Along with creating an innovative assessment, Smarter Balanced is committed to an unprecedented level of transparency, so that anyone who is interested can see exactly how the test is made.
On this page we provide the following materials used in the process of developing the Smarter Balanced assessment system.
The Smarter Balanced summative test blueprints describe the content of the English language arts/literacy and math summative assessments for grades 3-8 and high school—and how that content will be assessed. The test blueprints include critical information about the number of questions, score points, and depth of knowledge for items associated with each assessment target. They will continue to guide the development of questions and performance tasks, score reporting, and ongoing research.
Smarter Balanced has developed content specifications in English language arts/literacy and math to ensure that the assessments cover the range of knowledge and skills in the Common Core State Standards. The content specifications serve as the basis for the Smarter Balanced system of summative and interim assessments and formative assessment support for teachers.