traditional assessment items.

Technology-enhanced items assess a deeper understanding of content and skills than would otherwise be possible with traditional item types. “Grandma Ruth 3,” a 4th grade item, asks students to read a short story and identify supporting details for a conclusion by selecting sentences from the passage. Items like “Exercise in Space 2” show how the assessments can measure listening skills—an innovative part of the Common Core State Standards. Students listen to an informative talk accompanied by illustrations and respond to questions about why exercise is important for astronauts.

Finally, the sample items and tasks—like the Common Core State Standards—place considerable emphasis on writing. Students will have a variety of short and extended writing prompts, ranging from a few sentences to a paragraph. Many of the new writing tasks will ask students to use evidence provided by a text to make a case for an argument or a piece of persuasive writing.

Learn more about the Smarter Balanced sample assessment items and performance tasks on our website.

PREPARING STUDENTS FOR TOMORROW'S JOBS

Too often there is a mismatch between the skills high school graduates have and the needs of employers. A 2011 survey of manufacturers commissioned by the Manufacturing Institute—an affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers—found that two-thirds of respondents reported a moderate to severe shortage of available, qualified workers, and more than half anticipated the shortage to grow worse in the next three to five years.

Additionally, nearly two-thirds of all jobs created by 2018 will require at least some postsecondary education. Smarter Balanced is committed to engaging the business community in an ongoing dialogue about the transition to college- and career-ready standards and assessments.

Director of Strategic Communications and Public Information Officer Eddie Arnold recently presented to the Education & Workforce Development Committee of the Regional Economic Association Leaders of California, which is comprised of the 20 most influential business associations in California. 

Smarter Balanced also worked with the National Metro Business Alliance (NMBA), an association of 17 regional business associations representing major metropolitan areas across the country. The members of NMBA believe that equipping students with real-world skills for life beyond high school is critical to creating a globally competitive workforce.

NMBA commended Smarter Balanced for "including a strong focus on performance-based assessments that allow students to demonstrate Deeper Learning skills such as effective communication and critical thinking while also pulling for deeper understanding of core academic content."

For more information on the connection between Smarter Balanced and the business community, download Smarter Balanced and Business Leaders: Preparing Students for Tomorrow’s Jobs.