Smarter Balanced Field Test Questions and Answers for Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) Teachers, Staff, Families and Community Partners - Last Updated February 12, 2014

Oct 2, 2026

Uploaded by Riley

Guidance document outlining requirements and expectations for participation in the spring 2014 Smarter Balanced Field Test for Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD). It explains the purpose of field testing to ensure accessibility, validity, reliability, and fairness, and details benefits for students, teachers, and administrators. It clarifies that individual student score reports will not be generated, compares the field test with CST/CMA/CAPA obligations, and describes how pilot-test data shaped the field test. It also covers administration logistics, timing, and tested grade/content areas.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Purpose

Benefits for BUSD and stakeholders

Student score reports

Relationship to CST, CMA, and CAPA

Accountability requirements

Pilot-test influence

Administration Logistics

When the FT occurs

Grade levels and tested content

Smarter Balanced Field Test Questions and Answers for Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) Teachers, Staff, Families and Community Partners Last Updated: February 12, 2014 Assembly Bill (AB) 484, which was signed by the Governor on October 2, 2013, requires all California Districts and Charters to participate in the spring 2014 Smarter Balanced Field Test. In January, staff at BUSD began to roll-‐out a preview of the new field tests to be administered this spring. This document provides answers to questions about requirements and expectations of participation in the Spring 2014 Field Test which is being administered in 44 states. The acronym FT is being used in place of Field Test. The live (i.e., operational) Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) tests, will begin in the 2014-‐15 school year. Purpose 1. What is the purpose of the spring 2014 Smarter Balanced Field Test (FT)? Field testing is critical to ensure that assessment items are accessible to all students and produce results that are valid, reliable, and fair. The spring 2014 Smarter Balanced FT will test the performance of over 20,000 newly developed test items and evaluate the test delivery system. Items deemed suitable for use on the live (i.e., operational) tests, which will begin in the 2014-‐15 school year, will be used to populate the test item bank. Also, the FT will help ensure that the Smarter Balanced assessment items are placedon an accurate scale to determine final achievement levels (i.e., cut scores) as well as their corresponding descriptors. To this end, it is essential that all students participate in the field test and make their best effort as their answers will influence future scoring decisions. 2. What are the benefits for BUSD and for students, teachers and administrators? By participating in the Smarter Balanced FT, students, teachers, and administrators will receive valuable exposure to and experience with the California’s future assessment system. Students will gain hands-‐on experience with the functionality of technology-‐enhanced items and newly designed performance tasks. Teachers and administrators will gain valuable experience with administration logistics, which will help them better prepare for a smooth and successful participation in the operational assessments, which will begin in the 2014–15 school year. The district will benefit from learning where their technology gaps may be, to give time to fully prepare for the live assessments. We will all benefit by having the diversity of California’s student population included in the analysis of test and item quality and development of achievement level scores and descriptors to assure test questions included in the item-‐bank are fair and equitable. 3. Will individual student, school, or district score reports be generated from the FT? No. A field test is not a valid and reliable measure of student achievement; rather, it is designed to help the test developers evaluate whether the individual items and the technology platform work before the first operational administration. CDE prohibits the production of individual student scores from the FT. 4. Will my school also need to administer the California Standards Test (CST) or California Modified Assessment (CMA) or the California Alternative Performance Assessment (CAPA)? In California, schools will administer the Field Test in place of the ELA and Math CST and CMA; Students taking the California Alternative Performance Assessment (CAPA) will not take the Field Test and must take the CAPA in Grades 2-‐11 . In addition, students in grades 5, 8 and 10 will take the CST or CMA in Science until such a time that there is a new Next Generation Science Standard (NGSS) test. 5. What role will the FT play in meeting the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), Academic Performance Index (API) or other state or federal accountability requirements? None. The data resulting from the FT will not be factored into any state or

FAQs

What is the purpose of the spring 2014 Smarter Balanced Field Test (FT)?

The FT verifies that assessment items are accessible to all students and produces valid, reliable, and fair results. It also evaluates the delivery system, populates the item bank for operational tests, and helps place items on an accurate achievement scale (cut scores and descriptors).

Will individual student, school, or district score reports be generated from the FT?

No. The FT is not a valid and reliable measure of student achievement, and CDE prohibits generating individual student scores from the FT.

When and which students will participate in the FT?

The FT is conducted in Berkeley between April 7 and May 16, 2014, with each school using a shorter testing window. Students in Grades 3–8 and Grades 9 and 11 participate, with online assessments in mathematics and English Language Arts aligned to the Common Core State Standards.

Oct 2, 2026

Uploaded by Riley