Smarter Balanced Summative Assessment

Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments

These are the "End-of-Year Tests" that determine students’ progress toward college and career readiness in English language arts/literacy and math. These are given at the end of the school year and consist of two parts: a computer adaptive test and a performance task.

The Summative Assessments:

  • Describe both student achievement (how much students know at the end of the year) and student growth (how much students have improved since the previous year) to inform program evaluation and school, district, and state accountability systems
  • Include writing at every grade and ask students to solve multi-step, real-world problems in mathematics; and
  • Utilize and capitalize on the strengths of computer adaptive testing: efficient and precise measurement with a quick turnaround of results.

The Smarter Balanced Assessment System:

The system is Common Core aligned and covers the full range of college- and career-ready knowledge and skills in the Common Core State Standards. To do this, each test item is based on overall content claims and assessment targets.

Content claims are summary statements about the knowledge and skills students are expected to demonstrate on the assessment related to a particular aspect of the standards. Within each claim area, assessment targets were developed to ensure that item writers and reviewers address the standards, learning progressions, and the Depth of Knowledge (DOK) levels.

The Practice Tests reflect the expectations for rigorous content and application of knowledge contained in the Common Core.

As the Smarter Balanced Consortium developed the components of the Smarter Balanced system, its members approved content claims in English language arts/literacy and mathematics:

In addition to mathematics and ELA testing, the California Science Tests (CAST) will be field-tested in spring 2018. Students will be administered the CAST field test in grades five and eight and once in high school. All grade twelve students will be administered the field test, and local educational agencies (LEAs) can elect to administer the field test to any students in grade ten or eleven who have completed their science coursework. The CAST is aligned with the California Next Generation Science Standards.

The Smarter Balanced Assessment System Graphic (PDF) and Smarter Balanced Assessment System (Video; 2:56) displays the relationship between the system components, the CCSS, and college and career readiness. You can view sample test items by claim and item type on the Smarter Balanced Web site.

To administer the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments, teachers can access the Test Operations Management System Resources (TOMS) at the CAASPP portal OR by going to the Test Administrator Interface for All Online Tests

If you would like specific step-by-step instructions on "How to Start a CAASPP Summative Test Session" please see the Summative Assessment – Start a Test Session PDF located HERE