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Parents' Place » SBAC Practice Test at Home

SBAC Practice Test at Home

Dear Parents and Guardians of Grade 3-5 students,

    

With the adoption of Common Core State Standards, the district is preparing students for the aligned assessment that will be given each year, the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, or CAASPP.  This assessment system, also referred to at times as the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC), will replace the previous STAR test that our students took each Spring.

 

The CAASPP is a computer-based assessment, and asks students to answer questions not only in multiple choice form, but also in written form, and includes a Performance Task portion of the assessment.  This year, students will take a field test, to determine a baseline for student achievement, but also to assess how prepared districts are with regards to the student use of technology in completing this assessment.  Student scores will be used to calculate the school Academic Performance Index this year, so it will be important for students to perform to the best of their ability on each year’s test.

 

Students will become familiar with the test format and are having multiple opportunities to take the Training and Practice Tests online in our classrooms and computer lab. However, additional experience with these will help students become as proficient with the testing format as possible, and this is where you come in.  Students and families can access the test from home with a computer that is connected to the internet.  Directions on the back of this letter walk you through how to access the testing site and actually take the practice test.

    

We strongly encourage parents/guardians to practice these tests with their children to get a sense of what they will experience during the actual testing window in April and May.  I have also included a brief timeline for the testing process this year.

    

Together, we can work to help make this a valuable experience for your child, and enable them to perform to the best of their ability in showing us what they know.  Please feel free to contact your child’s teacher if you have questions about this.

 

HOW TO PRACTICE THE CAASPP TEST AT HOME

  1. Open Google Chrome or Firefox browser (doesn’t work well in Microsoft Internet Explorer)
  2. Go to website: http://sbac.portal.airast.org or click on the link 
  3. Follow directions to begin practice test:
    1. Select “Practice and Training Tests” (box on right)
    2. Select “Student Interface Practice and Training Tests” (box on right)
    3. Click on the Sign In button
    4. Select Grade Level and click “Yes”
    5. Select name of the Practice Test you want to take.
    6. Choose test settings, then confirm settings
    7. Begin test

Timeline for implementation:

Now – April:  Time for students to experience Training and Practice tests prior to taking the tests with their class.  This may occur in the Computer Lab, in classrooms, and/or at home. 

March 2 – May 8:  SBAC testing window

Students in grades 3-5 will take the following tests:

  1. Math Practice Test
  2. ELA Practice Test
  3. Performance task in English Language Arts or Math