Summative Assessments and Interim Comprehensive Assessments
Based on their individual scale scores and the error band, student results for the summative assessment and ICAs are reported in one of four achievement levels, Level 4 (Exceeded the standard); Level 3 (Met the standard); Level 2 (Nearly met the standard); Level 1 (Did not meet the standard). The achievement levels were established by a committee of member state representatives, teachers, parents, and other stakeholders through a process called Achievement Level Setting, a process that asked participants to closely examine assessment content to determine threshold scores for each achievement level. Educators who work with English learners and students with disabilities were also included to help ensure that the achievement levels are fair and appropriate for all students. The panelists established the level of knowledge and skills that all students should demonstrate to be ready for high school. Smarter Balanced members voted to approve the initial college or career achievement levels for mathematics and ELA Literacy in November 2014.
Members voted to approve cut scores for grades 9 and 10 in February 2019. These cut scores may be used for summative assessments administered in grades 9 and 10 and for the high school ICAs administered in grades 9 and 10, as part of an early detection system of college readiness. Not all members use the grade 9 and 10 summative assessments.
Beginning in 2019–20, Smarter Balanced released Grade 9 and Grade 10 ICAs in ELA and mathematics.
Tables 1 and 2 below show the range of scaled scores for each achievement level in the summative assessment and ICA in mathematics and ELA.
| Grade | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | <2381 | 2381–2435 | 2436–2500 | >2500 |
| 4 | <2411 | 2411–2484 | 2485–2548 | >2548 |
| 5 | <2455 | 2455–2527 | 2528–2578 | >2578 |
| 6 | <2473 | 2473–2551 | 2552–2609 | >2609 |
| 7 | <2484 | 2484–2566 | 2567–2634 | >2634 |
| 8 | <2504 | 2504–2585 | 2586–2652 | >2652 |
| 9 | <2517 | 2517–2600 | 2601–2675 | >2675 |
| 10 | <2533 | 2533–2613 | 2614–2696 | >2696 |
| 11 | <2543 | 2543–2627 | 2628–2717 | >2717 |
| Grade | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | <2367 | 2367–2431 | 2432–2489 | >2489 |
| 4 | <2416 | 2416–2472 | 2473–2532 | >2532 |
| 5 | <2442 | 2442–2501 | 2502–2581 | >2581 |
| 6 | <2457 | 2457–2530 | 2531–2617 | >2617 |
| 7 | <2479 | 2479–2551 | 2552–2648 | >2648 |
| 8 | <2487 | 2487–2566 | 2567–2667 | >2667 |
| 9 | <2489 | 2489–2570 | 2571–2671 | >2671 |
| 10 | <2491 | 2491–2576 | 2577–2677 | >2677 |
| 11 | <2493 | 2493–2582 | 2583–2681 | >2681 |
Claim Scores
The Smarter Reporting System displays claim scores for the summative assessments and ICAs. A claim is a summary statement about the knowledge and skills students will be expected to demonstrate on the assessment related to an aspect of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The ELA Claims are Reading, Writing, Listening, and Research. The mathematics claims are Concepts and Procedures, Problem Solving, Communicating Reasoning, and Modeling/Data Analysis. For more information on Smarter Balanced claims, targets, and standards information, please check out the Smarter Content Explorer. Claim scores are reported in one of three reporting categories: Above Standard, Near Standard, or Below Standard. These reporting categories are determined using the same calculation in the summative and interim assessments.
Note, states or territories using the adjusted form summative blueprint do not have access to individual student claim scores. Individual student claim scores cannot be reliably computed based on the reduced number of items aligned to each claim on the adjusted from blueprint. Group-level claim scores may be computed for a large group of students (e.g., students in a school or district), but these data are not available in the Smarter Reporting System at this time.
Target Reports (Summative Only)
Each Smarter Balanced Claim for ELA and mathematics is comprised of a set of assessment targets (standards or partial standards that are assessed). Target reports provide more detail about the range of content and Depth of Knowledge (DOK) levels. On the summative assessment, target-level scores are calculated for each ELA claim. For mathematics, target-level scores are calculated for Claim 1 only. The reporting system displays aggregate target-level reports for each summative assessment. Target scores are reported as Performance Relative to the Entire Test and Performance Relative to Level 3 (Met the standard).
Beginning in the 2020–2021 school year, educators in states and territories using the adjusted form summative blueprint may not have access to aggregate target reports. Availability of these reports is dependent upon State Education Agency (SEA) decisions. Contact your SEA for more information.
Performance Relative to the Entire Test
Performance Relative to the Entire Test is reported in one of three reporting categories: Better, Similar or Worse. This report indicates whether a group of students' performance on a target was better than, the same as, or worse than the students' performance on the entire test. A "Worse" indicator does not necessarily mean poor performance on a target, but rather that students' performance in this area was weaker relative to their overall performance.
Performance Relative to Level 3 (Met the standard)
Performance Relative to Level 3 (Met the standard) is reported in one of three reporting categories: Above, Near, or Below. A "Below" indicator suggests that students have not yet mastered the content assessed in a target. The sample target report shown in figure 1 below, shows the students' average scale score and standard error of the mean. On Target 1, the students performed Below standard, which is similar to their overall results. This indicates a weakness for this assessed content and an opportunity to follow up the assessment with instructional support. On Target 4, students performed Near standard and better than they did on the entire test, which indicates a possible strength for this target and may indicate where students are ready for a challenge.
Figure 1. Sample Target Report for Summative Assessment