Elizabeth Min, who just finished her junior year at Decatur High School in Federal Way, Wash., recently wrote an opinion piece about the value of Smarter Balanced in Federal Way Mirror newspaper. Wrote Min: “Taking tests can be challenging, but the …
Educators Covene to ‘Spring Clean’ Resources in the Digital Library
Nearly 60 educators from around the nation met for three days last week in Denver for a “spring cleaning” of the Digital Library and its nearly 3,000 resources. By the end, educators who attended the State Network of Educators Workshop were able …
Idaho District Leader Praises Use of Interim Assessments
In his review of the 2016-17 school year, Gary Pfleuger, superintendent of Boundary County School District 101 in Idaho, mentions his district’s use of Smarter Balanced interim assessments, and how the periodic tests helped students perform better on the year-end …
Ready WA Video Highlights State’s Bridge to College Program
Ready Washington released a video on the state’s Bridge to College transition courses, which help to prepare students for success in college-level math and English language arts courses and avoid costly remedial classes. Ready Washington highlighted a group of seniors at Mariner …
Nearly 500,000 California Students Test in One Day
On May 9, nearly 500,000 California students simultaneously signed on to take the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) tests, the highest number of students testing simultaneously during the 2017 spring testing season in the state. Most of the students …
WA Teacher: We View Smarter Balanced as a Teaching Tool
Alisa Louie, an English Language Learner Specialist, Interventionist and Teacher Coach at Evergreen Heights Elementary in Auburn, WA, wrote a guest blog on Ready Washington’s Medium channel about assessments and Smarter Balanced. She made two important points that are often …
PA Teacher of the Year: Smarter Balanced Reflects What Students Should Know
Anthony Grisillo, the 2014-15 teacher of the year in Pennsylvania, recently participated in a study by the National Network of State Teachers of the Year (NNSTOY). Grisillo, a teacher librarian, along with a dozen or so other teachers, reviewed the …
Letter: WA Businessman Knows Value of High-Quality Assessments
In a letter to the editor in the Bellevue Reporter titled, “Student assessments ensure students gain needed skills,” Bellevue, WA businessman Peter Raulerson writes about the need to challenge students with rigorous learning standards and high-quality assessments, like Smarter Balanced. Washington state’s …
Desmos, Smarter Balanced Partner on Free, Accessible Online Calculator
Desmos, which has created a free online graphing calculator, announced its new partnership with Smarter Balanced. Desmos won a competitive contract with Smarter Balanced in 2016 to build an online calculator that provides accessible features for students who are blind and …
Oregon HS Teacher: My Students Say Test Represents Their Learning
Oregon high school math teacher Allan Brunner, the state’s 2006 Teacher of the Year, was curious if Smarter Balanced represented what his students were learning in class. So he went right to the source: his students. What I didn’t know …