The Badger/ SMARTER Balanced Assessment is coming soon: April/ May
Our staff meeting on Tues. Feb. 10 will be an introduction to this exam.
Our Day 6 on Feb. 20- Grades 3-5 Take sample test with shifts we can make in instruction to support student success.
Frontload:
The ELF's spent time digging deeper into this assessment and have some notes to keep in mind:
- This is a state assessment for grades 3-5 in ELA and Math
- The test in 2015 will NOT Be Adaptive!
- This spring is baseline, that we do not want to see a switch to “test prep”, and that what we are working on to strengthen our core is on the right track.
- We see two needs – preparing teachers to administer and preparing students so they are familiar with the format used in the new assessments. The ELA team came up with a few suggestions for student preparation: 1) students should have experience reading text on a screen, 2) students should be given directions to complete independently, and 3) students should experience listening to nonfiction.
What can I do to support my students?
- Use the practice test with students to practice the interface NOT grade specific questions. Students should become acquainted with features such as scrolling, reading text on a computer screen, split screen, and some of the available tools (highlighting or note taking, for example).
- Student tutorial
- Familiarity reading on a device
- Using dual screens
- Follow written directions independently
- Listen to nonfiction and recall information
- Practice taking notes
- Find evidence from the text to support your thought
- Explain your thinking in writing
- Share family brochure
What can I do to prepare myself?
- Read the fact sheet for teachers and Badger Overview
- This should be viewed by principal and test administrators to gain an understanding of the interface and the tools that will be available. 15-16 min. in length
- https://wdpibadger.caltesting.org/docs/studentTutorial/index.html
- SMARTER Balanced Training
- SMARTER Balanced Vocabulary
I think in the lower grades the best way we can help is to give our kids more "screen" time reading. Raz Kids, Adapted Mind or something like that should help.
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