Smarter Balanced Practice Test available in May

Smarter Balanced “Volunteer Pilot” to be Replaced by Practice Test

Due to the overwhelming demand for access to the Volunteer Pilot assessment from principals, teachers, parents, and the public, Smarter Balanced has decided to release a more complete and more broadly available “practice test.” Like the planned Volunteer Pilot, the Practice Test will allow students to experience items that look and function like those found on the Scientific Pilot. The Practice Test will also include performance tasks (not previously planned for the Volunteer Pilot), and will be constructed to follow a test blueprint similar to the blueprint intended for the operational test. With the Practice Test, teachers will be able to construct simulated assessment events for their students. Additionally, online access to the Practice Test will not require a unique username and password, meaning that schools and districts can use the Practice Test for professional development activities and for discussions with parents, policymakers, and other interested stakeholders.

The Practice Test will be available in late May

The Practice Test will provide

• administrators and parents with access to items planned and designed for the new assessment;
• students with access to the tests over the summer, with the Practice Test being accessible right up to the rollout of the operational assessment
• a full array of item types, including performance tasks;
• versions supporting several accommodations:

- Text-to-speech

- Item-level pop-up Spanish glossaries for construct-irrelevant terms (mathematics only)

- Braille

- American Sign Language (ASL)