Smarter Balanced Field Test Recap
Author: Rick Phelan
Published: 06.09.14
Over 31,000 Sonoma County students took part in the 2014 Smarter Balanced field tests from April 7 to May 16. The field tests were a “trial run” designed to prepare districts for a new era of accountability. The tests allowed schools to experience the new computerized assessment system that will be part of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). No student, school, or district score reports were issued from the field test experience.
New state tests are needed because districts will be fully implementing Common Core State Standards in the 2014-15 school year. Developed by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC), the new assessments are meant to gauge English-language arts and mathematics progress among students in grades 3-11. The tests use adaptive assessment technologies to provide more effective reporting of student achievement.
Use of Smarter Balanced Assessments to measure public school progress and report Common Core State Standards achievement information to communities will begin in Spring 2015.
This blog post offers information about Sonoma County’s field test outcomes from three different perspectives: student, educator, and district technology coordinator.
Students
Students involved in the field test recognized a number of differences between this test and California’s previous testing system, known as Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR).
“The biggest difference was that we used computers instead of pencils to write answers,” said one middle school student. On the field tests, students found questions that required multiple responses, matching tables, graphing problems, numeric response items, short answer, and essay questions. As the comments below illustrate, students saw differences in question formats and were surprised to find embedded resources and tools available.
Comments from Sonoma County students:
- Some of the questions required us to watch a video or listen to a recording.
- One day we had to do some activities and have discussions before we took the test.
- There was a calculator that you could use on some of the math questions.
- You could click on words and get definitions.
- The computer would read the question to you in Spanish or English.
- There were tools for highlighting important sections of a passage.
Students had a range of responses when asked about the difficulty of the field tests. Some said the test was easy, others said it was “super hard.” Some students said test questions were interesting, while others thought it wasn’t clear what some questions were asking.
Teachers & Administrators
The SBAC field test required schools to work out a number of logistical details involving scheduling, computer access, and test administration. Here are some comments from Sonoma County teachers and administrators about what they learned from 2014 field testing.
Comments from Sonoma County educators:
- We figured out what a computer-based testing schedule looks like for our school.
- We had to coordinate a pool of devices from around the district to ensure that each school had sufficient devices for students taking the field test.
- The tests helped us understand the depth of knowledge that students need to achieve with the Common Core.
- We learned how to administer a computer-driven assessment through the test administrator interface.
- We had to learn about the TIDE system to ensure students had the correct test and accommodation settings.
- One of the most important things we learned was that we need to help students understand the universal access features that are part of Smarter Balanced.
- We learned how CALPADS works in conjunction with the TIDE system.
- The SBAC needs improvements to offer access to students with hearing impairments.
- Smarter Balanced helped us recognize the need to have an articulated scope and sequence for technology skill development among students.
- It was important for us to learn how to administer a computer-driven high-stakes assessment this year; the state did this right.
Technology Coordinators
District technology coordinators learned a great deal from the 2014 SBAC field tests. Existing technology infrastructures were examined and evaluated. Wiring plans, routers, and Internet capacities were discussed at site councils and board meetings. Wireless access points were installed in many school facilities. Student and teacher workstations were inventoried and evaluated through the lens of SBAC suitability. In some cases, three- to five-year development plans were initiated for improving technology access and capacity. New technology devices were acquired by many school districts, greatly increasing what had been available previously.
Comments from district technology personnel:
- We learned how to install and configure SBAC secure web browsers.
- We learned about Mobile Device Management software.
- Technology infrastructures that had been neglected based on past State budget deficits got attention.
- Our district was able to stress test its systems to see strengths and understand needs.
- We obtained a true sense of what Internet capacity is needed for daily operations.
- We learned how to use the management console with Chromebooks.
- We learned the strengths and limitations of devices.
- Teachers learned that they can handle technical problems.
Blog: Technology for Learners
