Connecticut’s Growth Model for the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments:
English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics
This is the third administration of the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) in Waterford Public Schools. After the baseline administration in the 2014-15 school year, the assessment was modified to shorten the time of the overall administration by eliminating the ELA performance tasks. Also, the state changed the high school’s assessment from SBA to the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). The SBA measures student / school / district performance in two ways; overall achievement and growth.
To understand the differences between achievement and growth, one must know the definition of achievement. Achievement or proficiency is a one-time snapshot measurement of a student’s academic performance in a subject area like ELA or Mathematics. The Achievement levels are: Not Met; Approaching; Met; Exceeded.
Growth is about the change in that achievement score for the same student between two or more points in time (i.e. from one year to the next).
This model in grades 3-8 is a continuous system aligned to vertical scale scores. This means all growth counts; there are no more golden bands. Unlike in the past, there is no incentive in this system to focus on getting a small group of students over some magical proficiency bar; instead the message here is that all growth achieved by all students counts.
Click here to access full Summative Evaluation report.