SMARTER Balanced Assessment Q&A - Smarter Balanced

Oct 3, 2026

Uploaded by Marglet

Questions and answers explain the structure and purpose of the SMARTER Balanced assessment system. The content covers summative, interim, and formative components, including adaptive selected-response, constructed responses, performance tasks, and composite score reporting. The material also addresses whether immediate student feedback is provided, adaptive scoring across and within grades, bias review practices, score reporting scales, release timing for specifications and sample tasks, testing opportunities, interim administration frequency, and flexibility within the 12-week summative window.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

What will be included in the SMARTER Balanced assessment?

Summative Assessments

Interim Assessments

Formative Tools and Processes

Will the SMARTER system provide immediate feedback to students?

Will the assessments be adaptive just within grades or across grades?

Will there be review of SMARTER assessment items for cultural and generational bias?

Will SMARTER use RIT scores for reporting like OAKS?

When will SMARTER test specifications be released?

When will SMARTER be releasing sample questions and performance tasks?

Will there be multiple testing opportunities for students who don’t meet?

How often can the interim assessment be administered?

Will the interim be a predictor of the summative assessment?

What does flexible mean regarding the interim assessment?

Are there performance task items on the summative assessment?

Will there be a menu to pick from for the performance task items?

How tight is the 12 week testing window for the summative assessment?

Will Oregon review the scoring of writing and math work samples?

Will the English Language Proficiency Assessment (ELPA) be part of SMARTER?

Q: What will be included in the SMARTER Balanced assessment? A: The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) is developing an assessment with three major components: (1) a summative assessment; (2) an interim assessment; and (3) formative assessments and tools. Summative Assessments: 􀁸 Include computer adaptive selected response (multiple choice), constructed response, and performance tasks; 􀁸 Produce composite content area scores, based on the computer-adaptive items and performance tasks; 􀁸 Will be administered in the last 12 weeks of the year in grades 3–8 and high school for English language arts (ELA) and mathematics. Students will have two opportunities during this testing window. Interim Assessments: 􀁸 Optional computer adaptive assessments and performance tasks, administered at locally determined intervals; 􀁸 Designed to provide actionable information about student progress; 􀁸 Based on publicly released items and tasks; 􀁸 Grounded in learning progressions across grades and how college and career-readiness emerge over time. Formative Tools and Processes: 􀁸 Provides resources to inform teachers about student progress toward achieving the CCSS; 􀁸 Will be used by teachers and students to monitor a student’s learning needs, check for misconceptions, and/orto provide evidence of progress toward learning goals. Q: Will the SMARTER system provide immediate feedback to students? A: SMARTER is comprised of a formative, interim and summative assessment. Formative assessment practices are intended to support teachers by providing tools that support their interaction with students to elicit consistent information that will help teachers improve their instruction and help them provide feedback to students. The interim assessment is intended to provide periodic information regarding student progress and will be a more structured assessment than the formative and most likely more timely feedback than the summative. The purpose of the summative assessment will not be to immediately effect change in student behavior but rather evaluate programs and to support accountability. While the goal is to provide some feedback from the summative by providing a preliminary score based on those elements that are immediately scored, this is still being worked out. Q: Will the assessments be adaptive just within grades or across grades? A: The SMARTER proposal described an intent to provide at least one score that potentially includes off-grade content. However, the US Department of Education has not yet approved that these off-grade level content scores be included in states’ implementation of federal accountability systems. If they do not approve these scores for use in accountability, SMARTER may have to reconsider this issue. Q: Will there be review of SMARTER assessment items for cultural and generational bias? A: Yes. This is standard practice among any large scale assessment system. Q: Will SMARTER use RIT scores for reporting like OAKS? A: It will use scale scores. However, they will most likely be called something else and will be on a different scale than OAKS. For example a score of 300 will mean something different in SMARTER than in OAKS. More information will be provided in the future as work on the development of the scale progresses. Q: When will SMARTER test specifications be released? A: Most likely in late winter 2012 there will be at least a general description of the test items and allocation of content. Q: When will SMARTER be releasing sample questions and performance tasks? A: Most likely by winter 2012. However, sample tests and tasks should only be used to familiarize students and teachers with the form and format of assessments. They should not be used to evaluate students' knowledge and skills or teachers' instruction. Q: Will there be multiple testing opportunities for students who don’t meet, or if students want to try to exceed? A: The purpose of the summative

FAQs

What are the three major components of the SMARTER Balanced assessment system?

The system includes a summative assessment, an interim assessment, and formative assessments and tools.

How does the interim assessment work and what is it intended to provide?

It uses optional computer-adaptive assessments and performance tasks at locally determined intervals, designed to provide actionable information about student progress and be grounded in learning progressions.

How is the summative assessment administered and how many opportunities do students have?

It is administered in the last 12 weeks of the year in grades 3–8 and high school for ELA and mathematics, with two opportunities during that testing window.

Will SMARTER provide immediate feedback to students?

Formative practices support teachers with consistent information to improve instruction and provide feedback. Interim provides more structured, periodic information, but the summative’s primary purpose is evaluation and accountability rather than immediately changing student behavior.

Oct 3, 2026

Uploaded by Marglet