• What is the SBA:  Smarter Balanced Assessments (SBA) are online assessments administered in English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics. Students take the SBA in grades 3-8 and 10, in compliance with state and federal law. Additionally, students in grades 5, 8, and 11 will take the Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS). SBA and WCAS testing take place between Spring Break and June in school-selected schedules designed to make the best use of student instructional time and use resources efficiently

    What is the purpose of the SBA: The SBA is a standardized test, which means that the test is provided in the same manner as much as possible for all students: in a quiet and familiar environment using tools and devices with which the students are familiar. The SBA is also a standards-based assessment, which means that the test is designed to determine the student’s level of understanding of the academic standards the students are learning in the classroom daily. Because the administration is standardized and based on grade level academic standards, we can look at SBA results across grade levels, schools, and districts, to better direct funding, professional development, and curriculum changes. SBA results are an important part of pursuing educational equity.

    On an individual student basis, the SBA provides another piece of evidence to help teachers better understand how to adjust their curriculum and instruction to help individual students meet grade level standard.

    Practice and Training Tests: Practice Tests give users some idea of what to expect in terms of content and difficulty, while Training Tests let users try out the various tools and item types they will see on the test. Training Tests are organized by grade band (for example, there is one test that covers grade 3-5 material), so do not be alarmed if the questions are much easier or harder than you expected. These tests are informational and are not scored and have no answer key.

    Visit THIS LINK for access to SBA Practice Tests