With the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) across California and most of the nation, new assessments are being developed to measure student learning of grade level standards. California’s STAR assessment program (including the CST in English Language Arts and Math) is being replaced with the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) data and assessment system. The goal is for all students, regardless of where they are from or where they live, to graduate prepared for college and careers in the global economy of the 21st century. The Smarter Balanced Field Test will take place in all of our schools this spring as an important step toward alignment with the Common Core.
The Smarter Balanced Field Test will model high quality instruction of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The implementation of the CAASPP system, including the Smarter Balanced Field Test, provides incentives and opportunities to integrate CCSS and technology into classroom instruction.
The Spring 2014 field test is an opportunity to “test the test” in an environment that is low-stakes. While the Field Test will not produce student scores, a successful field test will provide educators, administrators, and the state with information and data to fully implement the assessment with results that count in Spring 2015. The computer-based test experience will allow educators to gain new insights for classroom instruction. The Field Test is meant to closely mimic the actual assessment so as to identify concerns and matters that need to be addressed prior to Spring 2015.
Parents can expect more information through their school as the tests approach.
Smarter Balanced Field Test in grades 3-8, and grades 9-11: April 7 – May 16, 2014 (exact dates vary by school)
California Standards Test (CST)/ California Modified Assessment (CMA) in Science for grades 5, 8, 10: May 6 – 16, 2014
