Smarter Balanced releases sample test items

The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium has released sample items and performance tasks to help teachers, administrators, and policymakers better understand the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and prepare for related assessments. While the sample items and performance tasks are not intended to be used as practice tests, teachers can use them to begin planning the shifts in instruction that will be required to help students meet the demands of the new assessments.

Developed by teams of educators from across the country, these sample items and performance tasks showcase the variety of item types being developed by the Smarter Balanced consortium, including technology-enhanced items that take advantage of computer administration. However, they represent only a small fraction of the more than 10,000 items and tasks currently in development.

The Smarter Balanced assessment system will cover the full range of college- and career-ready knowledge and skills in the Common Core State Standards. To do this, each test item is associated with assessment targets and overall content claims. This information—as well as the scoring rubric for each item—is available through the online interface.

South Dakota is a part of the Smarter Balanced Consortium and had representation on one of the development teams.

The sample items and performance tasks are displayed using a simulated test platform. This does not include accessibility tools and accommodations options that will be available when the assessments are administered to students in the 2014-15 school year. Click here to view the sample items.