Smarter Balance Releases Training Videos and Power Points

Here is a weblink on the Smarter Balance Assessment Consoritum website that you may be interested in exploring. SBAC Item Writing and Review

This summer teachers were recruited to write and review items and performance tasks for the 2013 pilot test. The videos and power points to train these recruits have been posted. This will give you a very good insight to the scope and depth of future state assessments based on the Common Core State Standards that will replace the MEAP and MME in the 2014-15 school year. Look for the following modules:

• Introduction to Smarter Balanced Item and Performance Task Development
• Introduction to Evidence-Centered Design
• Mathematics Selected Response, Constructed Response, and Technology-Enhanced Items
• Extended Response and Performance Task Design for Mathematics
• Mathematics Content Specifications, Item Specifications, and Depth of Knowledge
• Mathematics Stimulus Considerations
• Mathematics Grade Level Considerations for Grades 6-8
• Mathematics Grade Level Considerations for High School
• Mathematics Item Review Considerations

All of this work will be guided by the Smarter Balanced item/task specification and review guidelines that were released in April, 2012. Once at the site, scroll down to look for the following guides. (Note: the .zip files have many examples and templates that support the specifications in the .pdf guides.)

• Mathematics Content Specifications
• Mathematics General Item and Task Specifications Grades 6-8 (pdf and zip)
• Mathematics General Item and Task Spcifications High School (pdf and zip)
• Technology Enhanced Item Guidelines and Supporting Material (pdf and zip)
• Performance Tasks Specifications (pdf only)