Smarter Balanced Interim Fact Sheet

Interim Assessments
Hawai'i Statewide Assessment Program
This document contains an overview of the Smarter Balanced Interim Assessments that will be
administered during Spring 2015.
Interim Assessments are designed to support teaching and learning throughout the year.
Feedback to inform instruction includes:
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Global measuring of early and midyear progress
Identifying specific areas of strength and weakness
Assessing skills of incoming students
Interim Assessment Items
Ways in which Interim items are the same as the summative items:
 All items were developed together
 Assess Common Core State Standards
 Use Universal Design principles
 Same accessibility resources
 Provide evidence to support claims in mathematics and English language
arts/literacy
Ways in which Interim items are different from summative items:
 Separate open, non-secure item pool
Interim Comprehensive Assessments (ICAs)
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Two opportunities
Same design as summative tests
Assess the same claims and standards
Yield overall scale scores, performance level designation and claim score information
Interim Assessments for Hawai'i Statewide Assessment Program Tests
Interim Assessment Blocks (IABs)
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Two opportunities
Assess smaller sets of targets
Address specific content areas
More flexible
Reported as “Below Standards, “At/Near Standard,” and “Above Standard”
Administration of Interim Assessments
The Interim Assessments are comprised of two components (tests) for ELA and mathematics: a
Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) and a Performance Task (PT) also given on the computer. All PTs must be
preceded by the administration of a Classroom Activity. Smarter Balanced recommends that students
take the CAT and PT items on separate days. For each content area, Smarter Balanced also recommends
that students begin with the CAT items, followed by the Classroom Activity, and then the PT. The
Classroom Activity, which is designed to introduce the PT, must occur prior to the PT.
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Administered online through the Test Delivery System (TDS).
Individual Accommodations and Supportive features may be selected in TIDE.
Uses same delivery software and secure browser as summative and other state
assessments.
Uses same scripts as the summative assessments. These scripts may be found in the Test
Administration Manual posted on the Smarter Balanced section of the Hawai'i
Statewide Assessment Program portal (http://alohahsap.org).
Classroom Activities are posted on the Smarter Balanced section of the Hawai'i
Statewide Assessment Program portal (http://alohahsap.org).
Reports will be rendered in the Online Reporting System (ORS) after tests are submitted
and hand scoring using the interim Teacher Hand Scoring System (THSS) has occurred by
school staff (where applicable).
Scoring of tests
• Student responses requiring hand scoring is a school responsibility.
 ICAs and some IABs have questions that are not machine-scored and must be hand
scored by a Test Administrator, Teacher or school specified individual.
• For more information about hand scoring, refer to the Teacher Hand Scoring
System User Guide.
 Same scoring rules as summative tests.
 Scores will only be rendered for a subject (ELA or Mathematics) only after both the
Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) and Performance Task have been completed by a
student and all responses for a student that require hand scoring have been
completed by a Test Administrator/Teacher using THSS.
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Interim Assessments for Hawai'i Statewide Assessment Program Tests
Grade flexibility
• Grade flexibility testing on the Interim assessments provides students the option of
testing outside grade level, when appropriate.
 Available for students in grades 3 through high school.
 Teachers may set the Interim test grade levels in TIDE which a student is eligible to
take.
 Tests from any grade may be used, depending on purpose.
Both ICAs and IABs may be administered twice during the year
• There is only one fixed form test available for both the ICAs and IABs.
• Students will see the same items more than once.
• Decisions about test choice and frequency are determined by school plans for test
purpose and score use.
Current Interim Assessments
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Fully accessible.
Fixed form online tests for Spring 2015, to become adaptive as item bank allows next
year.
ICAs will be offered in both ELA and Mathematics in Spring 2015.
Below is a list of the current set of IABs available. Blocks with an asterisk are not
available for the 2014-15 school year.
English Language Arts IABs
*Grades 4-5 only in 2014–15
**Grades 3 only in 2014–15
^Not available in 2014–15
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Interim Assessments for Hawai'i Statewide Assessment Program Tests
*Not available in 2014–15
*Not available in 2014–15
Mathematics IABs
*Not available in 2014–15
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Interim Assessments for Hawai'i Statewide Assessment Program Tests
*Not available in 2014–15
*Available as single “Expressions & Equations” Block in 2014–15
*Not available in 2014–15
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Interim Assessments for Hawai'i Statewide Assessment Program Tests
*Not available in 2014–15
Flow of Scored Test Data
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The Online Reporting System (ORS) will be used to render individual student reports.
Scores will only be rendered for a subject (ELA or Mathematics) only after both the
Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) and Performance Task have been completed by a student
and all responses for a student that require hand scoring have been scored by a Test
Administrator/Teacher in the interim Teacher Hand Scoring System (THSS).
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Interim Assessments for Hawai'i Statewide Assessment Program Tests
Additional Information:
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For information about hand scoring, refer to the Teacher Hand Scoring System Manual.
For information about reporting, see the ORS User Guide.
The above resources as well as test administration manuals and user guides for other
systems are available on the Hawai'i Statewide Assessment Program portal
(http://alohahsap.org).
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