Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium released draft initial achievement level descriptors (ALDs) in English language arts/literacy and mathematics

From DPI:

Dear District Assessment Coordinator and CESA SIS Coordinator:

The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium released draft initial achievement level descriptors (ALDs) in English language arts/literacy and mathematics for review. The ALDs define the types of knowledge, skills, and processes expected of or demonstrated bystudents in each level of achievement in the Smarter Balanced Assessment. ALDs are used for score reporting, and to determine performance level expectations for students. The Smarter Balanced Consortium will also use the ALDs for item development to ensure adequate representation of items across the performance spectrum.

Please forward this information to content specialists, curriculum coordinators, research staff, principals, and ELA and mathematics teachers in your district so they may weigh in on the ALDs. Feedback can be submitted through an online Feedback survey, available on the Smarter Balanced Consortium website. You may register for a webinar that will be held on December 17, from 2:30-4:00 p.m., to receive an overview of the ALDs, to aid you in your review.

The Smarter Balanced Initial ALD workshop was held in October 2012. A group of educational experts from all governing states convened for five days to draft this important component of the Smarter Balanced assessment. The product of the workshop is a DRAFT set of ELA and mathematics ALD materials that are now available, for approximately a six- week public review period, at http://www.smarterbalanced.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Draft-ELA-ALDs-and-College-Readiness-Policy1.pdf and http://www.smarterbalanced.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Draft-Math-ALDs-and-College-Readiness-Policy.pdf. These documents also include the draft college content-readiness definition and policy framework.

The public review period will remain open until Tuesday, January 15, 2013. During this review period, you will be able to submit your feedback to survey questions that ask for your impression of the ALDs and college content-readiness materials: policy impact, rigor, language, clarity, expectations, and impact on students. You may elect to review the materials solely according to your specialty area or also for their Content, Coherence, Clarity, and Rigor of the ALDs.

We encourage your participation in this important review.

Debbie Gaffney Dilley
Office of Educational Accountability
Department of Public Instruction