: Last Updated: 12 March 2021

Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium SBAC

The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium or short SBAC is a standardized test available in over twenty states. These tests are available in public primary and middle schools from 3rd to 8th grade, and finally in public high schools at grade 11. The SBAC tests rest upon a unified and consolidated set of standards called CCSS or Common Core State Standards, which every pupil needs to fulfill to pass the assessment. These standards have been devised by numerous states, with one main goal, which is to offer students, teachers, and parents clear educational standards and measure their understanding of different themes after finishing a class or education.

Eligibility for Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium SBAC Exam

Students willing to explore their readiness for either college or a career, are eligible to take this assessment in numerous states. This grade 11 SBAC test has the goal of early readiness evaluation on account of community colleges.

But The SBAC doesn´t stop there, the tests are available for lower grades. Tests for grades 3-5 and 6-8 are also available. Due to federal laws, post-grade testing is required after every grade from grades 3 to 8. The cause behind this is to track the progress of every public school student individually.

Syllabus for Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium SBAC Exam

The topics of the SBAC have so far been only English language arts/literacy or Mathematics. The tests are administered in public schools between March and June, depending on grade and topic.

The SBAC exam is adaptive, this means it caters to the needs and knowledge of the student. This means not every test is the same. For instance, if the student taking the test had a wrong answer or doesn’t answer a question, the SBAC will automatically deliver an easier question to the pupil. On the contrary, if the student answers a question correctly, the system offers him or her a more complicated question.

Format of Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium SBAC Exam

Each state of the K-12: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, US Virgin Islands, Vermont, and Washington each has different SBAC tests.

Unlike many other exams, the SBAC is taken on a secure computer program. The test questions are multiple-choice but at the same time, they ask the pupil to justify their answer, which is an innovative new addition in the world of public schooling.

The exam is not timed, this means the students have plenty of time to think their answers through. The estimated time a high school student needs to finish both tests is around eight and a half hours. The test is customized to both students with physical, auditory, and visual access barriers, so every pupil can showcase what they have learned through their classes.

The SBAC gives insight into the results of every exam, it discloses and informs where in the curriculum the student comes through or exceeds and in which area of studies he or she didn’t give enough time or are weaker at. The test results so far do not affect the graduation of a pupil.