Where Are The Smarter Balanced Test Results?

Filed in Delaware by on August 3, 2015

According to Kavips (posted on August 1st):

It has been 7 days now that the Delaware Department has sat on the results of the Smarter Balanced Assessments. Day one was the release by other states of their preliminary data alerting all that the state now had the results…

One must ask why in the “most open and transparent administration in Delaware’s history” (Markell’s state of the state claim) we are still waiting for the preliminary data to be released.

Do we really have the results? The test was given last spring (March and April) so you’d think for a test to have educational impact the results would be available quickly.

Looks like school is starting at the end of this month. Which begs the question… How are we planning on using the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) test results? Will the children who do not pass the test be retained? Given extra schooling (Obviously it’s too late for summer school)? Doubtful. So how will this test improve their education? “Oh, you failed the 5th grade SBA. Good luck in 6th grade, hopefully next years 5th graders will improve, but it’s too late for you!”

This test should be used to identify student problems and correct them, but how can that happen if we don’t even have the results? What’s the point of a test that doesn’t give the necessary feedback in a timely manner?

Once again, this isn’t about the kids – especially the kids who fail this oh so important test and get pushed along. Maybe there’s a plan, but we’d need to actually see the flippin’ test scores first. I’m sticking with my prediction: These scores won’t be good, and will probably do more to fuel the opt-out movement than anything else.

Anyone know when these scores will be released?

 

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A stay-at-home mom with an obsession for National politics.

Comments (6)

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  1. Mike O. says:

    This is the perfect opportunity to promote Kevin Ohlandt’s GoFundMe drive for the FOIA request on the vendor documentation and correspondence:

    http://www.gofundme.com/x6mb3j8

    I believe one of those vendors is also the vendor for scoring the test (!) and I would be very interested in seeing the SLA on returning the results.

    For the record, last year I was told by a Red Clay official that scoring the test would take “2-3 weeks.” But that was then, this is now.

    Also I have pointed out this 2010 blog post on Markell’s own blog (bolding added):

    Another significant element of our education reform plan is the improved collection and use of data. Teachers, school leaders and parents need real feedback in real time to determine how our students are doing, so we are building systems to make that possible.

  2. Just guessing, Pandora…late Friday afternoon?

  3. pandora says:

    Ah… a news dump? You might be right.

    No matter what, these scores are really late… and pretty useless for the kids who took the test.

  4. mediawatch says:

    DoE usually releases scores at a State Board of Ed meeting (third Thursday of the month, which would be the 20th) and briefs media a couple of days ahead of the meeting. In that respect, there’s nothing unusual about scores not being posted yet, and a Friday afternoon news dump would be totally out of character, even for DOE.

    However, based on past practice, the districts should have their scores by now, so they would know how their students did, albeit not with data comparing them to other districts.

    That said, these tests, and virtually all their predecessors, have never really been about the kids. If they were, the tests would be administered early enough in the year for the results to help teachers make mid-course corrections or in late spring/early summer so they could help with placing students in the proper courses and/or with the most appropriate teachers for the coming year.
    So, let’s not “kid” ourselves. Right, Jack? Right, Mark?

  5. I just find it hysterical these scores haven’t been released yet. Everything about the SBAC has been a colossal failure of epic proportions, so I shouldn’t be shocked by any of this. Kavips made a good point, if all these states are dumping SBAC like a bad habit, doesn’t the cost for the remaining states go up? Is that something Delaware can afford with an upcoming $160-170 million dollar deficit?