SBAC Assessments: Click here to view full version.

There are three assessment components to Smarter Balanced: A computer-adaptive test, a classroom activity, and a performance task.

1. Computer Adaptive Test: An online adaptive test that provides an individualized assessment for each student.
2. Classroom Activity: A group exercise, usually lasting about 30 minutes, meant to provide context and familiarize all students with an upcoming Performance Task.
3. Performance Task: Tasks that challenge students to apply their knowledge and skills to respond to real-world problems. They can best be described as collections of questions and activities that are coherently connected to a single theme or scenario.​ They​ will be used to better measure capacities such as depth of understanding, research skills, and complex analysis, which cannot be adequately assessed with selected- or constructed-response items. Some performance task items can be scored by the computer; most will be manually​​ scored.​ ​​​

On average, the assessments are expected to last a combined 7 hours for grades 3-5; 7:30 hours for grades 6-8, and 8:30 hours for grade 11. The test is not timed; students will be given appropriate time to answer all questions. The tests can be administered over several days. For more detailed information, please see these Smarter Balanced FAQs​.
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Online Practice Tests: Students, teachers and parents nationwide have access to sets of assessment questions aligned to the Common Core that can be used for professional development and discussions with policymakers and other interested stakeholders. The practice tests are available at our AlohaHSAP portal​​​. These are only a preview, and do not encompass the full range of content that students may encounter. Also, they are presented in a “fixed form” (i.e., not computer adaptive) and users will not receive reports or scores.