WHAT IS ON PARENTS MINDS: TEACHER Q&A ON SCORE REPORTS

The purpose of this document is to provide information for educators to help respond to questions parents may
have about the Smarter Score Reports. This document is not intended to be all inclusive, but to provide some
helpful responses for teachers as they discuss the information available with and respond to questions from
parents.

PROBLEM SOLVING
a) How can parents use the score reports to help their children? What type of skills and work
are in each category and what resources are available for the categories?
The test results will show your childs strengths and weaknesses in different areas
within each subject. This will help you understand whether he or she needs
additional practice or needs to be challenged by going deeper into a subject. You
can use these results to locate activities online that were designed specifically for
each category at every grade level. You can also use the test results to guide a
discussion with your childs teacher(s) about additional supports or challenges that
may be needed in class, as well as other ways to support your child at home. There
are many resources available.
You can find tips and resources differentiated by category and grade level, at
www.bealearninghero.org. Also check out www.greatschools.org/gk/ for more
resources. Using your childs individual score, you can find resources that will match
his or her areas of strength and areas for improvement.
b) What does a child need to do to reach Level 3?
The test is scored on a four-point scale with 3 and above considered proficient. To
reach a Level 3, your child must understand and demonstrate that he or she has met
the learning expectations for the grade level. Your child doesnt need to study for
this test because it reflects what your child is learning and doing in the classroom
every day. So the best preparation and practice is through the daily learning,
classwork, and homework your child completes throughout the year.
c) Why does this test matter for my child?
The Smarter assessments help you understand how your child is doing, and if your
child knows and is able to do the things in each grade that are important for them to
be prepared for the next grade level and the future.. The tests show results in
comparison to his or her peers in their grade level and school. It also informs
parents where their child needs more support or additional challenges, which allows
for more personalized teaching.
Along with knowing how your own child is performing, schools also benefit from
knowing how all their students are progressing, which enables them to make the
best and most-informed instructional decisions.
ABOUT INDIVIDUAL STUDENT SCORES
a) What if my child is doing well in the classroom and on his or her report card but that
success is not reflected in the test score?

Smarter is only one of several measures that illustrate a childs progress in math and
English language arts/literacy. Report card grades include multiple sources of
information such as participation, work habits, group projects, homework, etc., that
are not reflected on the test. The Smarter tests help you understand how your child
is performing in comparison to his or her grade-level peers at the same school,
district, and state. It also informs parents and teachers of the progress a child is
making and whether he or she needs some additional support or is ready for more
challenging work, which helps personalize instruction.

b) How can teachers help students improve and make progress on next years test?
Teachers can use resources from the Smarter Digital Library a set of resources for
teachers - to assist with daily instruction and to further help identify student
learning needs through identifying what students know and need more support on
during their daily teaching.
Teachers can use the information in the score reports to better understand the
student strengths and areas of need and adjust their teaching accordingly. The score
reports give information such as how well a student did on areas with a subject,
such as Reading, Writing, Research and Speaking and Listening within English
Language Arts.
Student scores also can be used for school-wide analysis and decisions. For example,
if students in fourth grade performed well in reading, it indicates that the lessons
and materials used were effective; so they will continue to be used. School leaders
also can use scores to identify teachers whose classes made a great deal of progress
and learn from the strategies and methods they used.

c) From the score report, is it possible to identify where my child excels and where he or she
needs more support and practice?
On your childs score report, math and English are broken down into areas of skills.
Your childs performance in each area will help you understand where your child is
and whether he or she needs additional practice or need to be challenged by going
deeper into a subject.
The English Language Arts/Literacy test is broken down into:
o Reading
o Speaking and Listening
o Writing
o Research and Inquiry
The mathematics test is broken down into:
o Concepts and Procedures
o Problem Solving; Modeling and Data Analysis
o Communicating Reasoning
d) How long will it be before progress is evident in student scores?
As teachers spend more time focusing on the content outlined in the new standards
and students gain more practice with the skills, the scores are expected to improve,
especially for younger students. We have seen improved scores in a number of
states that have aligned their instruction to these higher standards.

e) What does it mean if my child did not achieve a Level 3? Should my child be promoted to
the next grade level if he or she did not achieve Level 3?
Students who score at Level 3 or above in English language arts/literacy or
mathematics have met the standard of the grade level in the subject matter. If your
child scored at Level 2, he or she may need additional support to meet the standard
in that subject this school year. Students scoring in Level 1 did not meet the
standard and will require substantial support to grasp the skills and concepts this
school year. If a child scored below Level 3, it does not mean that he or she should
not be promoted; these tests are one of several measures of how well a student is
progressing against the standards, and they do not determine promotion or report
card grades. Those are local decisions best made by the teachers and school leaders
who know your child best and have additional information to help make those
decisions.
The standards build on each other year after year, therefore your childs teachers
in the next school year can support them as they develop regardless of the level
they performed at on last years test.
f)

Why are parents receiving test scores in the fall?

This first year is a transition year. This means various systems are being used for the
first time, and require more time to ensure everything is working smoothly the first
time around. Also, the writing section and performance task questions require
students to think deeply and explain their reasoning. These areas need to be handscored, which takes longer to complete. We are taking great pains to make sure that
this years scoring is done right. This is frustrating for parents and teachers alike, but
next year, the goal is for the scores to be available earlier.

SCORING
a.) Why do the scores look different than scores from our previous state tests? Why is my childs
achievement level lower than last year?
We are asking students to do more challenging work that will prepare them for their
futures. The new tests are measuring more complex skills including critical-thinking,
analyzing and problem-solving, which is different than previous tests. A low score
does not mean that your child did not improve or that they learned less. This first
years test scores set a new baseline from which progress will be measured moving
forward.
b.) How will students scores be used?
Scores do not impact students grade point average, grade promotion or college
acceptance. Scores will be used to identify where your child excels and can be
challenged to go deeper into the subject matter, or where he or she needs extra
support or practice. Some colleges and universities, including those in Delaware,
have offered to accept successful Grade 11 test scores in lieu of freshman
placement tests that first-year college students usually take, guaranteeing students
placement in credit-bearing courses and saving families the cost of paying for
remedial courses for no credit.
c.) How many questions were there in each subject? Is it possible to know how many questions
my child answered correctly?

Smarter assessments consist of roughly 35 questions in math and about 40 questions in

English language arts/literacy, plus performance tasks. This is comparable to previous
tests.
The score report does not indicate how many questions a student answered correctly.
The scoring doesnt rely only on the number of correct answers but also the difficulty of
each question. If a student does not answer a question, he or she will get the lowest
possible score for that question. More difficult questions are scored on a scale, and
students can earn partial credit. To watch a video that explains the Smarter test and
walks through practice tests in math and English language arts/literacy, visit:
http://bealearninghero.org/classroom/smarter-balanced/

d.) What types of questions did my child answer?

The Smarter test includes performance tasks, multi-step assignments that asks
students to apply their knowledge and skills to address real-world problems. In
English, students apply their research and writing skills, and in math, they solve a
complex problem and then describe and defend their reasoning.
The test also includes multiple choice questions, as well as interactive questions that
require students to drag and drop answers into a box, create equations and fill in
answers. The questions on the test emphasize the real-world skills that are guiding
instruction in the classroom, such as critical-thinking, writing effectively and
problem-solving.
o To see a practice test, visit http://sbac.portal.airast.org/practice-test/

e.) How were the questions scored? Who scored them?

ENGLISH:
For the performance tasks, teams of educators from Smarter assessment states,
including Delaware, reviewed and agreed upon student responses to serve as samples
or anchors. Anchors are concrete examples of student work in each of the score
ranges. They serve as a reference point to ensure that scorers interpret and apply the
scoring guides consistently. Professional scorers who have been trained to use the
Smarter anchors and rubrics then score the individual student responses.
The ELA performance tasks are scored in three areas:
o Organization/purpose
o Evidence/elaboration
o Conventions
o Short answer and research responses also have anchors that were verified by
teachers. Each question has points possible for answering the question and
providing an explanation using evidence from the text. They are scored in three
areas: Introduction, conclusion and elaboration/evidence.
MATH:
The open-ended mathematics questions were also hand-scored with anchors that were
reviewed and agreed upon by educators. The general range for the math questions is
listed below, although some more complex questions are scored on a different point
scale. Scores can range from 0 points to multiple points, depending on the question and
grade level, based on how well the answer shows an understanding of the topic.
For the math tests, the total scores were calculated from the different subcategories:
Concepts and procedures: 50%
Communicating reasoning: 25%

Problem solving, modeling and data analysis: 25%

f.) If my child was not familiar with computers, were accommodations made for technology, such
as paper and pencil versions? Did my child have enough time to finish?
In Delaware, students have been taking tests on computers for a number of years,
so our students are more familiar with this format.
The test has no time limit so students who might be less adept at using a computer
have the necessary time they need to finish their work. Also, the test includes
resources to address visual, auditory and physical access barriers, allowing virtually
all students to demonstrate what they know and can do.
Paper tests are only available for schools that do not meet the technology
requirement and either lack computers or sufficient Internet connections to support
an online test. They are not an available option based on student preference.
Students with a disability who need a paper test must have it listed as an
accommodation on an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 plan.
Students had opportunities in class to practice on computers. This included taking
Smarter practice tests, so they had the opportunity to become familiar with the
tools, including calculators and highlighters, and the different types of questions,
such as creating a graph and typing answers in a box.
Training tests also were available. It takes about an hour to run through the training
Items, a set of items that covers every problem type on the test and guides students
through the use of the computer-based tools such as dragging and dropping,
drawing lines on a graph and creating equations with the equation editor, so that
students are familiar with them when they take the exam. This kind of preparation
was not required but has been available if districts, schools and teachers wanted it.
Many teachers also use the additional resources provided by Smarter and the
Department of Education to help students become familiar with the tools available
and the test format used during the Smarter assessments.
g.) How was my childs performance for the subcategories in each subject determined? Are
sample questions in each category available in each grade level?
In English language arts/literacy and mathematics, your childs score in each area
was based on how well he or she performed on questions that required the use of
skills in the category. A single question could fall into more than one category if it
required using skills in more than one category.
h.) Is it possible to identify whether my child finished every section of the test?
Unfortunately this is not part of the score report. Its not the number of questions
answered correctly that determines the score, but the difficulty of the questions.
Because Smarter is adaptive, each student may get a different question. Any
questions that have been left unanswered were not due to a time constraint but
rather that a student simply did not provide an answer.
i.) Do teachers receive the same kind of information as parents? If not, what do teachers
receive?
Smarter provides the same information to teachers so that teachers may address
student needs and also go deeper in areas needing additional challenge.

b.) REINFORCING THE CHANGES

a) Why do we need a new test and standards?

A new test was needed to measure the more challenging things that we are asking
students to do. These expectations also are guiding teachers instruction. These
learning goals focus on the skills students need in the real world, such as critical
thinking, analyzing and problem-solving.
b) If fewer students are meeting the standards on this test than the previous state test, are
they really accurate measures of student progress?
Yes. Education leaders in our state expected fewer students to meet the standard
during this initial year. We have raised the bar and set higher expectations at each grade
level. The new standards focus on more complex skills, and the tests are measuring
these skills.
c) If scores from the Smarter tests cannot be compared to previous test scores, why are
these scores important?
The scores on these tests are important because they show how well students are
progressing against the higher standards. As parents, you need to know that your
child is mastering the necessary skills to be successful in the next grade level. For
students who miss key concepts, especially in mathematics where they build in a
sequence toward classes such as algebra, a missed concept in 5th grade can affect a
students ability to succeed in math from that point forward.