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about to be administered for the first time this spring, I could not help but think how happy I was
not to have to take the new test as a student. Yet, from the perspective of an administrator, policy
maker, curriculum leader, and even as a parent, the new Smarter Balanced assessment offers
many improvements from the previous NECAP (New England Common Assessment program)
(NH Department of Ed, 2014). Not only has the expectations of students changed, but also how
The new Smarter Balanced assessment is very different from the current NECAP
assessment that is given to all New Hampshire students in grades 3-8th and 11th. Right now,
students in grades 3-8th and 11th grade are beginning to take the new Smarter Balanced
Assessment for the first time. The new Smarter Balanced assessment replaced the NECAP test
for English and math, but NECAP will continue to be used for science testing. Furthermore, the
new Smarter Balanced assessment is aligned to the Common Core State Standards and is meant
to provide an academic check-up for teachers and parents so they have better information to help
students succeed (Smarter Balanced Assessments, 2015). It is the hope with this new assessment,
that students can no longer rely on memorizing facts, but must instead use critical thinking and
knowledge application skills (Parents Guide, 2014). Moreover, the new assessment will be able
to determine if students are meeting the Common Core State Standards and gauge how students
Students will be expected to use a much higher level of thinking on the new assessment.
The new English language arts assessment asks students to read more complex fiction and non-
fiction and use evidence from these texts to answer questions, make inferences, and present
persuasive arguments (Parents Guide, 2014). For example, in the English section students are
asked to click sentences in paragraphs that support an idea. Moreover, during the new math
assessment using Smarter Balanced assessment, students will no longer just be answering
conceptual questions, and make real-world applications (Parents Guide, 2014). Students must
also be able to explain how they arrived at their answers, which is more demanding and requires
students to think harder. Overall, many educators feel that the new Smarter Balanced assessment
better reflects the higher expectations of students that are seen in the Common Core, thus it is
only natural that we expect those same higher expectations to be reflected in testing (Brown,
2013).
The Smarter Balanced assessment also implements the use of technology and allows the
results of the test to arrive quicker to parents and schools. No longer will students be using paper
and pencil to take their test. Instead, students will be taking the assessment on a computer or
laptop. One of the major benefits to taking a test on the computer is the schools have the ability
to decide how many sessions per day theyre going to give and how many days long it is going to
take (Brown, 2013). No longer do students have to take the test all at one time, making the
testing schedules more flexible. During the test there is also no longer the worry of students
sharing answers because students will see different questions based on how they perform on the
test (Kittle, 2012). Smarter Balanced assessments also make use of computers adaptive
technology, which helps provide more accurate information about each student (Smarter
Balanced Assessments, 2015). However, schools are worried about the potential technology
issues, having enough computers available for students, providing headphones so students can
listen to audio or video clips, and even the potential need for more bandwidth capabilities (Kittle,
2012). But one major advantage of having the assessment done on the computer is the ability for
teachers, principals, students, and parents to receive results within only a few weeks. Faster
results allow teachers to quickly use the information and plan instruction for the remainder of the
year accordingly, which is invaluable for both the student and teacher. This means that hopefully
no longer are the results of annual testing of little value for classroom-level instructional
that can hopefully improve teaching and learning by providing information and tools for teachers
and schools to help students succeed. It also allows for educational policy makers to continue
comparing students between districts and between states, but also with students in other states
that have adopted the Common Core (Parents Guide, 2014). One of the most important goals of
moving to the new Smarter Balanced assessment is to provide students, parents, and teachers
with insight into college and career readiness early enough to address issues and provide extra
After learning more about the new Smarter Balanced assessment I definitely think that it
is going to help better ensure that each student is progressing and meeting each grade level
expectation that the Common Core standards have set forth. Yet, I think that students are going to
experience the same struggles and frustrations that they did with the NECAP test. I can still
vividly remember taking the NECAP test, especially the one I took in 11th grade. I dreaded sitting
at my desk the entire day taking an exam that I felt had no impact or benefit for me. I had never
been happy with the results of any of my NECAP tests and thought that they never represented
what I truly knew. However, I believe that this new assessment provides many more valuable
results, and since the test adapts to my ability to answer questions it is more tailored to each
individual student. However, I know that if I were taking this new test, I might be more inclined
just to click through it and wouldnt like the fact that I couldnt flip back and forth through a
booklet. But putting the normal grievances that students will always have about assessments
I believe that the new assessment will push students to meet the more demanding
Common Core standards as well as provide valuable feedback that teachers havent been able to
get from previous assessments. Most importantly, I think that the new Smarter Balanced
assessment is focused on long-term learning because of the way it measures and assesses growth
in student learning. The new assessment puts an emphasis on student growth over time and uses
multiple measures to assess a students learning which is crucial. Hopefully, the Smarter Balanced
assessment will help all educators in the state of New Hampshire ensure that its students are
Brown, S. (2013). New Smarter Balanced Test Will Ask More Of Students. Retrieved
from http://nhpr.org/post/new-smarter-balanced-test-will ask-more students
Kittle, Cameron. (2012, Feb 1). NECAP, on its way out; Online, adaptive test to be in place by
2013-14. The Telegraph. Retrieved from
http://www.nashuatelegrapgh.com/news/948469196/necap-on-its-way-out-online
adaptive.html
Parents Guide to New English Language Arts and Mathematics Assessments in New
Hampshire. (2014, Feb 6). Retrieved from http://www.pta.org/files/PTA%20New
%20Hampshire%20Assessment%20Guid pdf
Taormina, Barbara. (2014, Feb 9). Mixed NECAP student test results in Nashua. UnionLeader.
Retrieved from
http://www.unionleader.com/article/20140210/NEWS04/140219956&template
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