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Board hears Smarter Balanced field test plans and tight technology timeline; district aims to lease devices
Summary
SFUSD administrators outlined the SBAC field test schedule, item types and instructional shifts and said technology capacity is tight but addressable; the district plans to lease about 5,500 devices next year with one‑time Common Core funds.
District administrators presented an overview of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) field test and the district’s plan for implementation, practice, and communications. Dr. Ritu Khanna (Research, Planning & Accountability) described participation (grades 3–8 and a sample of grade 11 students), item types (selected response, technology‑enhanced, constructed response, and performance tasks) and testing windows (elementary Apr. 7–May 16; middle/high Mar. 18–May 16).
Dr. Khanna emphasized instructional implications and noted practice tests produce no results but are essential for schools to experience the new item types. "This is the new test in the state's assessment system...the field test is really a test of the test," she said.
Chief Technology Officer Matt Kinsey told the board that school device inventories lag some districts, but staff will use available equipment supplemented from the central budget to maximize field‑test participation. "We're working really hard to see where we stand for the field test...it's gonna be a tight window," Kinsey said, calling the next two to two‑and‑a‑half months an "incredible lot of work" to deploy equipment and network capacity.
Kinsey described a device procurement and leasing plan tied to one‑time Common Core funds: approximately $900,000 this year for the field test, $2.8 million next year, and about $2.1 million in subsequent years, with a goal to lease and replace devices on a three‑year cycle and to acquire roughly 5,500 devices districtwide next year.
Board members raised equity and implementation questions: how English learners and students with disabilities will be supported, whether timing and stamina issues for long performance tasks are addressed, and how the district will ensure students have sufficient practice with the technology. Presenters said online accessibility tools (glossaries, dictionaries) and accommodations will be available and that some scoring will use automated systems augmented by human scorers.
Next steps include site‑level readiness checklists, expanded practice‑test opportunities, targeted training for administrators and teachers, and rapid deployment of leased devices to priority sites before the field test window.
