A Parent’s Guide to the Smarter Balanced Assessments Individual Student Reports - Parent guide to interpreting new test reports

Oct 3, 2026

A Parent’s Guide to the Smarter Balanced Assessments Individual Student Reports explains how the new ELA and Mathematics assessments are designed to show whether students are on track for college or the workforce. It clarifies that the purpose is early support, not labeling students. The guide details Computer Adaptive Testing, performance tasks, embedded accessibility tools, and how to interpret key report elements including claims, achievement levels, scale scores, and confidence bands, and advises parents to consult teachers for context.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Key Differences in the New Assessments

Understanding the Individual Student Report

Claims

Computer Adaptive Testing

Performance Tasks

Achievement Levels 1-4

Scale Scores

Confidence Bands

A Parent’s Guide to the Smarter Balanced Assessments Individual Student Reports A new kind of test for students and a new kind of report for parents: The Smarter Balanced Assessments are designed to help parents and educators determine if students are on track to be ready for college or the workforce by the time they graduate from high school. If that seems premature for students in the elementary grades, keep in mind that students begin learning the English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics skills they will need to be successful as adults from the day they start school. Be assured that the purpose of the tests is NOT to sort or label student into those who can and can’t go to college. The real purpose is to help identify problems or needs early enough to help students stay on track. The new ELA and Mathematics Assessments are very different than any Vermont students have taken in the past. The questions and tasks are delivered to students almost entirely by computers using a new technology called Computer Adaptive Testing. They also include performance tasks that challenge students to use critical thinking skills, along with their factual knowledge, to solve authentic and engaging problems. Finally, the assessments provide a variety of embedded accessibility tools that can improve the assessment experience for all students, but that are particularly helpful for students with special assessment needs. Because the new assessments are different than tests students took in the past, the Individual Student Reports are also different and may present parents with interpretation challenges. This Parent Guide provides information that may help navigate the parts of the report that are complex and unfamiliar. It’s important to note that this is only one measure of a student’s achievement, and may not address all the key questions that need to be answered. Parents should consult with teachers for help interpreting the Smarter Balanced results, and to see what other useful information may be available. A few important terms and concepts: ✓ Claims are the broad categories of skills and knowledge the assessment is designed to measure. They are the things we should be able to learn about a student from the test results. On the Smarter Balanced assessments, the claims relate to how well a student is progressing toward being ready for college or a career. ✓ Computer Adaptive Testing provides each student with an individualized set of test questions that are selected by the computer based on how well the student is doing throughout the test session. If the student gets the first question correct, the next one will be a little harder. If the first answer is incorrect, the next question will be a little easier. The computer continues this process until it arrives at the most accurate ability estimate that can be made from the student’s answers. ✓ Performance Tasks challenge students to use what they have learned to solve authentic “real world” problems. Students need to apply a combination of skills and factual knowledge, and are often required to defend their solutions or describe the approach they used. ✓ Achievement Levels 1 through 4 indicate how well a student did on the test. Level 4 is the highest. Students who score at Levels 3 and 4 are considered “proficient”and are said to have “met the standard.” The test scores that define the four levels were set by panels of teachers and curriculum experts who reviewed test questions and student results to determine what a “proficient” student should know or be able to do. Achievement Levels provide a broad view of a student’s knowledge and skills, and work best as a starting point for understanding a student’s successes and needs. ✓ Scale Scores divide the achievement levels into smaller and more meaningful units. Think of this like traveling on an interstate highway: the achievement level is like the distance between two exits and the scale scores are like mile markers. The

FAQs

What is the goal of the Smarter Balanced Assessments Individual Student Reports?

The assessments are intended to help identify problems or needs early enough to keep students on track. They are not meant to sort or label students who can and cannot go to college.

How does Computer Adaptive Testing change the questions during the test?

The computer selects questions based on how the student is doing throughout the session. Correct answers lead to harder questions, while incorrect answers lead to easier ones until the system reaches the most accurate ability estimate.

How should parents interpret achievement levels, scale scores, and confidence bands?

Achievement levels 1 through 4 show how well a student did, with level 4 highest and levels 3–4 considered “proficient.” Scale scores break the levels into smaller units, and confidence bands indicate the likely range of scale scores because test results are estimates rather than perfectly precise measures.

Oct 3, 2026

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