SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC)


Overview
At the May, 2013 meetings of the State Board of Education and Select Committee on Education Accountability, WDE Interim Director Jim Rose and WDE Director of State Assessment Deb Lindsey presented information about the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium.  The materials from the presentation are provided below for use by district and school staff.

Wyoming is an advisory state within the multi-state SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium, formed in response to the Race to the Top assessment grant competition to develop an innovative assessment system aligned to the Common Core State Standards. There's a Smarter Balanced webpage where you can access information on the consortium's assessment plans. Below are quarterly reports from SBAC which provide updates on the activities of the consortium.
Assessment System

The Smarter Balanced summative assessment will be a computer-adaptive test that includes multiple choice questions, computer-enhanced items, and performance tasks. Students will have two opportunities to test. Further, the system will provide benchmark tools and formative strategies that will continuously guide instruction and provide classroom teachers with information. All components of the assessment system will be aligned to the Common Core State Standards.
Timeline

The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium grant proposal was submitted in June 2010, and funding was announced in September 2010. Work officially began October 1, 2010, to develop the system. The consortium has until 2014-15 to administer a fully operational summative assessment. While the new assessment system will take four years to develop, Wyoming has the opportunity to pilot the use of a computer adaptive test prior to full implementation in 2014-15. Until then, we are required to administer the current accountability tests (ACT, COMPASS, EXPLORE, PLAN, PAWS, SAWS and associated alternates). As such, there are no changes to the assessment for the current school year. The Smarter webpage has a detailed timeline available.
Superintendent's Memos