• Generally used to predict performance throughout the year, Fall, Winter, and Spring

The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) is a standardized test consortium. It creates Common Core State Standards-aligned tests ("adaptive online exams") to be used in several states.

These are assessments given at the end of a unit or chapter in a textbook. They're designed to measure student understanding of the specific material covered in that unit.

Data collected with the set plan in mind

• Not only allow teachers to assess student learning, but also give students a chance to reflect on their own understanding of the material

• An informal way to check for learning across subjects; this formative assessment allows students to reflect on learning

• Provide common language and data points teachers can effectively develop, implement and modify

• Help teachers identify what students know and can do to support their students' learning

• Data as part of instructional routine

• Follows a rubric, checklist, or rating scale

• Results are reported in reference to established criteria, such as standards, rather than by ranking student performance

• Compares scores of a selected group of students who have taken the test and are typically of the same age or grade with those of the test taker

• Can help teachers identify gaps in student understanding and instruction, and ideally teachers address these before moving on or by weaving remedies into upcoming instruction and activities

• Discuss a topic, they clarify their own thinking and learn from the experiences and opinions of others

• Are comparative educational surveys that are widely used to inform policy and provide large datasets for educational researchers

• Test with important consequences for the test taker. Passing has important benefits, such as a high school diploma, a scholarship, or a license to practice a profession